Workplace Conflict Awareness Month – April 2024

History of Workplace Conflict Awareness Month

Conflict has been an intrinsic component of human civilizations, it is virtually impossible to trace the first time a conflict occurred between two people. Workplace conflict — in the way we know it today — however, can be traced back to the existence of the modern workplace. Conflicts within the workplace, along with general complaints about organizational functioning have changed over time.

After the Industrial Revolution, western society moved into the era of scientific management. Herein, any conflict or problem in the workplace was considered the employee’s fault — problems within the workplace were seen as a threat to the organization’s very existence. With the onset of the Great Depression, it became all the more crucial for employees to avoid conflict at all costs, lest they lose their livelihood.

However, with the gradual introduction of the Human Relations Movement, workplaces began to turn into more nurturing environments and employee groups formed as companies began to realize that happier employees were more productive. Some problems were seen as the employer’s fault and the blame no longer lay just with the employee. Employees were now investments made to grow organizations. Today, complaints are now theoretically encouraged in the hope of identifying lacunae in organizational functioning. Conflict resolution, thus, forms an important part of organizations and their affairs.