During the night shift of one of our manufacturing plants, two volatile employees engaged in a verbal altercation that almost led to blows. The altercation escalated to the point where they were threatening each other physically. Fortunately, a supervisor was nearby and separated the two employees. They were both sent home pending further investigation.
The next morning, I began the investigation. In the process of interviewing the individuals, I was told there were no other witnesses to the event prior to the supervisor intervening. I had to rely on the statements of the two individuals directly involved. Each blamed the other and their interpretation of events directly contradicted one another. After interviewing each of them, I realized there was no way to ascertain the truth. I eventually gave them both a final written warning stating that if either of them were engaged in another altercation of this nature, they would be immediately terminated. A few months later, one of them was involved in a physical fight in the plant parking lot and was terminated.
Employee conflicts are some of the most frustrating and complex situations that organizations must deal with. Some conflicts are petty and seemingly insignificant while others are serious enough to lead to physical altercations.
