A. Causes of Workplace conflict
1. Breach of a contract- The mayor in this conflict, feels that some police officers earn more than him. This situation makes the mayor decide to terminate the legal agreement that officers working on overtime, must be paid 1.5 times their basic salary. The mayor thus acts out of annoyance and jealousy and decides to prevent this state of earning. In essence, this is a breach of the existing contract between the police officers and the management.
2. Lack of consultations or communication between the mayor and the police officers. The mayor did not communicate his intentions of ending the overtime roles by the police officers. Instead, the mayor decided to it was time the officers stopped getting paid for their services. In his statement, the mayor argues that the police officers must find ways of managing their personal and financial lives, without relying on the overtime money. The mayor’s argument cannot be taken lightly by the officers, who see working overtime, as both a sacrifice to the city and also a way of earning extra income. The mayor implies that the officers do not deserve the payment, which is contrary to both their legal agreement with the city management and the sacrifice they put in working. If the mayor had made consultations with the police chief, a good agreement would have been reached.
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3. Lack of a good job description. The city management and the police officers did not settle for a reliable job description because they lacked numerous factors in their contract. For instance, the length of the contract was not described, which implies that the police officers started viewing the overtime payments as part of their original job description. Additionally, the contract did not stipulate the terms of termination of the agreement, thus the mayor decided to cut the agreement without making any consultations.
B. Short-term outcomes
1. The officers will not be motivated in their jobs, resulting in laxity in performance of their duties- With the conflict remaining unresolved, the police officers will feel unappreciated by the city management, leading to laxity in their jobs. For instance, the officers may respond slowly to crimes, leading to an increase in insecurity within the city.
2. The officers will go on strikes, which implies that they may fail to show up for work. The outcome of the strikes among the police officers is the deterioration of security in the city.
C. Long-term outcomes
1. Failure to secure new officers in the city-When the conflict is not resolved, the police officers will refuse to train new officers. Thus the city will not have new officers, and the experienced officers will be on a go-slow or strike. This will result in a massive period of insecurities in the city.
2. Decreased productivity and performance among the officers. The officers will lack motivation, resulting in a decrease in performance; hence leading to an increase in insecurity in the city.
D. Possible actions
1. Consultations between the city management and the police officers will play a crucial role in resolving the issue (Community Door, 2020). By engaging in discussions, the conflicting parties will come to a constructive agreement.
2. Reducing the overtime pay and hiring half the number of the intended recruitment. The city should agree to reduce overtime hours, while also hiring new officers. This move will ensure that the two sides attain a considerable win.
3. The hiring of the recruits in phases would also help in resolving the conflict. The city and the police management should agree that the recruits will be hired in phases, such that by the end of three years, the city will have overcome the burden of overtime payments. This strategy will help the experienced officers, to shift their lifestyles to fit their basic salaries.
E. Plan to create a more positive work culture
. Basic components of workplace culture
1. Organizational rules. The police department will adhere to a strict set of rules, which govern conduct. For instance, the rules will demand that only the chief officers are liable to discussions about salaries. Officers must adhere to these guidelines, which will avoid negative work conflicts.
2. Beliefs. Developing a system of beliefs will also help in preventing conflicts within the workplace environment. For instance, a belief that officers are made to serve will help the officers focus less on salaries.
b. specifications
1. Communication techniques. Officers must show effective communication techniques, to handle workplace conflicts.
2. Analytical skills. A police officer must be able to analyze the existing conflicts, to come up with an effective solution to any conflict arising in the workplace environment.
c. Conflict resolution
1. Tell me, how would you deal with a conflict arising from your team members?
2. Have you ever had a conflict with a co-worker? Tell me about it.
3. Have ever disagreed with your boss? Please tell me about it.
F. Methods of evaluating improvements
1. The use of one-on-one meetings will play a crucial role in gauging employee relations. Through one-on-one meetings, you can gauge an employee’s reaction to other employees.
2. Use of surveys and the evaluation of existing complaints about the employees. Through surveys, one can detect the employees with minimal employee relations standards. Follow-up surveys, will evaluate the degree of improvement in employee relations.
References
Community Door. (2020). Resolving Conflict. https://communitydoor.org.au/resources/human- resource-management/resolving-conflict#0-text-nav-item-1
Muller, D. (2014). How to Measure your Employee Relations Strategy: 16 Employee Engagement KPIs. Hracuity. https://www.hracuity.com/blog/employee-relations- strategy-employee-engagement-kpis
