Conflict or poor workplace relationships

Information for employers and workers about managing the risk of conflict and poor workplace relationships.

How poor working relationships and conflict can be harmful

What are poor working relationships and conflict?

Poor working relationships and conflict is the breakdown of relationships within a team or between individuals.

For example, where there are:

  • frequent disagreements about how work should be done
  • frequent instances of interpersonal workplace conflict
  • harmful workplace behaviours.

There are factors that can lead to an increased likelihood of conflict and poor working relationships such as:

  • the presence of unmanaged psychosocial hazards
  • a lack of business process for workers to report harmful workplace behaviour
  • lack of process for businesses to respond to harmful workplace behaviour
  • a culture that tolerates harmful behaviour such as bullying, incivility and swearing.

Risks related to poor working relationships and conflict

Work colleagues can be important sources of support, but they can also be sources of stress.

Poor working relationships and conflict can affect the physical and psychological health of the person it is directed at and anyone witnessing the behaviour. It can occur in any workplace and can lead to:

  • emotional and cognitive reactions such as a loss of confidence, anger, tearfulness and irritability
  • behavioural changes such as withdrawal
  • stress, depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder which can lead to self-harm and suicidal thoughts
  • physical reactions such as headaches, indigestion, fatigue and loss of appetite
  • stress-related illness such as cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal disorders and gastrointestinal disorders.

It can also have social and economic costs for the workers, their family and the business.

How to manage the risks

Employers/PCBUs

Under work, health and safety (WHS) laws, a person conducting a business of undertaking (PCBU) must take proactive steps to prevent poor working relationships and conflict in the workplace.

It’s important PCBUs respond quickly and fairly to workplace conflict because if it continues, it may:

  • become more difficult to address
  • be harder to repair working relationships
  • lead to workplace bullying.

PCBUs must:

  • Eliminate health and safety risks at work, including psychosocial risks. If PCBUs are unable to eliminate risks, they must be minimised so far as is reasonably practicable.
  • Consider other psychosocial hazards in the workplace which may contribute to conflict and poor working relationships. For example, situations where job demands are high, or there is a lack of role clarity can lead to incivility and conflict amongst team members.
  • Manage risks associated with poor workplace relationships and consider applying the risk management process (PDF, 556.72 KB) to assist in meeting their duties. This process involves consulting with workers to identify, manage, control, and review risks related to the hazard.
  • Identify and adopt effective control measures. Find information about how to do this on our psychosocial hazards page.

PCBUs should also encourage workers to have input into relevant controls established to minimise harm such as procedures and tasks. It’s part of a business’s WHS consultation responsibilities to ensure workers are provided with opportunities for consultation in the decision-making processes which have the potential to impact their roles and job tasks.

The Managing psychosocial hazards at work code of practice will help you meet your responsibilities under WHS laws in NSW.

Workers

While at work, workers must:

  • take reasonable care for their own psychological and physical health and safety and take reasonable care not to adversely affect the health and safety of other people
  • comply with reasonable health and safety instructions, as far as they are reasonably able
  • cooperate with reasonable health and safety policies or procedures such as reporting inappropriate and harmful workplace behaviours.

If you have raised concerns about harmful workplace behaviour internally and no action is being taken, read our ‘Dealing with a psychological health and safety issue at work’ section for further assistance.

Examples of controls and actions

PCBUs must use the hierarchy of controls (PDF, 46.87 KB) and consider all relevant matters within Section 55D of the WHS Regulation 2025 when identifying appropriate control measures to eliminate and minimise the risk of conflict or poor workplace relationships.

When choosing control measures you must consider all hazards present and how they may interact and combine.

Some examples of controls that can help minimise harm:

  • Identify and minimise work design issues that may negatively affect team communication such as competition, unclear communication lines or isolated work groups.
  • Develop and implement safe systems and processes to promote positive behaviour and mechanisms for reporting when harmful behaviour occurs. For example, grievance and psychosocial hazard (WHS) reporting pathways and multiple reporting pathways to ensure workers feel comfortable speaking up.
  • Ensure workplace conflict investigations not only address the alleged behaviour and conflict but also have a process to identify the source of the conflict. For example, changing how work is done to minimise further conflict.
  • Develop a system to monitor the work environment for potential disagreements, factors or situations that may result in conflict and address these promptly.
  • Set clear rules for communication or create a guide that outlines how teams work together.
  • Develop a code of conduct so that everyone is aware of appropriate workplace behaviour.
  • Provide managers with the knowledge and skills to identify and manage conflict and respond to inappropriate behaviour, including accessing third-party professional support when required.
  • Encourage respectful discussion and sharing of differing views and ideas among workers and within the team.
  • Clearly define everyone’s roles in the workplace and ensure this information is available and accessible.
  • Provide workers with information, instruction and training related to appropriate workplace behaviour, psychosocial hazards and how to diffuse difficult interpersonal situations.

Note: These are examples only. You must consult with workers to identify and implement control measures that eliminate or minimise the risks in your workplace, so far as is reasonably practicable.

Resources

  • Psychosocial hazards – SafeWork NSW. Information about what psychosocial hazards are, their effects and how to manage them.
  • Managing psychosocial hazards at work code of practice – SafeWork NSW. Practical guidance on complying with WHS laws, including how to identify and manage psychosocial risks in the workplace.
  • A guide to building workplace culture – SafeWork NSW. This guide helps you recognise the signs of a positive workplace culture and provides practical tips to strengthen values, communication, and connection within your team. Learn how to spot warning signs, support staff wellbeing, and create an inclusive, respectful, and productive environment.
  • One on one conversation guide for leaders – SafeWork NSW. This guide gives leaders practical tips for effective one-on-one meetings with staff, helping to identify and address workplace risk factors that can impact psychological health and wellbeing.
  • Psychosocial hazards request for service form – SafeWork NSW. Use this form to request assistance from SafeWork NSW. This can be useful if your business/workplace doesn’t have processes for you to report workplace conflict or you have reported it internally and no action is being taken.
  • Psychosocial hazards service standards – SafeWork NSW. Information about what you can expect from SafeWork NSW, and what we expect from you when you raise a psychosocial hazard issue.
  • Designing work to manage psychosocial risks – SafeWork NSW. Practical support and information for PCBUs on using work design to manage the risk of psychosocial hazards.
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