Motivating and encouraging your employees
Face it- conversations about conflicts are hark work. Creating a dialogue in the midst of problems takes courage and energy, so validate and praise your employees for their efforts and find ways to acknowledge the good work they accomplish. In other words, encourage the behavior you want to see more than discourage the behavior you don’t want to see.
Look for areas of common ground between your employees. Even if the two seem miles apart on everything. They still have one or two things in common- both are likely frustrated with the situation, and both are anxious to get some solutions on the table. You could note that each has a stake and a responsibility in creating a stable and comfortable workplace. And anytime that you detect vales they have common- like respect or autonomy – point them out. Allow them to talk about how they define those values differently and what actions need to be taken for those values to be fulfilled.
Don’t treat this conversation as some sort of disciplinary action. Instead, emphasize that this discussion is an opportunity to create what they want their ongoing relationship to look like. Encourage them to see the conversation as a turning point in their interaction with each other rather than as a trial for you to judge who makes the better case.