Deal with an argument between colleagues

You are in an office. When you look around, you notice a copy of a resume on your desk, as well as a job interview scheduled for later in the day on your calendar. As an HR manager, you need to properly research and prepare for that interview.

While doing so, you hear a noise coming from the room next to you, sounding a lot like two people shouting. It is up to you whether you will address this behavior or let them resolve things among each other.

If you choose to address the situation and call both employees to your office, their argument gets even more heated up and loud. One of them argues that their colleague won yet another trip to a sales conference in another country and it’s very demotivating that they’re not equally treated. Whereas the other employee argues that the trip is justified because of hard work which includes a lot of overtime and brings more revenue to the company. As an HR manager, you need to find a silver lining, decide whether their manager needs to be involved in this discussion and calm down the situation before it escalates further.

If you choose to ignore the argument or fail to involve their manager, you may lose one or more employees.