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Read more articles in: Amanda Hyam, Blog, Employment Law
3 July 2026
On average, in the UK, people spend more time with their colleagues than they spend dedicated time with their families.
Arguments at work typically stem from a few common triggers, including unmanaged stress, poor communication, unclear roles, poor capability and competing priorities.
When teams are under pressure, it is easy for that pressure to bubble over into conflict.
If one day you walk into work and see an argument between employees, there are several ways to go about resolving the conflict fairly and legally.
It is always a good idea to try and resolve conflicts informally before taking formal steps. The best thing to do post-blowout is to separate the employees immediately.
You should hold private meetings with each employee to hear their point of view and then focus on finding common ground, setting professional boundaries and defining behavioural expectations moving forward.
If an informal chat between employees does not work, the next step to take is mediation.
Workplace mediation is a confidential, voluntary process where a third-party mediator helps arguing colleagues resolve their differences constructively.
The mediator will hold meetings with all parties concerned and will work with them to come up with a mutually beneficial solution to the issue.
Mediation is a highly recommended intervention to resolve conflict before it spirals into a formal grievance. However, it is not a substitute for formal investigations for cases involving severe allegations like bullying or gross misconduct.
If the argument is not solved by mediation and escalates to a formal complaint, there are steps that should be followed to ensure the process is fair and comes to a fast resolution.
Once there is an impartial and senior investigator assigned to the case, they need to determine the scope, identify witnesses, gather evidence and establish a reasonable timeline for resolution.
Next, interviews should be conducted. There should be separate, confidential interviews held with the complainant and the respondent to gather information.
It is important to note that employees involved in a formal employment dispute have the legal right to be accompanied by a colleague or trade union representative at any meetings.
Once statements have been made and evidence has been gathered, the investigator should compile their findings into a report for upper management.
Management can then decide on an appropriate disciplinary or corrective action to take to put the conflict to an end.
We want your workplace to feel like Gilmore Girls, not Emmerdale. In order to help you achieve that, we can write your disciplinary processes, aid in mediation and create policies.
We can also represent you in the case of an employment tribunal.
Get in touch today for support on employee arguments.
