Venture conducted a survey to determine workers’ perceptions of the causes of conflict at work. The top three vote-getters were (1) people who talk too loudly on the phone, (2) office gossip, and (3) co-workers who waste your time. Venture further examined the impact of office gossip, anger about coworkers who don’t pull their weight, and clashes between older and younger workers.

Office Gossip 

Office gossip can poison a workplace. A tanning-salon owner who had worked hard to build her company encountered big problems when employees started spreading rumours about each other. When the owner became aware of the gossiping, she called all employees into head office and asked them to sign a contract forbidding gossip. One prohibited behaviour is talking about a co-worker when that co-worker is not present. A year after introducing the contract, the salon owner is getting calls from other companies asking about the policy. Bob Summerhurst, a human resource specialist, says that gossip occurs when bosses play favourites or when they don’t communicate properly. Information voids get filled with gossip, which is often negative. His solution is not to ban gossip, but to have regular meetings of managers and employees.

Co-workers Who Don’t Pull Their Weight 

Jerry Steinberg, a Vancouver teacher, says that employees with children are often treated as “special” and he thinks that this is not fair. He says people like him are asked to work a few extra hours a week to cover for parents who are tending to their children. The problem is worst during the holiday season because people with no children are asked to work holidays so that employees with children can spend time with their kids. Steinberg is speaking up about his concerns. He has started a website called No Kidding where child-free members can talk about the unfair treatment they receive at work. But Steinberg says it is hard to stand up for yourself: It sounds heartless to be unsympathetic to parents’ wishes to spend time with their children. But he also observes that people make a choice to have children, and they should not expect to gain advantages because of that choice. He is also unhappy about the extra employment benefits that parents get. He has a simple solution: Give each employee a certain dollar amount that they can spend on whatever benefits they want.

The Generation Gap 

Young people in their 20s have generally grown up in an environment where their Baby Boomer parents gave them a lot of things. Now those young people are entering the workforce, and they want more things: benefits, money, authority, and free time. And they want them right now.

Consider John and Ryan, recent college grads. They feel that they work very hard, but they don’t necessarily want to do what their parents did (like wearing a suit and tie to work, or working from 9 to 5).

Mike Farrell, who researches attitudes of young people, notes that most young people are plugged in and well informed, and these are qualities that employers crave. Theresa Williams, who hires workers for the Chronicle-Herald (Halifax), finds that young people today don’t seem grateful to be offered a job like Boomers were. She tries to overcome the difficulties in recruiting young people by emphasizing the good working conditions at the Chronicle-Herald.

 The way students look for jobs is also changing. One company therefore came up with a gimmick: They posted a job competition on the Internet, with the prize being a job for a year, a free apartment, and a trip home for the holidays. The two winners—John and Ryan—moved to Halifax. A year later, they moved out of their free apartment, but stayed on with the company. Now they are helping to design this year’s job competition, and they are on board with “the old guys.”

1. What are the basic causes of conflict in organizations? What caused the conflicts in each of the three situations described in this case incident?

2. What is the difference between “cognitive” conflict and “affective” conflict? How are these terms relevant in each of the three situations described in the case?

3. What conflict resolution strategies could Jerry Steinberg consider as he attempts to resolve his unhappiness about certain people getting “special” treatment in his organization? Which one do you think would be most effective? Explain.

4. Briefly explain what is involved in each of the third-party conflict resolution strategies. Give examples of how these strategies might be useful in the three situations described above. Be specific.

5. What is the grapevine? What role does it play in office gossip?