Read the following article from Unit II’s Required Reading (located in the Unit II Study Guide):
Lytle, T. (2015). Confronting conflict. HR Magazine, 60(6), 26-31. Retrieved from https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=103708484&site=ehost-live&scope=site
After reading the article, analyze the scenarios provided below, and choose one to discuss in your case study paper. In your case study, be sure to address the following items:
- Begin the discussion by identifying which of the scenarios you chose.
- Include a brief statement that identifies your style of conflict management.
- Use the information provided in this unit to develop a process to resolve the conflict.
- Describe how you would handle the workplace investigation for the chosen scenario.
As a result of a merger, the organization decided to decentralize its human resource management (HRM) functions and create area human resource (HR) generalists across the United States. One of their responsibilities is to handle all employee relations issues. You report directly to the senior vice president of HRM in the corporate headquarters in New York, and there is a dotted line reporting relationship to the vice president of field operations in your area, which is located in the Midwest. You just arrived at your new location for this position about six days ago.
Armed with the information you have learned in Units I and II and aided by your own experience and ability to research, please read the scenarios below, and select one for this assignment. Please answer the questions, and follow the guidelines presented.
Scenario #1:
It is Sunday evening, and you receive a phone call from an employee, Ellen, who lives several states away. However, she lives and works in your area of responsibility. Ellen is emotional and states that she can no longer tolerate her young coworker being sexually abused by the manager in their three-person office. She gives you the coworker’s name and phone number, and she tells you that the young woman wants you to call her later that evening when her husband will be asleep. As requested, you call the coworker, Tammy, and she states that she is afraid of losing her job. Tammy is emotionally upset and says that she fears that if her husband knows about what the manager is doing, he will confront him at the office, and there may be violence. Tammy informs you that the manager has a violent temperament and is prone to explosive outbursts.
Based on your knowledge of employment law, conflict management, and investigation procedures, what would be the best way to handle this situation? For example, what laws are involved? Where do you start? Who do you notify? When do you start? What do you tell the coworker (Ellen) and the employee (Tammy) who made the complaint?
In this situation, you are the employee relations representative for the organization. What is your role in the investigative process? Describe the steps you will take to investigate this employee complaint.
Scenario #2:
While conducting HR audits in the offices throughout your area, the newly promoted area director catches up with you to see how his offices are doing, and he invites you to lunch. While at lunch, he confides in you that he feels very uncomfortable with a certain highly regarded branch manager because she is always touching him inappropriately, and she does this in private as well as in front of her staff and vendors. He has politely asked her in private to stop this flirtatious behavior, explaining that it was unprofessional and that it makes him uncomfortable. Her response was to laugh it off, and she told him he was just too uptight.
She is a top performer, and he does not want to lose her or fire her; however, he asks you to talk with her to reinforce his request to stop the behavior.
What is your response to the area director? Based on your knowledge of employment law, conflict management, and investigation procedures, what would be the best way to handle this situation? For example, what laws are involved? Where do you start?
In this situation, you are the employee relations representative for the organization. What is your role in the investigative process? Describe the steps you will take to investigate this employee complaint, and explain how you will resolve the conflict.
Scenario #3:
Your senior vice president (SVP) of HRM has received a complaint from two branch managers in your geographic area. They are separate but similar complaints concerning Robert, the SVP of Area Operations. Both managers say Robert touches them and other women in the office inappropriately by rubbing their shoulders; the managers also report that Robert makes remarks about their alluring attire and comments that he is in love with them for the great job they are doing. Knowing you are housed in the same area office with this SVP, your boss asks you if you can objectively investigate this complaint. You talk it over with your boss and know he will support your efforts, and you agree to do the investigation.
Almost as soon as you give your answer to your boss, you receive a phone call from the area SVP’s wife, who somehow already knows you will be interviewing her husband for a harassment complaint. She is irate and states that the charges are ridiculous. She becomes belligerent and begins to degrade the female managers.
Based on your knowledge of employment law, conflict management, and investigation procedures, what would be the best way to handle this situation? For example, what laws are involved? Where do you start? Who do you notify? When do you start? What do you tell the area SVP’s wife?
In this situation, you are the employee relations representative for the organization. What is your role in the investigative process? Describe the steps you take to investigate this employee complaint.
In your response to the scenario you have chosen, follow the guidelines below:
- Be sure to include academic sources to support your positions/conclusions. You are required to use at least two outside sources beyond the required reading for this unit.
- Be sure that your analysis is highly relevant, thorough, and remains on topic.
- Accuracy should be strong, with close attention to detail in all parts of the assignment.
- Writing should be clear and concise with solid sentence structure and should be free of grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors.
- Your paper should be at least three pages in length.
All sources used must be referenced; paraphrased and quoted material must have accompanying citations in APA format.
