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Conflict management is one of the most critical leadership skills today, yet many leaders are struggling to get it right. Companies are implementing return-to-office mandates; shifting stances on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and dealing with climate change and an uncertain economy. All of these factors put pressure on businesses and the people who work for them. Over 80% of workers report escalated tensions in the workplace, and 90% of workers say they have witnessed political clashes between coworkers. Employees are feeling uncomfortable because they are unsure how they fit into company goals, or dont feel clear about where the company is headed. This tension leads to conflict, and its up to the leaders to manage the situation. When we teach conflict management, there are several classic models and approaches. Some call for weighing goal achievement versus relationship orientation, while others look to balance assertion versus cooperation. In all scenarios, there is an underlying assumption: Leaders foster the climate that determines whether employees will engage in collegial discourse. In other words, people who disagree should be comfortable advocating for their position while listening to others points of view. While this notion works well in theory, the practical manager knows this is not always the case. In recent years, hybrid work has made free-flowing communication opportunities and seeing things eye-to-eye more challenging, literally. While its widely recommended that you should not accept what you read, having a conversation to ask for more clarity is not always natural (or even possible) in a hybrid setting. So, what do you do when mixed-work modality team members are in conflict with one another, with the company, or even with you? As the leader, your job is to manage the situation. The challenge is determining how to approach conflict in a way that is both constructive and comfortable. The Remote Work Factor There are many efficiencies afforded by flexible work arrangements, but a side effect of remote (and sometimes asynchronous) work is that conversations between coworkers are often limited to scheduled check-ins and meetings. Consequently, coworker interactions are relatively two-dimensional. Employees make inferences and judgments from emailed statements or Slack DMs that rarely, if ever, tell the full story of ones perspective and context. Compounding this issue is the fact that todays multigenerational workforce has significantly different comfort levels using different modalities for collaboration. Gen Z and millennial employees have learned communication norms that entail a heavy reliance on direct messaging and video calls versus talking things through with one another. In fact, 46% of workers report they have engaged in full arguments over chat-based applications. Meanwhile, members of all generations have varying preferences for direct communicationwhether in person, via phone, or video. The shift toward remote and hybrid work has complicated communication particularly as it pertains to giving feedback. In traditional office settings, mentorship and sharing feedback often occur naturally through hallway conversations, post-meeting discussions, or informal manager check-ins. One of the drawbacks of remote work can be the elimination of these spontaneous opportunities. Without casual in-person interactions, employees must deliberately schedule feedback conversations, which can make the process feel more formal and high-stakes than a quick chat in the office. As a consequence, performance itself can become a source of conflict since remote employees are 32% less likely to receive real-time feedback, including what has been working well, and what needs to change. Navigating the Next Era of Workplace Conflict When teams realize that what they are doing is not working, conflicts will happen. Due to not having the opportunity to bring issues up until they become undeniable, conflicts may have festered and therefore may be emotionally charged. We recommend three considerations for those ready to rise to the challenge of hybrid or remote conflict management. 1. Be honest about what you’re seeingand why it’s a problem A first crucial element to managing conflict is that leaders call out what they are seeing and then discuss observations with their team. For example, although sentiments are mixed when it comes to how politics should be brought into or left out of the workplace, there is no denying that stakeholders and stockholders alike have been impacted by various international events and executive orders. From the impact tariffs may have on a companys ability to import materials, to the impact layoffs may have on staffing, what needs to be considered in our work today is different than it was a few weeks ago. Leaders cant ignore what is going on around them. One of the tenets of psychologist and author Daniel Golemans model of emotionally intelligent leadership posits that a leaders primary responsibility is to be in sync with their followers. In order to be able to react in a way that resonates with ones team, leadrs should know whether something may cause apprehension, excitement, or concern among their reports. In fact, if managers are oblivious to or ignore any elements of the world that concern their employees, they will cause further frustration or be dismissed themselves. One option is for leaders to start their weekly check-ins with a current events update. Share top headlines and explain how news may impact the organization in the coming week or months. If a company does change its policies due to shifts in federal or state sentiments, acknowledge these and explain how this shift will affect your team members directly or indirectly. If you dont know how to get discussions going, its likely that your companys communication department has created talking points for managers to use. In smaller companies, ask the human resources department for some guidelines on how to explain changes to employees. You should not feel alone in what you say, but you should take responsibility for bringing changes up. 2. Get to know your team If a leader doesnt know what the team cares about in the first place, it will be impossible to connect their perceptions to conflicts that may erupt. Meanwhile, those employees who have not learned how to self-advocate may struggle finding the right time and place to raise their concerns (and voices) constructively. Leaders who bridge these two scenarios can mitigate conflicts or manage them when they arise. As mentioned earlier, resonant leaders are those in sync with their followers emotionally. They understand that an employee who is seeking international relocation may see global affairs differently than one who has a domestic promotion agenda. If your company conducts business with countries involved in tariff discussions, some company leaders may worry about how financial reporting will be adversely impacted. Knowing what is important to your team enables you to proactively manage topics that may become conflicts. Because of this, its important that leaders take the time to listen to their employees when they share what matters to them. Whether there is data from a formal performance review and goal-setting session, or youve gone to lunch with a member of your team, take inventory of what you know about each individual and what is important to them. If you are not already in the habit of doing so, use your one-on-one meetings as opportunities to bring up what you know, and ask your team members to share how they are feeling about a related element of their job or development plan they had established. If employees dont share topics of frustration or worry, ask open-ended questions that provide the opportunity to express their concerns or identify paths they wish to explore. And, if youre not having in-person or virtual on-on-ones, now is a very good time to start. 3. Learn to communicate proactively and address conflict remotely If you were walking down a hallway and heard someone complaining, youd know they are unhappy. But if your interactions with your team members are limited to when they choose to turn their webcams and microphones on, you will not have the same windows of insight. Identifying potential conflicts and managing ones that have already come into focus require an adjustment of management techniques. Similar to knowing and understanding what team members may value, its incumbent upon a manager to know some of their direct reports attitudinal tells. If an employee shakes their head a little more than usual in agreement or asks the same question more than once and does not seem to apply what they learn, these may be signs that remote workers are struggling to stay focused or engaged. It has been said many times before, but when working with a remote workforce, you cannot overcommunicate. Leaders need to establish a cadence of regular meetings and also be sure to casually check in with informal conversations and temperature checks. Information that is verbally shared in a meeting should also be documented and distributed via written communiqués to avoid miscommunication or misunderstanding, which can also lead to conflict. When remote employees are simply not performing according to expectations, leaders need to manage their performance in the same way they would for in-person employees. Letting issues go or looking the other way is not an option. On the flipside, its important to understand that sometimes what youthe leaderare doing is the cause of the conflict. One-third of employees have indicated that their bosses are too aggressive in text messages. Therefore, to avoid greater conflicts, leaders must address the situation directly and manage just as they would if the employee worked in the office. To preempt any issues, leaders must become comfortable saying, Hey, can you stay on the line for a minute? Use this time after the regular meeting to acknowledge what you are seeing and ask for feedback on the initiative, the players, or the process being employed to address the work. If the opportunity to talk right after another meeting is missed, its okay to email or send a Slack message to an employee to ask: Do you have time later to hop on a quick Zoom? I want to go over X topic. Its important to be specific about the agenda so that there isnt cause for alarm as to the subject of the conversation. That said, we also suggest doing this when you are able to jump on a call in the not-too-distant future, as requesting a meeting may still induce anxiety. Bring People Together to Manage Conflict When workers are not in the same physical space, facilitating conflict management is not easy. While its easy enough to ignore what may be distressing your team or assume that everyone interprets things the same way, managers should openly address differences, ask questions, and demonstrate flexibility when conflict arises. By deliberately managing communication in a way that normalizes healthy conflict, leaders create an environment where everyone feels heard and understood.
Category:
E-Commerce
Before Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, U.S. factories and cities could pipe their pollution directly into waterways. Rivers, including the Potomac in Washington, smelled of raw sewage and contained toxic chemicals. Ohios Cuyahoga River was so contaminated, its oil slicks erupted in flames. That unchecked pollution didnt just harm the rivers and their ecosystems; it harmed the humans who relied on their water. The Clean Water Act established a federal framework to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nations waters. As an attorney and law professor, Ive spent my career upholding these protections and teaching students about their legal and historical significance. Thats why Im deeply concerned about the federal governments new efforts to roll back those safeguards and the impact theyll have on human lives. Amid all the changes out of Washington, it can be easy to lose sight of not only which environmental policies and regulations are being rolled back, but also of who is affected. The reality is that communities already facing pollution and failing infrastructure can become even more vulnerable when federal protections are stripped away. Those laws are ultimately meant to protect the quality of the tap water people drink and the rivers they fish in, and in the long-term health of their neighborhoods. A few of the most pressing concerns in my view include the governments moves to narrow federal water protections, pause water infrastructure investments and retreat from environmental enforcement. Diminishing protection for U.S. wetlands In 2023, the Supreme Court narrowed the definition of waters of the United States. In its decision in Sackett vs. Environmental Protection Agency, the court determined that only wetlands that maintained a physical surface connection to other federally protected waters qualified for protection under the Clean Water Act. Wetlands are important for water quality in many areas. They naturally filter pollution from water, reduce flooding in communities and help ensure that millions of Americans enjoy cleaner drinking water. The Clean Water Act limits what industries and farms can discharge or dump into those waterways considered waters of the U.S. However, mapping by the Natural Resources Defense Council found that upward of 84%, or 70 million acres, of the nations wetlands lacked protection after the ruling. The Sackett ruling also called into question the definition of waters of the U.S. The Trump EPA, in announcing its plans to rewrite the definition in 2025, said it would make accelerating economic opportunity a priority by reducing red tape and costs for businesses. Statements from the administration suggest that officials want to loosen restrictions on industries discharging pollution and construction debris into wetlands. Pollution already harms wetlands along Floridas Gulf Coast, leading to fewer fish and degraded water quality. It also affects people whose jobs depend on healthy waterways for fishing, recreation and tourism. This marks a shift away from the federal government protecting wetlands for the role they play in public health and resilience. Instead, it prioritizes development and industry even if that means more pollution. Pausing investment for rebuilding crumbling infrastructure Public water systems are also at risk. The Trump administration on its first full day in office froze at least US$10 billion in federal water infrastructure funding. That included money for replacing lead pipes and building new water treatment plants, allocated under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Public water systems across the country have been falling into disrepair in recent decades due to aging and sometimes dangerous infrastructure, as cities with lead water pipes have discovered. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave the nations drinking water, stormwater and wastewater infrastructure grades of a C-minus, D and D-plus, respectively, in its 2025 Infrastructure Report Card. The group estimates that Americas drinking water systems alone need more than $625 billion in investment over the next 20 years to reach a state of good repair. Congress passed the Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act to help pay for updating drinking water, wastewater and stormwater systems. That included replacing lead pipes and tackling water contamination, especially in the most vulnerable communities. Many of the same communities also have high poverty and unemployment rates and histories of racial segregation rooted in government discrimination. Where I live in Detroit, this need is especially clear. We have the fourth-highest number of lead service lines, connecting water mains to buildings, of any city in the country, and these pipes continue to put people at risk every day. Just an hour up the road, the Flint water crisis left a predominantly Black, working-class community to suffer the consequences of lead-contaminated water. These arent abstract problems; theyre happening right now, in real communities, to real people. Dropping lawsuits meant to stop pollution The Trump administraions decision to drop from some environmental enforcement lawsuits filed by previous administrations is adding to the risks that communities face. The administration argues that these decisions are about reducing regulatory burdens dropping these lawsuits reduces costs for companies. However, stepping back from these lawsuits leaves the communities without a meaningful way to put an end to the long-standing harms of environmental pollution. Few communities have the resources to litigate against private polluters and must rely on regulatory agencies to sue on their behalf. Real lives are affected by these changes What America is seeing now is more than a change in regulatory approach. Its a step back from decades of progress that made the nations water safer and communities healthier. President Donald Trump talked repeatedly on the campaign trail about wanting clean air and clean water. However, the administrations moves to reduce protection for wetlands, freeze infrastructure investments and abandon environmental enforcement can have real consequences for both. At a time when so many systems are already under strain, it raises the question: What kind of commitment is the federal government really making to the future of clean water in America? Jeremy Orr is an adjunct professor of law at Michigan State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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E-Commerce
The European Commission is coming for SkinnyTok. EU regulators are investigating a recent wave of social media videos that promote extreme thinness and tough love weight-loss advice, assessing whether TikTok is doing enough to protect children online, per Politico. Frances minister for digital media, Clara Chappaz, recently reported #SkinnyTok to both the French media regulator Arcom and the EU. These videos promote extreme thinness. Protecting minors online is one of my priorities, Chappaz said in a TikTok video posted Friday. @clara.chappaz Et si on parlait plutôt de #StrongTok ? Saimer, commence par se respecter. Ces modles dextrme maigreur peuvent faire beaucoup de mal. #skinnytok #fyp son original – clara.chappaz Arcom told Politico it is collaborating with the European Commission to examine the trend given the public health risk it may pose. A Commission spokesperson also confirmed to Politico that it is aware of the issue and ready to cooperate. This comes alongside an ongoing EU investigation into TikToks algorithm and its impact on minors. The Commission is already looking into how the platform promotes content related to eating disorderssuggesting that further action may soon follow. Although the investigation is still in its early stages, discussions with TikTok are underway. The platforms community guidelines claim it does not allow showing or promoting disordered eating and dangerous weight loss behaviors. Still, content that shows or promotes potentially harmful weight management is permitted for users over 18 and is excluded from the For You feed. Fast Company has reached out to TikTok for comment. Search SkinnyTok on TikTok, and the first thing youll see is a platform-generated message stating, You are more than your weight. Tap it, and youll find links to resources for disordered eating support, including the National Eating Disorder Association. But once you move past that well-meaning message, you’re hit with thousands of videos promoting restrictive eating, body checks, and before-and-after transformations. Unhinged skinny advice, one post reads. Another declares: Being skinny is an outfit. And, of course, the old favorite: Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. Weight-loss and pro-anorexia communities have long thrived on social mediajust ask anyone who used Tumblr in the 2010s. In recent years, this kind of content has surged on TikTok, coinciding with the rise of GLP-1 medications. Many credit these drugs with pushing back against body positivity and ushering in a resurgence of thinness as the ideal. The effects arent just digital. According to a recent report by Trilliant Health, eating-disorder-related health visits among those youths younger than 17 have more than doubled in the past five years. From 2018 to mid-2022, these visits rose by 107.4%, with visits related to anorexia nervosa increasing 129.26%. In 2021, a report revealed that Instagram had failed to protect vulnerable users from pro-anorexia content. Lets hope TikTok learns from those mistakes.
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E-Commerce
The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership opportunities, events and more. A companys corporate brand name should be its hardest working marketing asset. Nothing will be used more often or for longer than the companys name. And in a world where competitors can copy almost everything else, they cant duplicate your name. However, sometimes the original name, chosen long ago, no longer fits and it’s time to rebrand. Rebranding a company is not just a superficial exercise; this strategic move can redefine your business, energize your team, and reshape your future. Steve Jobs, a master at communication, understood that a brand is more than a name or logoits a story, a purpose, a promise, and the right name can make or break a brand. After all, the man turned a company named after a fruit into one of the most successful brands in the world. Here is some guidance on when to rebrand and the steps to make a rebrand successful, with inspiration from Steve Jobs. When to rebrand So, when is it time to rebrand? Maybe your brand no longer reflects who you are or what you stand for. If your company has evolvedexpanding into new markets, adopting new technologies, or shifting its missionyour brand must evolve too. Just as Jobs famously redefined Apples purpose to focus on innovation and simplicity, you must ensure your brand reflects where youre headed, not where youve been. Perhaps your brand is facing increased competition. If customers cant tell the difference between you and your competitors, its time to stand out. A rebrand can help clarify what makes your business unique and why it matters. And most common, you are merging or acquiring another company. Mergers and acquisitions often demand a new identity that reflects the combined strengths of the entities involvedan opportunity to tell a fresh story. Once a decision has been made to rebrand, here are five steps for success. 1. Tell the story first We are all wired for story. When someone says, I have a story to tell you, we lean in. So the first step is to tell the story of the rebrand with emphasis on the benefits to the audiences. Why you are changing is a good start, but what does this mean for your customers? Craft a narrative that resonates emotionally and aligns with your audiences needs. As Jobs said, People dont buy what you do; they buy why you do it. Anchor your rebrand in a strong why. And an even stronger what! 2. Write your future headlines Imagine the article you want to see in The Wall Street Journal or The New York Times about your brand. What would they say about your rebrand? This exercise will clarify your vision and guide all creative efforts. While this sounds simple, the strategic exercise can be your compass as you prepare your creative and launch activities. Take a recent Lexicon name, Lucid Motors. The companys mission statement expresses that through technology, we create exceptional experiences to drive the world forward. For this assignment, the client was looking for a name that would capture that notion while setting itself apart from any other auto brand. The name Lucid achieves this by working on our imagination, moving us from the literal meaning clear-headed to exceptionally efficient brain powerto exceptionallyefficient battery power. While this is going on in the intellectual realm, weexperience the shock of the names unexpectedness in its category. Of course, shock by itself is not enough. As we see, the name also moves us from the literal meaning of lucid to one that fits the character of the car. 3. Focus on the unexpected and emotion. Humans like to think of themselves as rational animals, but it comes as no news to marketers that we are motivated to a greater extent by emotions. Logic brings us to conclusions; emotion brings us to action. Whether we are creating a poem or a new brand name, we wont get very far if we treat the task as an engineering exercise. True, names are formed by putting together parts, just as poems are put together with rhythmic patterns and with rhyming lines, but that totally misses what is essential to a name’s success or a poem’s success. Consider Microsoft and Apple as names. One is far more mechanical, and the other much more effective at creating the beginning of an experience. While both companies are tremendously successful, there is no question that Apple has the stronger, more emotional experience. What is that worth? 4. Identify your audience and speak directly to each group Different stakeholders care about different things. Employees need inspiration; investors need confidence; customers need clarity on whats in it for them. Break down these audiences and craft tailored messages for each group. Identifying the audience groups can be challenging. While the first layer is obviouscustomers, employees, investors, and analystsall these audiences are easy to find and message. However, what is often overlooked is the individuals in those audiences who can more positively influence the rebrand. It may be a particular journalist, or a few select employees. Once you have identified these influencers, develop more relevant conversations that help them understand the rebrand. 5. Plan for longevity A successful launch must be roadmapped with events and reminders over a 9-18 month timeline. It is much more than simply reannouncing the name change; it becomes an opportunity to build stronger relationships with the audiences that matter most to your brand. Consistency builds trust. Plan events and marketing efforts over a longer timeframe to reinforce your new identity. For example, company or industry conferences are excellent venues to reinforce the change and show where the company is headed. Any event must be viewed as an opportunity to strengthen the reasons for the rebrand. Steve Jobs approached branding with clarity, simplicity, and a relentless focus on storytelling and user experience. He didnt just change Apples logohe transformed its identity by aligning every touchpoint with its purpose: empowering individuals through technology. By following these principles, you can ensure that your rebrand isnt just a name change but a strategic leap forward that captures attention, inspires loyalty, and drives growth. As Jobs might say, Think different. David Placek is founder and CEO of Lexicon Branding.
Category:
E-Commerce
If you’re feeling detached from work and lacking motivation lately, know that you are not alone. Gallup’s most recent State of the Global Workplace report revealed that employee engagement fell to 21% in 2024, declining 2 points from the previous year. In the last 12 years, employee engagement has only fallen one other time, in 2020, due in part to COVID-19, the shift to working from home, and increased isolation. The report “offers what may be our last snapshot of a workforce on the cusp of seismic change,” Gallup CEO Jon Clifton said in the report. “We are witnessing a pivotal moment in the global workplaceone where engagement is faltering at the exact time artificial intelligence is transforming every industry in its path.” The most recent decline can be linked to disruptions in the workplace over the last five years, including layoffs, the introduction of AI across industries, ongoing friction around RTO policies, and more. Broken down by region, the U.S. and Canada tied with Latin America and the Caribbean for the region with the highest engaged employeesalthough the percentage was still low, with less than a third being engaged. The region also ranked at the top for employees experiencing daily stress. Managers need help The report found that the global decline in engagement centers around one particularly affected group: managers. Managers under 35 years old and female managers were the most affected, with engagement declining by 5 and 7 percentage points, respectively. The findings suggest that a lack of engagement from the top is trickling down to employees, and resulted in a loss of $438 billion in productivity to the world economy. Despite the declining rates, Gallup identified ways that employers can take action and lean toward a productivity boom: First, training managers on basic roles may boost engagement, with 44% of managers reporting a lack of training. Second, Gallup suggests teaching managers techniques for effective coaching, which could boost performance by up to 28%. Lastly, improving manager well-being should be prioritized, with manager development training and an encouraging peer working environment boosting well-being by up to 50%.
Category:
E-Commerce
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