Click on the links below to learn more

As an employer, you are likely to come across some type of workplace dispute. It may involve you and an employee, or between the staff themselves. Some disputes will be of a more serious nature than others, however it is important that they are all dealt with appropriately.

Workplace disputes are generally different from complaints. Disputes usually concern a disagreement or argument between two parties, whereas a complaint is often just to bring an error or problem to your attention. Therefore disputes often have no quick fix and may be more difficult to resolve.

As an employer, you will need to view disputes from an unbiased, objective point of view. This can be difficult if you are one of the people involved directly in the dispute, however it is vital that you are able to look at each issue from both points of view.

Firstly, you should listen to each side of the argument from each person involved separately. This will allow people to be honest and feel that they are providing information in private. If you cannot, it may be a good idea to bring in an outside mediator so that your employees don't feel that they are at a disadvantage when it comes to negotiating a solution. The Victoria Department of Justice website has information on mediators.

After you have heard each side of the dispute and a simple resolution cannot be achieved, you may need to bring the parties together to discuss and negotiate a solution. After careful consideration, it may be down to you as an employer to make a decision and resolve the dispute. This might make you unpopular in the short term, however it may be the only way to allow business to continue.

A way of avoiding disputes involves monitoring the workplace and employees. Through effective leadership and management, you can identify issues that may potentially escalate, and intervene early on to avoid possible disputes in the future.

You can find further information on resolving workplace disputes from the Workplace Advice Line. There is also additional information from the Good Practice, Good Business package.