How often have you found yourself having to calm a tense situation between arguing co-workers? Spending nine hours of the day in the same room as other people can often cause problems. While your staff may work well as a team, managing different personalities, expectations and workloads to make cohesion is a daily struggle for CEOs.

We have all had to work with somebody that we didn’t like. It is, unfortunately, part of being an adult! But making sure that co-workers are not distracted by their dislikes and grudges and focus on the task at hand is pivotal.

1. Set ground rules
2. Try to understand your point of view
3. Repeat yourself until you are heard
4. Remain calm
5. Change your body language
6. Create a two-way dialogue
7. Acknowledge a positive change in a colleague
8. Manage expectations to avoid resentment
9. Pick your battles

 The cost of unresolved conflict

Workplace tensions and conflict cost the UK £28.5 billion a year (Acas, 2021). According to 2024 research from the CIPD, 25% of UK employees have experienced workplace conflict in the past year, with those who have twice as likely (33%) to say they may leave their jobs as those who haven’t (16%).

Loss of talent and efficiency in the office is a major worry for a lot of businesses who are looking to grow, so it is important to keep on top of tense situations. Looking for new work is not always the best option for your staff, so instead, try and encourage employees to make life easier for everyone, by following a series of easy-to-implement techniques.

Small changes can have a big impact

There are plenty of steps you can take to improve things in a tense office space, whether it’s through your body language or the way you define your working relationships. Staying calm is essential, particularly as the vast majority of top professionals say that they are good at managing their emotions.

It’s not just a case of knowing when you need to keep cool or when to stand up for yourself, you also need to take your colleague’s thoughts and feelings into consideration. Remember that they also will be struggling with this tension. Studies have shown the importance of good communication for maintaining productive working relationships.

These are all skills and techniques that you can learn and develop to improve not only your ability to enjoy your work week, but to also your company’s productivity and your own career prospects.

Expert insight from a former senior police officer

As a former senior police office, author and self-help guru Kul Mahay has managed a lot of high-pressure scenarios where tempers have the tendency to flare.

“When we hear the word conflict, we can’t help but feel some level of trepidation or apprehension. After all, none of us enjoy any kind of confrontation. But to expect to go through life without any kind of conflict is simply not realistic,” Mahay says.

“Some level of conflict has to be expected in all areas of our lives. It is through these disagreements and misunderstandings that we grow and learn.

“Conflict in the workplace is not a rare occurrence, but the sad thing is that the vast majority of conflict could easily be resolved if all parties were to adopt certain strategies from the outset.

“The strategies are not rocket science but very often, in ‘the heat of battle,’ we can allow our emotions to drive our thinking and behaviour rather than a clear, logical mind.”

NetCredit has put together this infographic with nine effective ways that you can learn to work with difficult people.

Try out the tips today and see what you can achieve, including:

1. Set ground rules on how you expect to be treated – set clear boundaries for what you won’t tolerate in an interaction
2. Try to understand your point of view – maintain eye contact, mirror body language, and clarify queries when engaging with a colleague
3. If you have a strong point to make, repeat it – after the second time, ask the other person to repeat it back to you to ensure their understanding
4. Remain calm and step away from a heated conversation to reduce tension
5. Change your body language to elicit a positive shift in tone – when in a deadlock, suggest going for a walk or a coffee
6. Create a two-way dialogue between tense colleagues – a threat to self-esteem can literally feel like a threat to survival
7. Acknowledge a positive change in a colleague – tell them how much you appreciate it and the impact it’s having
8. Manage expectations to avoid resentment – a lack of clarity around expectations is one of the biggest causes of frustration and tension
9. Pick your battles – prioritise the main issues rather than trying to deal with everything at once