Signs of Gender Conflict in the Work Place

• Men and women don't always see eye to eye at work. Michael Hitoshi/Photodisc/Getty Images

  The differences between the psychologies of men and women have been a subject of debate for many years. When men and women are working together, their differences may leave the realm of the theoretical and become an obstacle to business success. Watching for signs of gender conflict and taking steps to defuse potentially problematic situations is invaluable for any manager, and can go far to maintain a happy and productive work atmosphere.

Warring Camps

• As a manager, you should make a point of watching how employees interact during free time, for example at lunch or on breaks. If all of the women appear to be banding together in one area, and all the men in another, this could be a sign of some strange gender politics going on in your office. Do some subtle questioning of employees with whom you feel comfortable to find out if there are any tensions in the office. Sexual harassment is an unfortunate reality in many offices, and if someone is guilty of it, or even suspected of being guilty of it, this can undermine employee morale.

Absenteeism

• Many people react to conflict or stress by absenting themselves from the source of the conflict. This may be particularly common among women who are having difficulties with men in a work situation. You should not jump to conclusions about whether the man or the woman is at fault in the situation, but you should take immediate action to resolve the problem. Call an employee who is habitually absent to a private meeting and attempt to find the source of the problem. It may be illness, or something similar, or it may be problems with co-workers. It is in situations like these that a comfortable working relationship with employees pays off. If you are alienated from your workforce, they will not want to confide in you about personal issues such as conflict with co-workers.

Bickering and Conflict

• Tension and incompatibility can eventually erupt into open hostility in the workplace if it becomes severe enough. These problems are not only the result of gender conflicts; men and women can feud with their own genders as well as the other. However, if it is a case of inter-gender conflict, whether between two individuals or between groups, it can be poisonous to a work environment if it is not addressed. Often there are serious issues underlying the conflict. Someone could be behaving in a sexually inappropriate manner, or some form of office bullying could be taking place. Although we like to think that sexual issues are not relevant in a workplace, a manager would be naive to ignore them and pretend that these conflicts don't exist.