Team Meeting

• Assembling your employees in a meeting can allow each employee to express his concerns about the workplace, interactions with other employees, teamwork and the need for additional resources to improve productivity and employee satisfaction. Employees may not know or understand the perspectives of other team members, so a team meeting can allow employees to gain a broader understanding of differing perspectives that contribute to conflict. Each employee should have an opportunity to speak uninterrupted to minimize the potential for arguments and unproductive dialogue during the meeting.
  
  

Individual Meetings

• Although team meetings can foster greater understanding of workplace issues and differing perspectives, some employees may have difficulty speaking candidly about their concerns in an open discussion. Schedule a time to talk with employees individually. This can help an individual employee feel like her voice is heard, and can give you information about workplace problems that might otherwise remain unspoken.
  
  

Team Activities

• Organize a team activity, such as a lunch away from the office, a trip to an amusement park or even a barbecue on the office lawn. Getting your employees together outside the work environment can help them communicate as individuals, rather than as workers. A team activity can provide a means for employees to enjoy each other's company without work pressures, which can ease tensions when the employees return to work.
  
  

Stress Reduction

• Providing means to reduce individual employee stress can help restore peace in the workplace -- in some cases, individual tension, stress and non-work pressures can magnify a workplace problem that might not otherwise create discord. Negotiate discounts with a local gym for your employees or set up a small workout facility in your workplace. Provide a quiet space where employees can read, meditate or simply escape from workplace pressures during meal times and breaks. Work with a consultant to develop an employee assistance program employees can access to talk with counselors about personal stress, substance abuse problems, financial issues, marital problems and other concerns.