By Rachel Zupek

Ever held a differing opinion from your boss? Boasted dissimilar ideas than your co-worker? Been knocked out by a colleague over a disagreement about a project? (OK, so the last one might be a stretch, but it's happened before...) 曾经观点和老板的不一致？曾经和同事想法不同？由于对一个项目看法不一而被一位同事打晕？（呃，也许最后一种有些夸张，不过这样的事情真的曾发生过……)

Join the club 大家都是“同病相怜”

Human resource managers report spending 24 to 60 percent of their time dealing¹ with employee disputes.

The number of violent incidents in the workplace has been increasing steadily², according to a study by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). Nearly 60 percent of respondents said violence had occurred in their organization during the past three years, and they identified "personality conflicts" as the leading cause.

Like birth, death, choice and change, conflict is a constant fact of life. It's also a fact of the workplace, especially when you deal or interact with people. While disagreements and differing opinions are normal, even healthy, in work relationships, conflict can cost your company productivity, money and employee satisfaction.

Fifty-three percent of workers said they lost time at work worrying about a past or future confrontation³ with a co-worker, according to a recent survey by researchers at the University of North Carolina.

Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed said they lost work time because they avoided the confrontational⁴ colleague, and 37 percent said a hostile altercation⁵ caused them to reduce their commitment to the organization. Twenty-two percent said they put less effort into their work because of bad blood at the office.

"Co-worker conflicts can be one of the most difficult forms of workplace stress," says Gus Stieber, national director of sales for Bensinger, DuPont & Associates, a professional services company. "Understanding the nature of conflict, examining myths, and learning simple conflict-resolution skills can reduce friction⁶ and their negative toll⁷ on job satisfaction and productivity."

Reasons for animosity at work run the gamut⁸ from weak communication to personality clashes to poor leadership. Whatever the reason, early intervention⁹ is the key to managing conflicts before they become crises, Stieber says. 导致职场矛盾的原因从沟通不通畅到性格上的冲突或领导力差都有。不论原因是什么，在矛盾升级至危机之前，早点介入是解决矛盾的关键。