Workplace conflict is rarely easy to solve. Not only do you want to make sure the issue doesn’t crop up again, you want to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.

Conflict resolution is a key skill for any business, no matter how big or small. It makes sure every cog in the proverbial machine is working without a hitch. Even more, it’s vital to keep employee morale high. When you find yourself constantly dealing with conflicts in the workplace, reach out to facilitating team leaders to get to the root of the issue. You could be unearthing even more than you realize.

From a minor disagreement over scheduling to discrimination disputes, a professional third party will do wonders for your business. Read below to learn how you can finally start resolving disputes properly.

You can find mediation services in nearly every layer of society. Divorce mediation is a commonly used service, due in no small part to separation having conflicting interests and high emotions. The United States sees one divorce every 35 seconds — that’s as many as 2,500 divorces per day and 16,000 divorces per week. The cost of divorce mediation is generally 50% less than divorce litigation, to boot. This logic extends to workplace conflicts, as calmly resolving an issue is often better than letting two parties clash until they’re finished.

Did you know the average manager spends between 25% to 40% of their time dealing with workplace conflict? That adds up to one or two days per week just smoothing things over between employees. Organizations today have taken to adopting conflict resolution processes, including mediation, to better approach these problems as they come. Many even have an on-site facilitating team leader that’s called in when supervising isn’t enough. When you consider the challenges faced by businesses today, it’s a wise investment.

Employee turnover is higher than it’s ever been. Recent studies have gathered it costs American businesses over $10 billion every year in scouting, training, and retention practices. A major part of this figure is diminished employee morale, made even worse when workplace conflict isn’t handled properly. Employees in the United States spend an estimated two hours every week just resolving conflicts. This adds up to $360 billion in hours paid that are focused on arguments and disagreements instead of productivity.

When these disagreements reach discrimination levels, you have an even bigger problem on your hands. The year 2016 saw an estimated 90,000 workplace discrimination charges filed across the country. Diversity is a major issue that needs to be addressed on an ongoing basis, rather than viewed as a solution that’s resolved in the hiring stage. Hiring a keynote speaker can address problems on a weekly or monthly basis. Whether this means regular meetings or presentations on sensitivity, these efforts will pay off handsomely in the long run.

Relational leadership is a model that is upheld with regular actions. The five main components are inclusion, empowerment, purposefulness, ethical behavior, and process orientation. Organizations that adopt these conflict resolution processes report a 50% reduction in litigation costs. You also will help with improving employee morale, which goes a long way in bolstering productivity and reducing employee turnover. When employment disputes threaten to pull your business under, there’s only one thing to do.

Be proactive about workplace conflict. Reach out to Baltimore employment disputes and see what you can do to make your workplace a better place.