At the workplace, dealing with clients can be potentially disastrous, especially in cases where there is a misunderstanding. In one particular case, a client was rude and disrespectful during our interaction, which led to a slight argument. Subsequently, the client raised a complaint with my supervisor who was quick to judge and place the blame squarely on me, without taking into consideration the facts and context. While I tried to plead my case to the supervisor, the initial reaction was that the client was right. As a result, I was temporarily taken off duty in that station to perform other tasks as punishment despite my protests. I agreed to take the punishment but raised the matter to management for review, noting that the supervisor had not considered my side of the story. Ultimately, I was reinstated to my workstation after it was determined by management that the client was at fault.
Conflicts are inevitable in the workplace due to the diversity in backgrounds among colleagues and stakeholders. Therefore, following the response mechanisms put in place by organizations can ensure that there is a structured way of dealing with conflicts when they arise. This means that when a problem occurs, the first action I will take is to try and resolve it amicably with the aggrieved party. In case this step fails, the next course of action I would take will be escalation to a senior in the organization for investigation and arbitration if necessary. This provides the opportunity for all the involved parties to present their case after which an appropriate decision can be made after considering both sides. Therefore, by using such interactive conflict resolution mechanisms in the workplace, I can be assured that there is feedback from all involved individuals to maintain trust in the process.