#IBMSWchat Preview – Turning Conflict Into Connection: Building a Smarter, Healthier, Happier Workplace October 18, 2013 1pm ET

Instructions:to join this twitter chat: Go to www.tweetchat.com sign in and follow the prompt by adding hashtag #IBMSWCHAT. You will be directed to a screen that will show you the live twitter chat and allow you to also join the conversation

Conflict is one of the worst problems in ALL workplaces. Learning to not simply turn conflict around, but developing the ability to use conflict to build connections, develop stronger, better, healthier relationships is a critical tool in your management and leadership tool kit. Overt or covert conflict undermines employee engagement, derides great work and insidiously erodes potential from inside out. Here are some stats YOU need to know.

The typical manager spends 25-40% of his or her time dealing with workplace conflicts. That’s one to two days of every work week (Washington Business Journal, May 2005).

Two-thirds of both men and women say work has a significant impact on their stress level, and one in four has called in sick or taken a “mental health day” as a result of work stress (American Psychological Association, 2004).

Research shows that 60-80% of all difficulties in organizations stem from strained relationships between employees, not from deficits in individual employee’s skill or motivation. Daniel Dana, Managing Differences: How to Build Better Relationships at Work and Home (2005, 4th ed.); Barbara J. Kreisman, Insights into Employee Motivation, Commitment and Retention (2002).

Ernst & Young reports that the cost of losing and replacing an employee may be as high as 150% of the departing employee’s annual salary (Workforce.com).

IBM SMARTER WORKFORCE #IBMSWCHAT – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1PM ET/10AM PT

Join us for IBM Smarter Workforce #IBMSWchat and learn practical, powerful ways to turn conflict into connection with award winning blogger, Irene Becker (@justcoachit), author of Seven Ways to Turn Conflict-Communication Problems Around. Get ready to build a smarter, healthier, happier workplace with this inspiring and insightful #IBWSWchat.

Turning Conflict Into Connection: Building a Smarter, Healthier, Happier Workplace

Q1: How does conflict impact your work and relationships?
Q2: What makes conflict escalate?
Q3: How do you coach employees through conflict? How can management USE conflict to build relationships?
Q4: How do you find common ground in a workplace conflict?
Q5: What are common conflict resolution mistakes or missed coaching opportunities managers make that can help them USE conflict to build connection?

ABOUT THE #IBMSWCHAT

Every other Friday from 1pm-2pm ET, we invite HR thought leaders and practitioners to come together and help each other create a smarter workforce within our own organizations. Together, we can learn about the various ways organizations are attracting top talent, empowering employees with the right tools to drive performance, motivating their workforce through collaboration and analytics, and using behavioral sciences to understand what drives measurable results.