Benjamin Franklin once said, “Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.”

Applying this wisdom can be even more challenging as an HR professional in a department of one.

But having these skills — along with policies and plans — is more important than ever. Workplace incivility reached record levels in 2024, according to the SHRM Civility Index, affecting not only office morale but also productivity. With each incident of incivility they experienced or witnessed, employees lost an average of 37 minutes of productivity, the Q4 2024 Civility Index found.

Solo HR professionals must be proactive in managing conflict. By building strong networks, fostering open communication, and mastering effective mediation techniques, you can take a more strategic approach that also helps build a healthier workplace culture.

Build Your Network

When you don’t have anyone to bounce ideas off of in-house, you need to construct your own circle of support.

“Solo HR practitioners may not have the capacity to handle multiple occurrences of workplace conflict, complex situations, or the bandwidth to address them if there are competing priorities,” said Jeannie DiBella, SHRM-SCP, director of human resources at Manchester Community College in New Hampshire.

Therefore, the most important thing you can do is develop a network of HR pros and external resources, she said. Your peers can help, of course, but you should also consult professional mediators and an attorney for advice and legal expertise.

DiBella has been involved with the SHRM Greater Nashua chapter for 17 years, providing her with an extraordinary support system.

Hope Kelly, SHRM-SCP, director of human resources at Granite State Manufacturing and director of the New Hampshire SHRM state council, also touted the benefit of support via local association chapters.

“When you become involved with state chapters, you have the ability to interact with other HR professionals that are knowledgeable about the local laws,” Kelly said. “You increase your own knowledge as you build your network.”

Prioritize Relationships

The ability to remain neutral is paramount for solo HR practitioners, who need to be seen as capable of treating everyone equally.

“Solo practitioners don’t have the ability to turn the situation over to someone else if their relationship with one of the parties — positive or negative — may cause others to question their neutrality,” DiBella said.

If you develop strong relationships with both managers and employees, you will tend to be included in whatever is going on.

“You can’t always stop what you are doing, but to the extent possible, show managers and employees that they are your top priority when they need you,” DiBella recommended. “Don’t put off responding to messages or requests to schedule a meeting.”

Build Trust

Managed conflict leads to organizational growth, change, and evolution, said Matthew Burr, SHRM-SCP, owner of Burr Consulting LLC in Elmira, N.Y., and an on-call mediator for the New York State Public Employment Relations Board.

A degree of conflict in the workplace is normal and healthy. Conflict is unhealthy when it becomes personal and emotional.

A work culture where dissent is encouraged can lead to innovation, diversity of thought, better decision-making, and higher levels of trust.

The key is creating a psychologically safe workplace culture that continually fosters open communication among employees and assures them it’s safe to disagree. HR plays a pivotal role in building workplace trust by providing frequent feedback systems, such as regular employee check-ins, anonymous communication channels, engagement surveys, and team-building activities.

“Employees can submit great ideas anonymously, either electronically or in writing, and we’ve gotten a lot of good responses for different campaigns,” Kelly said. At her company, “[w]e also have a rumor-clearing chain of command, a process that has been very effective at stopping rumors before they spread.”

Solo HR practitioners must also prioritize developing and nurturing relationships with employees to build a foundation of trust.

“Employees need to feel that their HR practitioner cares about them as a person so that they will feel safe when discussing concerns,” DiBella said. “In order to develop strong relationships and earn trust, you have to keep information confidential.”

Member Resource: Managing Workplace Conflict