No matter where you work, there will always be workplace conflict of some kind. But should you avoid it at all costs? Or are there times when you should stand your ground?
In general, while there are times when you need to stand firm to get the job done, there are also times you may have to ignore a bad vibe until it blows over. But with so many factors involved in each unique situation, how can you pick your battles effectively?
Although we can all benefit from a shade of bullishness, if you're known as a troublemaker, that trouble can roll back to you, and spell a big career setback. This having been said, here is a list of situations you should watch out for:
1. Avoid conflict any time there's a hot-button topic going around. The workplace is not where you want to take a stand on issues. The rare exceptions are rare, in unique companies with official stances on certain politics. Other times you may wish to avoid unnecessary conflict is during evaluations, meetings, major announcements, and so forth. Aside from the inevitable presence of top management, the biggest reason to cool your jets is because is to give yourself sometime to think about the ideas being presented. Since everyone is hearing about the issue at the same time, nobody is sure what they think yet. Making a public stink can kill a good idea that you just don't see or understand yet.
2. If you need to go beyond polite, insightful feedback at times when company history is being made, it's best done in a more controlled manner. Go more quietly to the principle managers, after enough forethought and research to know why and how these decisions get made. Don't embarrass yourself.
3. Lastly, avoid conflict over personal connections you have at the office. While this can be subjective, if you want to keep relations smooth at work, it is best to leave any personal vendetta you may be harboring out of the workplace as much as possible.