conflict of interest in workplace essay

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The definitive guide to conflicts of interest

Table of contents, why organizations should prioritize coi.

Compliance programs are never a one-size-fits-all solution and conflicts of interest are no exception. Depending on your organization’s industry, size, and risk appetite, the way you approach conflicts of interest (COI) may be vastly different from other companies. The best way to build a world class conflicts of interest process? Find a tailored solution that works for your organization. In this article, we will explore the factors you should be considering when building or revamping your current COI process. It’s no secret that conflicts of interest present a significant risk within organizations and have the potential to result in serious regulatory issues. It’s crucial that organizations adopt a structured approach to handling and monitoring conflicts of interest for its employees, management, and third parties from the moment they arise. Conflicts of interest can truly be early warning signs or smoke signals for larger organizational issues. An effective COI process gives compliance officers a clear birds-eye-view into their organization so they can better understand where current risks exist and better predict where future ones lie. Companies must also ensure that their employees don’t take advantage of ambiguous situations. For example, giving preferential treatment to a vendor they have personal relationships with or making business decisions based on what will benefit themselves financially . For large organizations operating with multiple business units and constant expansion into new markets, it can be difficult to manage conflicts due to the sheer scope and complexity of the organization. COI processes, like any compliance process, present companies with an opportunity to strive for transparency, loyalty, impartiality, and integrity. Take a moment to reflect: is your organization taking full advantage of this opportunity? Organizations should care about conflicts of interest because creating an effective COI process can shield the business from current and future risks, inform other compliance processes, and give a holistic view of what is actually going on within your organization. Consider this your guide to tackling the current hurdles your COI process faces and a resource to help you build a solution that will reduce risk and increase transparency within your organization.

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What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest is when the personal interest of an employee could interfere with or influence their conduct in the workplace. Common types of conflicts include, but are not limited to, outside employment, workplace relationships, selling to the company, political commitments, and personal financial interest. Conflicts should be avoided by employees if at all possible. When they cannot be avoided, all conflicts of interest should be openly disclosed and handled according to established workflows.

Current Challenges with COI

There are a handful of common issues that organizations face when approaching conflicts of interest. No matter where your conflicts of interest program is today, consider these problems—and more importantly, how you can solve them. Most compliance teams face one if not all of these hurdles:

Leveraging Tools Not Built for COI

The vast majority of compliance teams have a stop-gap solution in place that handles conflicts of interest. The most common tools being used for COI today include email, spreadsheets, SharePoint, ticketing tools, homegrown solutions, or hacking compliance tools to fit the COI use case. The problem with these solutions? They were not designed for conflicts of interest and they are likely not flexible enough to reflect your organization’s unique needs. Having inadequate solutions in place for any compliance process is a disservice to the compliance team and the organization. In order to have a truly effective COI process, you need a tool that was built to handle this specific function. Other solutions leave major gaps in your processes leaving room for risk to go unmanaged. Many of the most common tools being used for COI today have major limitations. The only tool that is a true solution for conflicts of interest, is one that was built with conflicts in mind. Depending on what COI tool you use today, it may be holding your program back from truly moving the needle for your business. Don’t let your COI process be limited by the technology that is intended to support it.

Limited Scope of COI

Another challenge organizations face with conflicts of interest is how exactly they define what a conflict is. Often, organizations define what they consider to be a conflict slightly differently based on industry, size, risk appetite, and other variables. No matter where your business stands today on the definition of a conflict of interest, there is likely room to broaden the scope of what a COI really is. Increasing this scope means addressing additional risk factors and, in all likelihood, also increasing the number of workflows and complexity of your current process. Below are typical conflicts of interest that are addressed along with an expanded list of conflicts that compliance programs tend to address. Understand which of these conflicts your program addresses today along with conflicts that may make sense for you to begin addressing in the future. If any of these conflicts could present sufficient risks to your organization and you are not currently monitoring for them, it might be time to expand your definition of what qualifies as a conflict of interest within your organization.

Traditional Conflicts:

• Outside employment
• Personal financial interest
• Personal workplace relationship

Expanded View of Conflicts:

• Expanded mandate
• Interest in competitors
• Political commitments
• Interest in business partner
• Use of confidential information for personal purposes
• Selling to the company

Lacking a Central Repository

Another widespread issue with conflicts of interest is not having the ability to view all conflicts holistically. Or in other words, having a searchable repository of all conflicts of interest whether one was declared or not. Let’s dive a little deeper into why this is such an important factor. For one, record keeping. Having a library of all conflicts is essential to locating them at a later date, potentially after suspicious behavior has occurred or a case has been opened. This is a huge drawback of leveraging email when everything is handled by individual records and never pulled into a central repository. Having all conflicts of interest data in one place is also a precursor to what we will get into next: analyzing trends. But before we go there, it’s important to remember: what might not be a conflict today could become a conflict 6 months or 2 years from now. This stresses the critical role of proper documentation in order to understand where future conflicts might arise. Having a central database where all conflict data is stored is a first and essential step to finding that data at a later date or aggregating the data for deeper analysis.

Not Understanding Conflict Trends

Most conflict of interest processes have a major gap: identifying trends in COI across the organization. Aggregating all COI data into a single database then extracting insights is an advanced function that is massively impactful to the compliance teams who are able to harness its power. However, even the first step of viewing conflict data holistically can be a major hurdle. Once that is tackled, it’s time to start analyzing the information. Being able to see what has been disclosed, common types of conflicts, and frequently named third parties or vendors can be critical information to inform the rest of your compliance and ethics strategy. For example, understanding if certain types of COI mainly come from certain business units or geographies could be helpful to understand the organization’s risks. Another trend that would be beneficial to track is other conflicts that employees report, the ones that don’t fall under a predetermined category set by the compliance team. If there is a specific unique conflict that a critical volume of your employees begin reporting, this could be a signal to create a new category for that conflict. Finally, it should be the goal of any COI program to have conflicts flow into an overall risk framework. COI data should be connected to adjacent compliance processes and ensure that it augments third party data, regulatory information, and whistleblower data and should inform your risk view in real-time.

Managing Organizational Change

If conflicts of interest are so important why isn’t every organization frantically updating their process to be cutting-edge? Two words: change management. Change is difficult for humans and even harder for large, complex organizations with many moving pieces and multiple stakeholders. The intense undertaking of changing current processes is actually what holds many compliance teams back from evolving their current processes. You’re going to have to get curious and creative to come up with an effective solution to upgrade your COI processes. Whether it’s updating policies, retraining employees, rolling out new technology, or any combination of the aforementioned, it takes time, strategy, and likely a healthy dose of patience to overcome these organizational hurdles. It can also be beneficial to find examples of what impactful change looks like in your organization. Talk with leaders who have spearheaded major organizational changes before and get their specific tips on navigating change within your organization.

Defining a Robust COI Process

When revamping any process, it is important to begin where you are. Understanding how to improve your current COI process starts with a deep understanding of where you are at today. There are a few critical questions that you should consider during this review:

Who is currently involved in the COI process?

Compliance teams can both over fulfill this need or under fulfill it. If compliance officers do not loop in enough people in the conflicts process (or the right people), they might be streamlining the process but failing to inform critical parties of risk they should be aware of. On the other hand, if compliance teams have overly complex processes with too many dependencies to get a decision over the line, the time to process a conflict could be unnecessarily lengthy. It is important to find the right balance and to ensure stakeholders are informed and their inputs are solicited at the right step of the process.

What types of conflicts do employees declare?

It’s important to understand what your employees and third parties are reporting as conflicts today . Digging into what percentage of your workforce submits a conflict is a good benchmark to understand. Depending on the absence or prevalence of COI throughout your organization it might highlight an opportunity to ensure employees are aware of the full scope and importance of the COI policy.

When are conflicts initially being processed?

And what’s the recurring frequency, thereafter? It’s best practice for all new hires to clear conflicts of interest before they are officially on-boarded. After that, new conflicts should be reviewed annually or when new conflicts present themselves. If you don’t already have a process in place for on-going monitoring or a plan to enable employees to submit conflicts as they arise, these could be potential ways to expand your existing COI program.

Where are you managing COI processes and storing data?

As previously mentioned, a big step in making COI process improvements can be found in the technology that supports your program. We go into detail on what a good COI solution looks like in other sections, but taking inventory of how your tools are enabling or hindering an effective COI process is a critical step. And yes, implementing new software does not always happen overnight but it often moves the needle the most and is worth investing in both from a resource and budget perspective.

How does your organization view conflicts of interest?

The way companies approach conflicts of interest often depends on a number of variables. Work with the rest of your company’s leadership team to establish how to deal with the different types of conflicts and which ones will need remedy actions. Setting clear goals for this process with your leadership team will not only help you run the best program but it will also prove the value to the executive team by making them a part of the decision process.

Establishing a COI Workflow

A COI workflow typically involves the employee reporting the conflict, the line manager, human resources team when required, and compliance team, depending on the risks involved. A disclosure management workflow should ideally map out the different steps involved in the management of a particular disclosure and who is to be alerted or engaged in the process based on the initial assessment of the risks involved. Other stakeholders may be engaged on the process based on your unique organisational set up or on the types and risk levels of the disclosed conflicts.

Some compliance teams choose to remind employees periodically to report any potential or actual conflicts while others allow for ad-hoc submissions only. Some choose to only require submissions when there are conflicts to be declared, while others require confirmation from employees that there are no conflicts to declare. These may prove handy for documentation and audit purposes. The volumes of disclosures this approach might generate shouldn’t discourage compliance teams. Leveraging automation in your COI workflow process can automate the collection and review process based on pre-determined threshold allowing compliance teams to only escalate disclosures that require human review.

When addressing conflicts with their direct reports, managers should be trained to assess risks to business interests and the impact conflicts could have on the company. Disclosures made directly to managers should be submitted on behalf of employees ensuring that all disclosures live in a centralised place. The underlying disclosure management workflow should guide the manager towards the best next steps to take based on the inputted information to ultimately make a pragmatic decision. At the end of the day, the goal is to minimize risks to the company and protect employees interests as much as possible.

What Should Be Done About Conflicts

Historically, organizations have approached conflicts of interest as risks that should be avoided. However, now enterprise companies are beginning to take a different approach: viewing the ability to efficiently and effectively manage conflicts as a competitive edge. Whether or not your company falls into this category, this perspective can shift your thoughts about the right way for your organization to manage conflicts.

There’s little question here—turnaround will depend on the risks involved, however building an efficient process is critical to resolve or mitigate conflicts as quickly as possible. Take for example a large technology company vs a large financial firm. A technology firm might view conflicts as a hiring hindrance and something that should be expedited. For this reason, their COI process is likely to be quick, lenient, and streamlined. Their goal is to clear conflicts as quickly as possible so they can extend top candidates an offer before their competition. The financial firm, however, functions in a more highly regulated industry with issues like insider trading constantly top-of-mind. Due to their industry and caution around conflicts, their COI process is likely longer. Another example that takes place within a single organization is adopting a variable risk appetite based on the seniority of the potential hire. That is to say that an organization might take on more risk for a senior hire than they would for a junior one. In this situation, junior-level employees would still be rejected as candidates if they had conflicts of interest but senior employees would go through a different workflow where appropriate mitigations are established to ensure the identified conflict doesn’t represent an exposure risk for the organization. This is the organization’s way of saying they are willing to take on additional risk for certain roles, but not for all hires. Both of these examples highlight why compliance teams need customizable and flexible solutions that are tailored to their specific needs. Which brings us to our next topic: the role of technology.

The Role of Technology

Conflicts of interest processes are increasing in complexity but have long been handled by basic tools with elementary functionality. Best-in-class programs have the leading software powering them. COI requires a robust tool that streamlines complex workflows, automates notifications to relevant parties , and is tailored to your organisation’s unique needs. It’s essential to select the right conflicts of interest vendor. Your technology partner can make or break how impactful your well thought through COI plan will be. Let’s review the solutions needed to effectively manage declarations:

• Systematically take in conflicts of interest declarations
• Ensure users are seamlessly guided through the processes for a higher adoption and completion rate
• Leverage automated campaigns to distribute COI policy and training and periodic disclosure campaigns
• Collect declarations from future fires before they become employees
• Effectively triage, review conflicts of interest, ask for additional information or escalate cases
• Mitigate conflicts by ensuring that employees accomplish appropriate mitigation tasks
• Maintain an overview of all conflicts of interest from one dashboard
• Govern interactions with disclosures and access to data based on user role and function
• Embedded reporting and analytics to be able to analyse data and report on results and trends
• Seamlessly export data into a detailed report (and easily share with management)
• Connect disclosure data to adjacent compliance processes when relevant; example conflicts involving third party relationships.

Another consideration with bringing on a solution to manage COI is how it will impact total processing time. Looking at your current processing time is important. On average, how long does it take your company to process a COI? Less than a week? More than a month? There’s little debate here—the quicker the better. Building an efficient process is the name of the game. Being agile with COI allows companies to hire faster, retain talent, and have an accurate picture of what their current conflicts and risks are. Organizations will also be better prepared for the risks that lay ahead. A strong library of COI can go a long way as risks fluctuate and change over time.

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Deploying a New COI Process

A good communication strategy is key to the long-term success of your COI process and compliance objectives. An effective communications plan allows you to make sure all relevant stakeholders are involved, create curiosity around the topic, ensure engagement over time, and create visibility for the ethics and compliance function. However, change management is something that must be handled carefully. Management will also play a critical role in rolling out an updated COI process. Managers lead by example and their direct reports and other employees will follow suit. Nail the communication process to managers in order to set the correct tone at the top. Plus, managers can actually ensure their teams adhere to the new process. Here’s a simple 3-step process to effectively deploying a new COI process (or any compliance process for that matter) in your organization:

3-Step Communications Process

Tease the topic: Present to your organization’s leadership team to gain executive buy-in and request their assistance with establishing a strong tone at the top. For the rest of the organization, let them know that changes are coming soon, so as not to catch anyone off-guard with your new processes. This might come in the form of posters, emails, or screensaver communications to employees across your company.

Train the workforce: Launch your COI process and ensure that adequate awareness and training accompanies your roll-out. Leverage your trusted technology partner to make this step seamless.

Evaluate responses: With the launch of your digitized declaration campaign, it might be tempting to sit back and feel like your work here is done. You might think your only worry is to process the conflicts that employees declare. However, a huge part of deploying a new process is listening to feedback from outside of the compliance team.

Understanding the Impact of COI

Understanding the impact that proper COI management has on an organization begins with knowing where the business impact comes from. Measuring the results of COI can come in two forms: direct and indirect results. For direct results, you can measure the impact of the average time an employee spends on conflicts and time saved across the organization due to automation. These are both measurements that look at the efficiency of the COI process and the larger impact that will have on the organization as a whole. From a qualitative perspective, you can observe benefits including potential litigation costs avoided from knowing about these conflicts upfront, advantages in recruiting new employees (the speed at which you can clear conflicts and hire top talent), process timeline, the value of building an accurate library of conflicts and insurance value. Ensuring nothing slips through the cracks and exposes the company to unknown risks is a value add that can be difficult to quantify but undoubtedly provides the business with immense value. Process timeline can be a bit of a gray area because it will vary dramatically depending on how many checks and balances your processes have. Some processes need one approval, others have multiple layers of approvers with complex rerouting workflows that naturally take longer. When considering indirect results of COI processes you might also contemplate the impact of missing out on a top candidate for no other reason other than your competitor was able to clear their conflicts faster and extend them an offer first. There are many ways to partner with your HR team to ensure COI processes run as smoothly as possible. The key to COI management is transparency, disclosure, and proper documentation. That’s what an efficient solution is all about: finding the right workflows, checks and balances, and technology for your organization. If your COI process is managed properly it will shield your business from future reputational or monetary risks. As you revamp your conflicts of interest processes keep these business drivers in mind; How will your new and improved process impact these results?

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For Businesses

For students & teachers, 20 examples of conflicts of interest at work.

EVERFI Content Team

Conflicts of interest at work can pose serious ethical and operational challenges for any organization. These situations occur when an employee could benefit personally from a scenario that also has the potential to negatively impact the company. They can lead to a loss of trust, damage to a company’s reputation, and potentially even legal issues. In this article, we delve into the concept of workplace conflicts of interest, presenting some common examples and providing strategies for prevention.

What is a Conflict of Interest?

A conflict of interest  at work arises when a situation that benefits an employee also affects your company. And employees are bound through your company’s code of conduct to act in the interests of their employer and not for their own personal gain.

It’s best for employees not to enter into a situation where their actions might create a conflict, whether it’s actual, potential, or perceived, without disclosing the information.

So what are some examples of situations your employees might find themselves in?

Examples of Conflicts of Interest At Work

• Hiring an unqualified relative to provide services your company needs
• Starting a company that provides services similar to your full-time employer
• Failing to disclose that you’re related to a job candidate the company is considering hiring
• Making arrangements to work for a vendor or client at a future date while continuing to do business with them
• Posting to social media about your company’s weaknesses
• Offering paid services on your time off to a company customer or supplier
• Working part-time at a company that sells a competing product or service as your full-time employer
• Accepting payment from another company for information about your employer
• Failing to investigate a subordinate or coworker’s wrongdoing because they are a friend
• Sharing confidential information about your employer with a competitor
• Dating or having a romantic relationship with a supervisor or subordinate
• Making a purchase or business choice to boost a business that you have a stake in
• Accepting a favor or a gift from a client above the amount specified as acceptable by the company
• Owning part of a business that sells goods or services to your employer
• Reporting to a supervisor who is also a close friend or family member
• Doing business or work for a competitor
• Accepting consulting fees and providing advice to another company for personal gain
• Sharing information in an interview about your employer’s activities or plans
• Taking advantage of confidential information learned on the job for your own benefit
• Cashing in on a business opportunity that your company might have pursued

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Strategies to Prevent Conflicts of Interest At Work

Unfortunately, employees aren’t always able to recognize or know how to deal with conflicts of interest at work. Many times, the situation seems innocent or they don’t realize what’s happening is against the code of conduct.

To provide employees with sufficient conflict of interest policy examples and teach them what to do when a situation arises, there are several different strategies you can use:

Develop Business Standards

Your company should have a code of conduct or employee handbook conflict of interest policy that addresses ethical situations an employee might come across. For example, it can address how employees should respond to issues concerning bribery, data protection, confidential information, and social media.

Business Ethics Training

Properly defining conflict of interest in business ethics training  reiterates your code of conduct in a way that helps employees retain the information. With training, you can provide scenarios to guide employees in making the right choice when a conflict of interest arises.

Formal Reporting Procedures

Even if an employee is aware of a conflict of interest, they still need to be encouraged to disclose it to your company. Creating formal reporting policies allows employees to have an open channel of communication where they are able to ask questions.

When does a conflict of interest occur?

In the workplace, a conflict of interest can arise in various situations. A common scenario is when personal interests or relationships might influence an employee’s professional decisions. For instance, financial conflicts could involve having a stake in a business that stands to benefit from an employee’s professional actions.

However, it’s not just about monetary gains. Non-financial conflicts, where personal relationships could challenge an individual’s impartiality, are equally significant.

What’s more, a conflict of interest isn’t confined to actual conflicts. Even the mere perception of a conflict can harm reputational credibility, irrespective of whether any misconduct has occurred.

How to handle conflicts of interest when they occur

Addressing conflicts of interest begins with disclosure. The individual who is potentially conflicted should openly report it to their supervisor or an appropriate authority.

Once a conflict is reported, an objective assessment of the situation is required. The appropriate course of action can then be determined, which may involve the individual recusing themselves from certain decisions or even reassignment of duties.

In some instances, the resolution could require divesting from the conflicting interests. Therefore, it’s crucial for organizations to have clear policies outlining how to report and manage conflicts of interest.

Periodic training sessions can help employees prevent potential conflicts and equip them with the skills to handle these complex situations when they arise.

Key Takeaways

Employees don’t always recognize conflicts of interest in the workplace. It’s your job to help them identify ethical dilemmas and make the correct decisions. There are several strategies you can use, including business standards, business ethics training, and formal reporting procedures.

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Dealing with Conflicts of Interest at Work

Anne morris.

• 23 August 2024

IN THIS SECTION

In this guide for employers, we consider the risks associated with conflicts of interest at work, and the steps you can take to manage conflicts of interest and to mitigate legal and commercial risk.

What are conflicts of interest at work?

A conflict of interest arises where an employee’s personal interests are at odds with those of the business or organisation they work for. At times, these interests may even undermine or disadvantage the business or organisation.

These conflicts are inevitable and can occur at any level of the business – whether the individual is a permanent employee (full-time and part-time), casual employee, director or board member, or independent contractor.

Examples of conflicts of interest at work

Employee actions can cause a conflict of interest either intentionally or unintentionally. Instances of conflicts of interest include:

• Working for a competitor.
• Opening a business which is in competition with your own.
• Sharing confidential and/or damaging information about your company on social media.
• Failing to disclose hiring or working with a relative.
• Providing consulting advice and pay from a competitor.
• Not investigating a coworker’s misbehavior due to a personal relationship.
• Using knowledge or information about the company for their own financial benefit.

Why you need to prevent conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest can have a negative impact on the workplace in a number of ways.

It can create an unfair competitive advantage for those involved in the conflict. It can also lead to decreased productivity as employees focus on their own interests rather than the work at hand. Additionally, a conflict of interest can erode trust between employees and employers.

If things get really bad, a conflict of interest can result in legal action being taken against an individual or organisation. Basically, a severe conflict of interest can create a hostile work environment and cause morale, along with a company’s bottom line, to suffer.

Types of conflicts of interest

There are four main types of conflicts of interests you should be aware of when running your business:

Actual conflict of interest

This occurs where there is a real clash between an employee’s personal interests and the best interests of your business. For example:

• One of your employees starts their own business which offers similar products as your company.
• Your business is expanding and you have advertised for a job opening publicly. However, you employ your cousin without undertaking a competitive and formal selection process.

Potential conflict of interest

Potential conflicts happen in cases where there is no actual conflict right now, but it is foreseeable that a conflict of interest may arise in the future. For example:

• Your friend tells you that their marketing agency is considering applying for a contract to provide services to your business.
• One of your employees works as a freelance designer. One of your business’ clients asks that employee to provide paid services outside of business hours.

Where there is a potential conflict, it is important to take steps to mitigate the future risk.

Perceived conflict of interest

Perceived conflicts of interest arise where there is no actual or potential conflict, however it would be reasonable for someone else to think that a conflict does indeed exist. As such, identifying and dealing with these types of conflict can sometimes be slightly more difficult. For example:

• Your partner won an Instagram giveaway run by a business that has a contract to supply goods to your company.
• A friend of your relative applies and is successful in landing a job at your company, however you played no role in the hiring decision.

Conflict of duty

A conflict of duty generally arises in situations where a person has to fulfil two or more roles that are incompatible or clash with each other. For example:

• An employee begins casual employment at another business that operates in the same market as your company and offers the same or similar goods and services as you.

How to deal with conflicts of interest at work

If you suspect a conflict of interest, it can damage your company in a number of ways. From financial implications, leaked data or damage to overall morale, leaving these situations unmanaged can have long-term impacts on your business.

There are a number of steps that employers can take to prevent conflicts of interest in the workplace.

First, it is important to have clear policies and procedures in place regarding conflicts of interest. These policies should be communicated to all employees and enforced consistently. Additionally, employers should provide training on what constitutes a conflict of interest and how to avoid them.

A conflict of interest is not always easy to recognise. If your company policies and procedures are not clearly laid out, they may not understand what is and is not appropriate information to share. They may also not grasp the ways in which their personal relationships at work (with relatives, for example) create a conflict of interest that may be problematic for the structure and morale of their workplace.

Second, employers should encourage employees to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. This will help to ensure that conflicts are dealt with before they become a problem.

Finally, employers should monitor the situation closely and take disciplinary action if necessary. This may include anything from verbal and written warnings to termination of employment.

Learning about a conflict of interest in the workplace can be stressful for everyone involved, whether you are an employer or an employee. So do your best to have a protocol set for what to do when you find a circumstance of conflict.

As a manager, how to handle an employee with a conflict of interest

If you are a manager and you have an employee with a conflict of interest, there are a few steps you can take to handle the situation.

First, talk to the employee about the conflict of interest and explain why it is a problem. It is important to be clear and concise in your explanation.

Next, give the employee an opportunity to correct the situation. If they are unable to do so, then you may need to take disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

It is important to document everything throughout the process. This will help to protect you and your organization if the situation escalates.

As an employee, what do if you see another employee committing a conflict of interest

If you are an employee and you see another employee committing a conflict of interest, there are a few steps you can take.

First, try to talk to the employee about the conflict of interest and explain why it is a problem. It is important to be clear and concise in your explanation.

If the employee does not listen or refuses to correct the situation, then you can report the issue to your manager or HR department. They will investigate the situation and take appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment. It is important to document everything throughout the process. This will help to protect you and your organisation if the situation escalates.

But gathering evidence to back up your suspicions can be a difficult process. Can you be sure that there is a conflict of interest at play? What do you need to support what you suspect? And, perhaps most importantly, how can you do this without alienating your employees?

Is a conflict of interest a legal issue?

Depending on the circumstance, a conflict of interest can turn into legal action. More times than not, a conflict of interest is not a legal issue, but is more of an ethical or moral dilemma. If the potential for a conflict of interest exists, it’s best to err on the side of caution and avoid the conflict altogether. However, if you are ever unsure whether a situation constitutes a conflict of interest, it is best to seek legal advice.

The role of the conflict of interest policy

We know employment relationships often rely on mutual trust and it is important to ensure your employee’s commitment to the business. The best way you can manage and get on top of any conflicts of interests is to have a written Conflict of Interest Policy that underpins how you handle and resolve these situations.

Such a policy can help set out what an employee can and can’t do, especially when it comes to working with another business in the same industry.

Having a written Conflict of Interest Policy means that you can outline your business’ expectations with regards to conflicts of interests, rather than waiting until a conflict arises and subsequently responding to it.

A good Conflict of Interest Policy should set out clear guidelines as to a worker’s obligations and responsibilities when it comes to having – and disclosing – any conflict of interests. It should also provide clarity around what it means to have a conflict of interest, communicate how employees can disclose conflicts, and the procedures for dealing with them.

From a management perspective, having a written Conflict of Interest Policy makes it easy and convenient to provide this information to those involved within your business, and helps you to avoid needing to deal with complex disputes relating to competing duties and interests.

What to include in a conflict of interest policy

As a starting point, we recommend thinking about your Conflict of Interest Policy as something that is tailored specifically to fit the needs of your business – unfortunately, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all template that you can insert seamlessly into your business operations. Below are some key sections you may want to include in your Conflict of Interest Policy.

Your Conflict of Interest Policy should state its purpose. This may include:

• Obligations of workers (such as employees and contractors) to notify the company of any conflicts of interest
• Clarification around your company’s approach to dealing with and resolving any conflicts of interest

Definitions

One of the best ways to ensure that your workers engage with your Conflict of Interest Policy is to make it easy-to-understand. Therefore, you may include a list of key terms and definitions used in the Policy.

Your Conflict of Interest Policy should clearly set out what your business considers a conflict of interest. If it is unclear what the policy means for them, it’s less likely that they will be able to comply with and follow your company’s procedures properly.

You should also clarify the scope of who your Conflict of Interest Policy applies to. Does it cover former, current and prospective employees? What about independent contractors and agents acting on your company’s behalf? Some sections of your business’ Conflict of Interest Policy may not apply to every person working for you, so it is crucial that the Policy explains who it applies to and what it means for them.

TIP: It may be helpful to use specific examples and situations that are likely to arise so that your workers are able to visualise the types of conflicts that may be prohibited and apply them to their own personal circumstances.

Processes and Procedures

It’s important to inform your workers how your business manages and deals with conflicts of interests that have been disclosed. This includes details around how your business’ decision-making process, and the factors influencing these outcomes.

We recommend that you Conflict of Interest Policy covers the following topics:

• Procedures for declaring and disclosing a conflict of interest. This includes steps an individual should take if they believe a conflict exists, whether the conflict is their own or someone else’s. If your business is introducing a new Conflict of Interest Policy, you may also want to think about providing a way for current employees, contractors, and other relevant parties, to disclose any potential conflicts of interest they may have. Disclosures made during this time should generally not result in any disciplinary action – applying it retrospectively may damage your relationship with your workers, and lead to potential legal consequences against you.
• Investigation and review. This includes how conflicts are investigated and by whom. It can also address the methods in which certain conflicts of interest may be resolved.
• Disciplinary action. Under some circumstances, if a person has knowingly acted on a conflict of interest, it may be necessary for you to take disciplinary action. Your Conflict of Interest Policy should set out these circumstances and consequences so your workers are fully informed. This is particularly important as it could determine the severity of the disciplinary action applied. For example, suspension and termination in serious cases.

Need Assistance?

DavidsonMorris’ team of employment law and HR specialists provide advice to employers on all aspects of workforce management. For expert guidance on dealing with, and helping to prevent, conflicts of interest in the workplace, contact us .

Conflicts of Interest at work FAQs

What is a conflict of interest in the workplace?

A conflict of interest occurs when an employee’s personal interests, relationships, or activities outside of work could potentially interfere with their professional responsibilities or the interests of the company. This can include financial interests, family connections, or outside employment.

How should an employee disclose a conflict of interest?

Employees should follow their company’s established procedures, typically involving filling out a conflict of interest disclosure form and submitting it to HR or their line manager. Transparency is key, and the disclosure should be made as soon as a potential conflict is identified.

Can conflicts of interest be resolved without disciplinary action?

In most cases, conflicts of interest can be resolved without the need for disciplinary measures. The resolution might involve reassigning tasks, altering reporting lines, or placing certain restrictions on the employee’s activities. The goal is to manage the conflict while maintaining fairness and trust.

What are the legal consequences of not managing conflicts of interest?

Failing to manage conflicts of interest can lead to legal issues, such as claims of unfair dismissal, discrimination, or breaches of employment contracts. It can also harm the company’s reputation and result in financial losses.

Is it necessary for every company to have a conflict of interest policy?

While not legally required, it is highly advisable for companies to have a clear conflict of interest policy. This ensures that both employers and employees understand their responsibilities and the procedures for handling potential conflicts.

What should be included in a conflict of interest policy?

A conflict of interest policy should include definitions of what constitutes a conflict, the process for disclosure, how conflicts will be managed, and the consequences of failing to disclose a conflict. It should also outline the roles and responsibilities of both employees and management in maintaining ethical standards.

Can an employee be dismissed for a conflict of interest?

Dismissal is possible, but it should be a last resort. Employers are encouraged to address conflicts of interest through other means first, such as reassignment or mediation. If the conflict results in serious misconduct or a breach of trust, dismissal may be warranted.

How can conflicts of interest be prevented?

Prevention strategies include regular training, fostering a culture of transparency, clear communication of expectations, and having robust policies in place. Regular reviews and updates to these policies can also help prevent potential conflicts.

Founder and Managing Director Anne Morris is a fully qualified solicitor and trusted adviser to large corporates through to SMEs, providing strategic immigration and global mobility advice to support employers with UK operations to meet their workforce needs through corporate immigration.

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The matters contained in this article are intended to be for general information purposes only. This article does not constitute legal advice, nor is it a complete or authoritative statement of the law, and should not be treated as such. Whilst every effort is made to ensure that the information is correct at the time of writing, no warranty, express or implied, is given as to its accuracy and no liability is accepted for any error or omission. Before acting on any of the information contained herein, expert legal advice should be sought.

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Home — Essay Samples — Business — Conflict Management — Review of the Issue of Conflict of Interest in a Workplace

Review of The Issue of Conflict of Interest in a Workplace

• Categories: Conflict Conflict Management Workplace

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Published: Jul 15, 2020

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Why We Should Be Disagreeing More at Work

Conflict is normal and healthy.

Disagreements are an inevitable, normal, and healthy part of relating to other people. There is no such thing as a conflict-free work environment. And you shouldn’t want to work in one. Disagreements – when managed well – have lots of positive outcomes, such as better work products, opportunities to learn and grow, better relationships, and a more inclusive work environment. To reap these benefits, you have to get over any fear you have of conflict. Start by letting go of wanting to be liked. Instead of trying to increase your likability, focus on respect, both giving it and earning it. Don’t think of disagreement as unkind. Most people are willing to hear a different perspective if you share it respectfully. You might also try to emulate someone who is comfortable with conflict. If you’re not yet good at dealing with tense conversations, try on the persona of someone who is. Whichever tactic you decide to try, practice in small doses. Be direct in a low-stakes conversation and see what happens, for example. Chances are it will go better than you expect.

When I worked as a management consultant, I had a client that I thought of as difficult. Let’s call her Marguerite. She and I didn’t see eye to eye on much. I disagreed with the direction she was taking our project, the people she chose to involve, and the pace at which she thought we should do our work ( why did she need to go so slow? ). But because she was the client, and I was just starting out in my career, I didn’t think it was my place to openly disagree with her. Instead, I forwarded every email she sent me to one of my colleagues and complained about how Marguerite was making bad decisions and not heeding my vague, and likely passive-aggressive, suggestions that we try different approaches.

• Amy Gallo is a contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, cohost of the Women at Work podcast , and the author of two books: Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People) and the HBR Guide to Dealing with Conflict . She writes and speaks about workplace dynamics. Watch her TEDx talk on conflict and follow her on LinkedIn . amyegallo

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5 Strategies for Conflict Resolution in the Workplace

• 07 Sep 2023

Any scenario in which you live, work, and collaborate with others is susceptible to conflict. Because workplaces are made up of employees with different backgrounds, personalities, opinions, and daily lives, discord is bound to occur. To navigate it, it’s crucial to understand why it arises and your options for resolving it.

Common reasons for workplace conflict include:

• Misunderstandings or poor communication skills
• Differing opinions, viewpoints, or personalities
• Biases or stereotypes
• Variations in learning or processing styles
• Perceptions of unfairness

Although conflict is common, many don’t feel comfortable handling it—especially with colleagues. As a business leader, you’ll likely clash with other managers and need to help your team work through disputes.

Here’s why conflict resolution is important and five strategies for approaching it.

Access your free e-book today.

Why Is Addressing Workplace Conflict Important?

Pretending conflict doesn’t exist doesn’t make it go away. Ignoring issues can lead to missed deadlines, festering resentment, and unsuccessful initiatives.

Yet, according to coaching and training firm Bravely , 53 percent of employees handle “toxic” situations by avoiding them. Worse still, averting a difficult conversation can cost an organization $7,500 and more than seven workdays.

That adds up quickly: American businesses lose $359 billion yearly due to the impact of unresolved conflict.

As a leader, you have a responsibility to foster healthy conflict resolution and create a safe, productive work environment for employees.

“Some rights, such as the right to safe working conditions or the right against sexual harassment, are fundamental to the employment relationship,” says Harvard Business School Professor Nien-hê Hsieh in the course Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability . “These rights are things that employees should be entitled to no matter what. They’re often written into the law, but even when they aren’t, they’re central to the ethical treatment of others, which involves respecting the inherent dignity and intrinsic worth of each individual.”

Effectively resolving disputes as they arise benefits your employees’ well-being and your company’s financial health. The first step is learning about five conflict resolution strategies at your disposal.

Related: How to Navigate Difficult Conversations with Employees

While there are several approaches to conflict, some can be more effective than others. The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Model —developed by Dr. Kenneth W. Thomas and Dr. Ralph H. Kilmann—outlines five strategies for conflict resolution:

• Accommodating
• Compromising
• Collaborating

These fall on a graph, with assertiveness on the y-axis and cooperativeness on the x-axis. In the Thomas-Kilmann model, “assertiveness” refers to the extent to which you try to reach your own goal, and “cooperativeness” is the extent to which you try to satisfy the other party’s goal.

Alternatively, you can think of these axis labels as the “importance of my goal” and the “importance of this relationship.” If your assertiveness is high, you aim to achieve your own goal. If your cooperativeness is high, you strive to help the other person reach theirs to maintain the relationship.

Here’s a breakdown of the five strategies and when to use each.

1. Avoiding

Avoiding is a strategy best suited for situations in which the relationship’s importance and goal are both low.

While you’re unlikely to encounter these scenarios at work, they may occur in daily life. For instance, imagine you’re on a public bus and the passenger next to you is loudly playing music. You’ll likely never bump into that person again, and your goal of a pleasant bus ride isn’t extremely pressing. Avoiding conflict by ignoring the music is a valid option.

In workplace conflicts—where your goals are typically important and you care about maintaining a lasting relationship with colleagues—avoidance can be detrimental.

Remember: Some situations require avoiding conflict, but you’re unlikely to encounter them in the workplace.

2. Competing

Competing is another strategy that, while not often suited for workplace conflict, can be useful in some situations.

This conflict style is for scenarios in which you place high importance on your goal and low importance on your relationships with others. It’s high in assertiveness and low in cooperation.

You may choose a competing style in a crisis. For instance, if someone is unconscious and people are arguing about what to do, asserting yourself and taking charge can help the person get medical attention quicker.

You can also use it when standing up for yourself and in instances where you feel unsafe. In those cases, asserting yourself and reaching safety is more critical than your relationships with others.

When using a competing style in situations where your relationships do matter (for instance, with a colleague), you risk impeding trust—along with collaboration, creativity, and productivity.

3. Accommodating

The third conflict resolution strategy is accommodation, in which you acquiesce to the other party’s needs. Use accommodating in instances where the relationship matters more than your goal.

For example, if you pitch an idea for a future project in a meeting, and one of your colleagues says they believe it will have a negative impact, you could resolve the conflict by rescinding your original thought.

This is useful if the other person is angry or hostile or you don’t have a strong opinion on the matter. It immediately deescalates conflict by removing your goal from the equation.

While accommodation has its place within organizational settings, question whether you use it to avoid conflict. If someone disagrees with you, simply acquiescing can snuff out opportunities for innovation and creative problem-solving .

As a leader, notice whether your employees frequently fall back on accommodation. If the setting is safe, encouraging healthy debate can lead to greater collaboration.

Related: How to Create a Culture of Ethics and Accountability in the Workplace

4. Compromising

Compromising is a conflict resolution strategy in which you and the other party willingly forfeit some of your needs to reach an agreement. It’s known as a “lose-lose” strategy, since neither of you achieve your full goal.

This strategy works well when your care for your goal and the relationship are both moderate. You value the relationship, but not so much that you abandon your goal, like in accommodation.

For example, maybe you and a peer express interest in leading an upcoming project. You could compromise by co-leading it or deciding one of you leads this one and the other the next one.

Compromising requires big-picture thinking and swallowing your pride, knowing you won’t get all your needs fulfilled. The benefits are that you and the other party value your relationship and make sacrifices to reach a mutually beneficial resolution.

5. Collaborating

Where compromise is a lose-lose strategy, collaboration is a win-win. In instances of collaboration, your goal and the relationship are equally important, motivating both you and the other party to work together to find an outcome that meets all needs.

An example of a situation where collaboration is necessary is if one of your employees isn’t performing well in their role—to the point that they’re negatively impacting the business. While maintaining a strong, positive relationship is important, so is finding a solution to their poor performance. Framing the conflict as a collaboration can open doors to help each other discover its cause and what you can do to improve performance and the business’s health.

Collaboration is ideal for most workplace conflicts. Goals are important, but so is maintaining positive relationships with co-workers. Promote collaboration whenever possible to find creative solutions to problems . If you can’t generate a win-win idea, you can always fall back on compromise.

Considering Your Responsibilities as a Leader

As a leader, not only must you address your own conflicts but help your employees work through theirs. When doing so, remember your responsibilities to your employees—whether ethical, legal, or economic.

Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability groups your ethical responsibilities to employees into five categories:

• Well-being: What’s ultimately good for the person
• Rights: Entitlement to receive certain treatment
• Duties: A moral obligation to behave in a specific way
• Best practices: Aspirational standards not required by law or cultural norms
• Fairness: Impartial and just treatment

In the course, Hsieh outlines three types of fairness you can use when helping employees solve conflicts:

• Legitimate expectations: Employees reasonably expect certain practices or behaviors to continue based on experiences with the organization and explicit promises.
• Procedural fairness: Managers must resolve issues impartially and consistently.
• Distributive fairness: Your company equitably allocates opportunities, benefits, and burdens.

Particularly with procedural fairness, ensure you don’t take sides when mediating conflict. Treat both parties equally, allowing them time to speak and share their perspectives. Guide your team toward collaboration or compromise, and work toward a solution that achieves the goal while maintaining—and even strengthening—relationships.

Are you interested in learning how to navigate difficult decisions as a leader? Explore Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Accountability —one of our online leadership and management courses —and download our free guide to becoming a more effective leader.

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Academic Writing: What Is a Conflict of Interest?

• 3-minute read
• 23rd November 2020

When conducting research , you may need to think about potential conflicts of interest. But what is a conflict of interest? This post will explain the basics of what conflicts of interest are, why they are important in the research world, and why you may need to declare them in your work.

What Is a Conflict of Interest?

The “interest” in the term “conflict of interest” isn’t just what we mean when we say someone is “interested in” (i.e., curious about) something. Rather, it is more like we see in “business interests” or “vested interests.”

In other words, an “interest” is a commitment, involvement, or connection to something. And in the scientific world, a conflict of interest is any connection or investment that may undermine your research.

The issue is that science aims for objectivity . And the desire to produce objective results is a governing “interest” of scientific research. Thus, if you have a connection or relationship that could impair your objectivity – or even just give the impression of bias – it could be a problem.

Types of Conflicts of Interest

Conflicts of interest can be either financial or non-financial.

Financial conflicts are related to commercial interests. This can include:

• How a study was funded (e.g., if research is sponsored by a business whose product sales may rely on the outcomes of your work, such as tobacco companies funding studies related to smoking).
• Direct financial benefits received by researchers from organizations with an interest in their work (e.g., if a researcher also works for a company that stands to gain from a specific set of results).

Non-financial conflicts of interest, meanwhile, can involve:

• Political or religious affiliations (e.g., seeking results that justify a particular government policy or promote a specific moral world-view).
• Personal connections (e.g., wanting to support a colleague’s theory).
• Involvement in legal action connected to the work.

In other words, there are many things that can constitute a conflict of interest! And researchers need to be aware of these possibilities.

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Declaring Your Interests

Undeclared conflicts of interest can call your results into question. It doesn’t even matter if your work was genuinely biased: just the perception of a conflict of interests can lead to damaged reputations or loss of funding.

It is, therefore, important to declare any conflicts of interest when you submit your research for publication. The exact procedure for this will depend on your situation, but most organizations will have some guidelines. Some will even have a template “disclosure statement” you can use.

When you come to submit your work, then:

• Note any personal or financial relationships that could be seen to affect your research, even if they’re not directly related to the study.
• Check what the organization you’re submitting to (e.g., the university or academic journal) says about declaring interests.
• Follow these guidelines carefully and draft a declaration of interests.

Even if you cannot think of a single possible source of bias, you will usually need to submit a declaration. In this case, though, you will simply say that there are no conflicts of interest you wish to declare.

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Conflict of Interest Principles and Examples

Information for departments and individuals.

Staff, students and others working in the University are encouraged to discuss issues related to conflicts of interest with Heads of Department, colleagues, mentors, supervisors, tutors, or others as appropriate.

Additional information

See the quick links for further guidance and training.

Use the contact details on this page if you have questions about how to apply the policy and procedures in a particular situation.

Conflict of Interest Principles

Roles and Activities Outside the University

Student Supervision and Teaching

Other University Activities (Committee Work, Procurement, Recruitment, Admissions, Contract Negotiation)

Illustrative Examples of Conflicts of Interest

Examples for academics.

Examples for Researchers

Examples for Members of Staff and Committee Attendees

COI Committee Secretary:  [email protected]

For further information contact the Risk and Resilience Team:

[email protected]

Quick links

• How to seek approval to hold consultancies and other external appointments
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7 Conflict Resolution Scenarios At Work For Practice

Understanding conflict in the workplace, 7 conflict resolution scenarios at work for people managers, how merlin, risely’s ai coach, supports you through conflict resolution scenarios’, wrapping up, conflict scenario 1: navigating interdepartmental conflicts.

Sarah is a team leader in the Marketing Department, and James is a senior manager in the Product Development team at a mid-sized tech company. Both departments need to collaborate to create and launch a new product. However, over the past few months, tension has been growing between the two teams due to delays in deliverables, misunderstandings in communication, and differences in priorities.

How should you handle interdepartmental conflicts effectively?

• Start from the root cause: Before finding solutions, it’s important to figure out why departments have conflict. A team meeting with people from each department will provide you useful information. These people should be chosen not only for their job title but also for their skills in sharing their department’s view and being ready to listen to others.
• Hear out all the sides: The conflict mediator is important for guiding the talk. They make sure the discussion stays respectful and productive. Their neutral stance helps reduce tension. This allows departments to work together toward a solution that everyone agrees on. The aim is not to force a solution but to help departments feel heard and empowered to find a resolution that works for everyone.

Conflict Scenario 2: Resolving Conflicts Arising from Miscommunication

Anna is a senior project manager at an architectural firm, overseeing a high-profile commercial building design project. She works closely with Tom, the lead architect responsible for the design execution. Recently, Anna’s project management team feels that Tom’s design team is frequently deviating from the original project scope without informing them, leading to unexpected changes in timelines and costs. Tom’s design team, on the other hand, believes that the project management team is not providing clear enough instructions on client feedback and updates, causing unnecessary rework and confusion.

How can you handle conflicts arising due to miscommunication?

• Build a culture that communicates: Preventing future conflicts from miscommunication needs a proactive plan. Creating a workplace culture that values open communication and clarity is important. Regularly getting formal and informal feedback can help find and fix communication issues before they become conflicts.
• Aid skill enhancement wherever needed: Organizations can also gain from providing communication skills training for their employees. Training in active listening, giving effective feedback, and using conflict resolution strategies can help workers communicate better. It gives them the tools to handle disagreements in a constructive way.

Conflict Scenario 3: Handling Conflicts with Remote Workers

David is a software development manager at a multinational company, leading a hybrid team of both on-site and remote developers across multiple time zones. Maria is a senior developer based remotely in another country. Over the past few months, tension has grown between Maria and the on-site team. The remote workers, especially Maria, feel left out of key decisions, while the on-site team believes the remote workers are not as responsive or collaborative.

How to handle conflicts in remote works?

• Build strong communication skills: To manage remote teams well, you need to improve communication skills and create an online setting that encourages inclusivity and open talks. Good communication, regular catch-ups, and ways to build team spirit online can help close the gap of distance and reduce conflicts.
• Understand the contextual demands: Not having a physical workplace can make remote workers feel isolated or disconnected. This leads one to feeling less part of the team, causing communication issues and turning small disagreements into bigger ones. As the manager, you can mitigate isolation by focusing on pro-actively engaging remote workers.

Conflict Scenario 4: Addressing Leadership Style Conflicts

Emily is a results-oriented, hands-on department head at a fast-paced retail company, leading the Operations team. On the other hand, Daniel, a senior manager in her team, prefers a more thoughtful, process-driven approach. Emily, driven by her urgency to meet aggressive deadlines, often overrides Daniel’s suggestions to take a slower, more methodical approach to problem-solving. She feels that Daniel is too slow in decision-making and doesn’t push his team hard enough. Daniel, in turn, feels that Emily’s constant push for speed sacrifices quality and exhausts the team, leading to burnout. His team has also expressed that they feel micromanaged by Emily and are demotivated by the pressure to deliver quickly.

How to handle leadership style conflicts?

• Understand different leadership styles: Recognizing that different ways of leading work better for different people is important for solving problems. Each style of leadership, like being strict, working together, or letting others lead, has its own good and bad points. It’s important to understand how these styles affect how a team works together.
• Focus on strategic goals: When dealing with leadership conflict, the goal should be to find common ground and shared goals. It helps to highlight the need for teamwork, respect for different ideas, and a commitment to the organization’s goals. This shifts the focus from individual leadership styles to shared values and goals of your team.
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Conflict Scenario 5: Dealing with Personality Clashes

Karen and Mike are both mid-level managers in the Finance Department of a large manufacturing company. They’ve been assigned to collaborate on a budget restructuring project. Karen is highly detail-oriented and meticulous and prefers a structured, methodical approach to her work. On the other hand, Mike is more spontaneous, prefers brainstorming and big-picture thinking, and doesn’t focus as much on smaller details. Their personalities clash, making collaboration difficult and causing friction within their team.

How to handle personality related conflicts?

• Learn to harness your team members’ strengths; For example, an introverted team member might excel at tasks that require attention to detail. On the other hand, an extroverted person might do well in roles that involve talking with customers. By recognizing these differences, you can turn potential personality clashes into chances for good teamwork.
• Prepare your culture for heterogeneous personalities: To reduce personality clashes, it is important to create a supportive environment. This means having clear rules against harassment and discrimination. It also includes providing ways for people to report bad behavior and encouraging open communication.

Conflict Scenario 6: Conflict Resolution in High-Stress Situations

Alex is the project director for a construction company overseeing the development of a major commercial building. Under him is Rachel, a site manager responsible for day-to-day operations on the ground. The project is behind schedule due to supply chain disruptions and unexpected regulatory changes. As the deadline approaches, pressure mounts from both clients and company leadership. Alex is pushing for accelerated progress, urging Rachel to find ways to make up for lost time. Rachel feels overwhelmed by the pressure and believes that Alex is out of touch with the realities on the ground, including worker fatigue, safety concerns, and material shortages.

How can you handle conflict scenarios in high-stress instances?

• Use stress management techniques: Stress management techniques are very important in high-pressure places. Deep breathing, mindfulness, and short breaks can help you lower your stress. These methods allow you to keep a clear mind when facing problems.
• Learn emotional management: In a tense situation, being professional is important and not reacting with strong emotions. Take a moment to step back, listen carefully to understand what the other person is saying , and speak calmly and respectfully. This can help reduce tension and stop the problem from getting worse.

Conflict Scenario 7: Overcoming Resistance to Change

John is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at a mid-sized financial services company that is undergoing a digital transformation. The company is shifting from legacy systems to cloud-based solutions to improve efficiency and scalability. Linda is a senior IT manager who has been with the company for over 15 years and is highly knowledgeable about the current systems. However, Linda is resistant to the change, feeling that the new technology will disrupt established workflows and render some of the team’s expertise irrelevant.

How should you handle conflicts arising from resistance?

• Communicate and involve people: Implementing change correctly needs a plan that focuses on the people involved. Change management should involve clear communication. You should explain why the change is happening, how it might affect people and the organization, and when it will occur.
• Don’t brush concerns under the carpet: Recognizing and talking about fears is also important. People might resist change because they fear losing their jobs, think their workload will increase, or doubt their ability to cope. Offering support, training, and chances for open conversations can help ease these fears. This way, individuals can feel more comfortable and positive about the change.
• Role-plays: You got into a conflict and are unsure how to confront the other person? Feeling anxious about how they might react? Or do you want to phrase things right and not risk a mistake? Start a role play with Merlin to go through a mock conversation with your team member before you hit the ground running.
• Situational discussions: These are the best conversations to have when unsure of what’s happening. Leadership coaches are most effective in helping you better understand and navigate complicated workplace situations such as conflict. So just share your worries with Merlin, all in a safe and secure environment.
• Skill discussions: Head to this mode to work on your conflict resolution skills. The assessment is a great starting point, and Merlin offers further guidance with daily actionable insights and tips to help you master managing workplace conflicts.

Start your journey for free today –

Deeksha Sharma

Deeksha, with a solid educational background in human resources, bridges the gap between your goals and you with valuable insights and strategies within leadership development. Her unique perspectives, powered by voracious reading, lead to thoughtful pieces that tie conventional know-how and innovative approaches together to enable success for management professionals.

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5 secrets to conflict resolution at work for managers, top 5 ways for leadership training emotional intelligence, be a star sales manager: top 6 skills needed and ways to enhance them, top 15 tips for effective conflict mediation at work.

Workplace Ethical Issues Essay

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Workplace ethics refers to moral principles and values governing proper behavioral conduct in the place of work (Barry & Shaw, 2013). Work ethics guide the managers as well as employees to do the right thing even if doing the wrong thing can equally be rewarding and satisfying. Therefore, workplace ethical issues involve a plethora of ethical dilemmas and ethical abuses that come into play in any job.

An ethical issue is defined as an illegal, unethical, or irresponsible act made against the employer, and it jeopardizes the employer’s business. Ethical issues arise when workers including the managers and the subordinates are given the responsibility of making decisions about alternative courses of action. This paper discusses a few ethical issues that arise in the workplace.

Harassment of the co-workers or clients is one of the major workplace ethical issues that involve violation of the employers’ workplace ethics policy. Harassment in any workplace may involve unsolicited sexual advances, interferences with work performance through intimidation, or non-compliance with the conditions of work. Sometimes illegal harassment can be based on sex, religion, age, disability, race, or color.

Johnson (2007) provides that harassment does not only involve violation of business ethics, but also involves a breach of the federal laws. Sexual harassment is the common ethical issue many workers experience at their workplaces and it is propagated by both the management and regular employees.

Basically, sexual harassment of any nature makes the workplace hostile and causes distress among the sexually abused employees. According to Bredeson and Goree (2011), the most common ethical issue within sexual harassment is a dual relationship that involves sexual relationships between employees who share professional responsibilities.

Furthermore, sexual harassment occurs when employees engage in unethical intimate relationships, which in turn affects their professional decision-making process. Consensual relationships at workplace between a senior employee and a junior employee can become dangerous.

This may happen because a senior employee has more authority to affect the working ability of the junior employee if their intimate relationship breaks.

However, if this happens, the subordinates should report the act to the relevant authorities because it is improper for any person to use his/her authority to demand favors or create a hostile work environment (Barry & Shaw, 2013). Therefore, it is advisable to avoid consensual relationships with co-workers to combat ethical dilemmas and workplace distress.

Substance abuse is another ethical issue that crops up at many workplaces. It may involve dependence on stimulating substances such as alcohol and other addictive intoxicating drugs. Addiction to any substance becomes a workplace ethical issue when either a manager or a regular employee’s work performance and productivity are impaired until they use the substance (Johnson, 2007).

Alcohol is the most abused substance, and when the employees carry alcohol to workplaces or use in the workplace, it raises serious ethical questions. Generally, substance abuse can be a serious ethical issue if not handled with care since it can create a hostile work environment, and consequently jeopardize the productivity and performance of the entire workforce.

In addition, confidentiality is a workplace ethical principle that becomes a familiar ethical issue when it is violated (Johnson, 2007). For instance, the disclosure of an employee’s personal information or the employer’s business strategy to rival organizations is a major violation of the workplace ethics.

Actually, protecting the employees from privacy invasion creates trust and perhaps increases their productivity. However, when confidentiality is violated, serious ethical implications may occur, which affect the business negatively. Work ethics require that the clients’ private information or the co-workers personal information be accessed by authorized individuals only.

Conflict of interest is another common workplace ethical issue. It refers to a situation whereby an individual’s interests affect or influence his/her workplace judgment, actions, or decisions. Conflicts of interest are virtually unethical and illegal because they negatively affect workplace performance, decision-making process, and relationships with other participants (Bredeson & Goree, 2011).

Conflict of interest is a serious ethical issue, which should be avoided or resolved immediately it appears because it may result in professional misconduct in the workplace. Despite workplace ethical issues being endless, organizations can devise moral or ethical policies to protect their employees from ethical violations.

For instance, an organization can develop a workplace policy based mission, vision and code of conduct, and ensure that each employee understands the code of ethics.

In addition, the organization can provide workplace ethics training for employees, create a legal office to deal with employees ethical issues, and research all federal and employment laws relating to whistle blowing to avoid making decisions that lead to negative ethical implications (Bredeson & Goree, 2011).

In summary, ethical issues exist in almost every workplace because workers often face situations, which involve ethical dilemmas. Moreover, when ethical issues are not resolved in time, they result in a hostile work environment making it harder for the employees to give their maximum potential.

Thus, it is imperative for employers to respond appropriately to every ethical issue that arises in the workplace to make the workplace safe and friendly.

Barry, V., & Shaw, W. (2013). Moral Issues in Business (12th Ed.). Wadsworth: Cenage Learning.

Bredeson, D. & Goree, K. (2011). Ethics in the workplace (3 rd Ed). New York: Cengage Learning.

Johnson, C. (2007). Ethics in the workplace: tools and Tactics for organizational Transformation . London: Sage Publications.

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IvyPanda. (2019, July 4). Workplace Ethical Issues Essay. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-ethical-issues/

"Workplace Ethical Issues Essay." IvyPanda , 4 July 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-ethical-issues/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Workplace Ethical Issues Essay'. 4 July.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Workplace Ethical Issues Essay." July 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-ethical-issues/.

1. IvyPanda . "Workplace Ethical Issues Essay." July 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/workplace-ethical-issues/.

Bibliography

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Caught in a whirlwind: Sebi's Madhabi Puri Buch faces mounting scrutiny

Under increasing pressure from external allegations and internal unrest, sebi chairperson madhabi puri buch faces a turbulent period marked by accusations of conflict of interest and claims of a toxic work culture. the path ahead remains uncertain..

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• Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch faces financial misconduct allegations
• Congress accuses her of conflict of interest and corruption
• Sebi employees allege she created a toxic work culture

Madhabi Puri Buch, the first woman chairperson of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), has found herself embroiled in a web of controversies.

Known for her strong leadership and reformative stance, Buch is now grappling with a series of accusations that threaten both her legacy and Sebi’s credibility as the market regulator. The accusations against the Sebi chief range from alleged financial misconduct and conflicts of interest to claims of a toxic work environment.

Hindenburg’s attack

It all started when US-based short-seller Hindenburg Research released a report, accusing Buch and her husband, Dhaval Buch, of financial misconduct.

The allegations centered around investments in offshore funds linked to the Adani Group, which has been under Sebi's investigation.

According to Hindenburg’s claims, the Buchs had ties to funds based in tax havens like Bermuda and Mauritius, adding layers of suspicion about the regulator's impartiality in the Adani probe.

The Hindenburg report, released in August 2024, hinted that Buch had a personal stake in funds controlled by Vinod Adani, the brother of the conglomerate's founder.

Moreover, the report alleged that weeks before her appointment as Sebi chairperson, Buch's husband sought to gain sole control over their offshore investments—a move that fuelled the narrative of conflict of interest.

Hindenburg went further, claiming that while serving as Sebi’s Whole-time Member, Buch had used her personal email to conduct business related to sensitive financial dealings.

Both Madhabi and Dhaval Buch immediately denied the accusations , calling them baseless and an attempt at character assassination.

In a statement, they clarified that all their financial disclosures were made in accordance with Sebi regulations and that the investments highlighted by Hindenburg were made while they were private citizens in Singapore, long before her Sebi tenure.

"In the context of allegations made in the Hindenburg Report dated August 10, 2024, against us, we would like to state that we strongly deny the baseless allegations and insinuations made in the report. The same is devoid of any truth. Our life and finances are an open book," it said.

Congress alleges ‘conflict of interest, corruption’

On September 2, 2024, Congress leader Pawan Khera accused her of receiving income from ICICI Bank after she took charge of Sebi, directly violating the regulator's conflict-of-interest norms.

Citing documents, Khera claimed that Buch received nearly Rs 17 crore in salary from ICICI Bank between 2017 and 2024—a large sum that has sparked concerns about potential financial ties during her tenure as Sebi chief.

The opposition’s attack gained further momentum, claiming Buch had earned rental income from Carol Info Services Ltd , a company linked to Wockhardt Ltd., which was under Sebi investigation.

The Congress has painted this as a direct breach of ethics, with Khera going as far as to label it a case of “out-and-out corruption.”

Sebi employees protest

Buch’s troubles didn't stop there. Sebi’s own house was not in order.

In August, an anonymous letter titled "Grievances Of Sebi Officers - A Call For Respect" surfaced, detailing the grievances of Sebi employees about a toxic work culture under Buch's leadership .

The letter, signed by 500 Sebi employees, alleged that Buch’s management style had taken a harsh turn, accusing her of creating an environment filled with public humiliation, micromanagement, and unrealistic targets.

The letter, though anonymous, echoed the frustrations of many, hinting at widespread discontent within the regulator.

Sebi's top management dismissed the allegations, describing the letter as a piece of 'mischief' from external sources. They contended that the email was unofficial and sent anonymously, thus not reflecting the views or issues of the organisation.

The market regulator’s response to the internal unrest was lukewarm at best.

And the damage seems to be done already—accusations of a toxic environment only served to bolster the narrative of an embattled leader losing control.

What’s next for the Sebi chief?

In the face of all this, Buch’s leadership at Sebi has encountered some turbulence, with questions surrounding transparency, conflicts of interest, and management ethics intensifying.

The growing controversy has now reached the corridors of Parliament. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is reportedly considering summoning Buch for a performance review of regulatory bodies .

The committee, headed by Congress leader K.C. Venugopal, aims to scrutinise Sebi’s handling of recent controversies, particularly the Adani investigation and Buch’s alleged financial conflicts.