Many conflict resolution steps are common sense, however they don’t take root until we stop to think about them.  Here is a step you can take for a healthier and more productive workplace:

Go To An Authority:  If after speaking with a person you are in conflict with one-on-one and bringing a witness (see secrets #2 and #3), there is still an issue it is time to approach an authority.  An authority in this case is someone who can provide insight into the situation, guidance, and quite possibly make a judgment call and insist on action being taken.  This may be a supervisor, a company owner, it may even be a legal professional if the situation calls for it. 

This step often makes people uncomfortable as they picture in their head a snivelling child who has run to their parents to snitch on a brother or sister.  Nobody likes a tattletale and workers are often afraid to speak up about a problem for fear of the stigma.  What makes the difference between a tattletale and a person with mature conflict resolution skills is that the tattletale did not bother to approach the person they were in conflict with one-on-one or try to bring a witness, but instead ran straight to the authority hoping they would deal with it. 

If all reasonable measures were taken to resolve the issue, going to an authority is the right step to take and if the person who is then confronted by the authority is upset, they must accept that plenty of opportunity was given to resolve the issue before this point, and take responsability for their own actions and choices.  Hopefully this authority is equiped with mediation skills that will help to diffuse tension and get to the root of the problem so that it can be resolved and allow the team to move forward.