Skip to main content

← All articles

Workplace conflict

50 articles

  1. Jun 9, 2026 · 4 min read

    From Incivility to High Conflict: Building a More Prepared Workplace

    Workplace incivility is rising and costing organizations billions. Megan Hunter on the 5% problem and HCI's new year-long Corporate Partnership program.

  2. Jun 2, 2026

    Is Incivility Increasing? If so, What Can We Do About It?

    Research shows incivility is on the rise — in workplaces, courtrooms, and everyday life. Bill Eddy on why it's increasing and what professionals can do about it.

  3. Mar 11, 2026 · 6 min read

    Do Narcissists Make Better Leaders?

    Do Narcissists Make Better Leaders? © 2026 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. The world of business and leadership would seem to be dominated by narcissists, because of…

  4. Sep 10, 2025 · 10 min read

    Leaders and Limits: Setting Limits with Empathy

    How leaders set firm limits and impose consequences with empathy, attention, and respect — Bill Eddy on managing without escalating conflict.

  5. Dec 16, 2024 · 5 min read

    Unlock Your Inner Peacemaker by Accessing Your Calm Self

    Unlock Your Inner Peacemaker by Accessing Your Calm Self © 2024 by Cherolyn Knapp, B.Comm, LLB.B, Q.Med We've all experienced those moments when emotions take…

  6. Nov 6, 2024 · 8 min read

    Fostering Flexibility: Tips for developing flexible thinking skills

    Fostering Flexibility: Tips for developing flexible thinking skills © 2024 by Cherolyn Knapp, B.Comm, LLB.B, Q.Med Do you ever have to interact with someone…

  7. Oct 9, 2024

    Abandon Abstraction: A Practical Approach to Changing Difficult Behavior

    Abandon Abstraction: A Practical Approach to Changing Difficult Behavior © 2024 by Cherolyn Knapp, B.Comm, LLB.B, Q.Med You’re a leader who has to deal with…

  8. Aug 3, 2024

    New Ways for Work®Leaders Course Delivers Immediate Impact

    New Ways For Work® - Leaders Course Delivers Immediate Impact © 2024 by Cherolyn Knapp, B.Comm, LLB.B, Q.Med I had the pleasure of piloting HCI’s brand new…

  9. Aug 2, 2024 · 11 min read

    How to Build a Team: 7 Relationship Skills for Managers

    How to Build a Team 7 Relationship Skills for Managers and Other Leaders © 2024 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. In today's world, building and strengthening a team in…

  10. Jul 10, 2024 · 8 min read

    Is Total Freedom the Goal?

    Setting Boundaries: Is Total Freedom the Goal? © 2024 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Setting Boundaries in Relationships at Home, at Work and Online As we celebrate…

  11. Jun 14, 2024 · 6 min read

    How Adult Bullies Find and Encourage Each Other on Social Media

    How Adult Bullies Find and Encourage Each Other on Social Media © 2024 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Adult bullies have traditionally been kept on the fringes of…

  12. Jun 14, 2024 · 6 min read

    Turning the Tide on Toxic Teams: Introducing New Ways for Work®—Leaders Training

    Turning the Tide on Toxic Teams: Introducing New Ways for Work®—Leaders Course © 2024 by Cherolyn Knapp, B. Comm, Q.Med Have you ever found yourself leading a…

  13. Oct 25, 2023

    Addressing the Bully in the Room: High Conflict Personalities in Workplace Investigations

    Workplace conflict is nothing new. But for employers, undertaking workplace investigations is a relatively new – and highly prevalent – practice. A large proportion of workplace conflicts include at least one person exhibiting traits of a high conflict personality. This raises the question of how an investigator can be equipped to run a fair and effective process, despite the challenges presented by high conflict personalities.

  14. Jun 28, 2023

    BIFF Response® at Work: Responding to Hostile Mail

    BIFF Response® at Work:Responding to Hostile Mail ©2023 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Hostile mail – especially email, texts and other electronic communications – has…

  15. Nov 10, 2022

    Should Employees with High-Conflict Behaviors Be Given a Chance to Change?

    Should Employees With High-Conflict Behaviors Be Given a Chance to Change?©2022 Megan Hunter, MBAIs it advisable to keep an employee with high-conflict…

  16. Jan 21, 2022

    Emotions are Contagious: From Child Alienation to Workplace Bullying to World Anxiety

    Emotions are Contagious: From Child Alienation to Workplace Bullying to World Anxiety©2022 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.In many ways, the world runs on emotions. We…

  17. Nov 9, 2021

    EAR Statements Can Calm Clients and Anyone, Especially in Today’s World

    EAR Statements Can Calm Clients and Anyone, Especially in Today’s World©2021 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.We all need empathy, attention, and respect—especially in…

  18. Sep 16, 2021

    "Fast Facts" for Professionals: 3 Ways an EAR Statement Can Calm Clients

    “Fast Facts” for Professionals:3 Ways an EAR Statement™ Can Calm Clients©2021 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.Professionals and businesses are facing more and more…

  19. Nov 13, 2019

    Mediating High Conflict Workplace Disputes

    Mediating High Conflict Workplace Disputes©2019 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.Many workplace disputes get resolved rather easily by those involved or by simple…

  20. Aug 30, 2018

    Using the CARS Method® to Deal with High Conflict People and Situations

    ©2018 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Have you noticed that high-conflict people (HCPs) and high-conflict behavior are rapidly increasing in today’s interconnected…

  21. Nov 6, 2017

    Tips on Offering Mediation to a High Conflict Employee

    ©2017 Michael Lomax, JDImagine you are a manager, and you have a supervisor who reports to you who is dealing with an employee with high conflict traits. There…

  22. Apr 18, 2017

    When Helping Hurts - How Professionals Become Negative Advocates - Or Not

    ©2017 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.Most professionals are helping professionals. We like to help our clients as lawyers, mediators, therapists, arbitrators, social…

  23. Apr 8, 2017

    A Respectful Meeting Policy

    ©2017 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and L. Georgi DiStefano As high conflict personalities appear to be increasing in society and the workplace, we are hearing more…

  24. Feb 25, 2017

    Should Workplace Conflicts use Mediation?

    ©2017 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSWMediators are being increasingly asked to help resolve workplace conflicts in a peaceful,…

  25. Oct 10, 2016

    High Conflict Personalities in Employment Cases

    ©2016 John C. Edwards, Esq.It is expected and understood by most people in the legal profession that because of the intensely personal nature of the issues…

  26. Sep 29, 2016

    Narcissists as Leaders: Good or Bad for Your Organization?

    ©2013 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.Whether in business, politics or workgroups, there is a natural tendency to select narcissistic leaders. They are attracted to…

  27. Sep 5, 2016

    3 Do’s and Don’ts to Manage High-Conflict People at Work

    ©2016 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. & L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW Dealing with high conflict people (HCPs) in the workplace presents a variety of challenges. The good…

  28. Aug 15, 2016

    Fire or Keep High-Conflict Employees?

    ©2016 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. & L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSWFor the past several years, dealing with difficult co-workers has been at the top of employee and…

  29. Jun 24, 2016

    Bullies At Work

    Bullies at Work © 2016 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Workplace bullying is a growing international problem. It is more than a one-time incident. It is a pattern of…

  30. May 25, 2016

    Are Your Personality Awareness Skills Up to Date?

    Are Your Personality Awareness Skills Up to Date?© 2016 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. & L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW Whether you’re choosing a friend, getting married,…

  31. Apr 10, 2016

    7 Steps to Tackle Organizational “Splitting”

    7 Steps to Tackle Organizational “Splitting”Why it happens. What you can do.© 2016 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW Organizational splitting…

  32. Nov 11, 2015

    New Ways for Work®: A New Coaching Method

    © 2015 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. & L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW High Conflict Institute offers a brand-new coaching method for managing difficult employees and…

  33. Aug 12, 2015

    Narcissists As Leaders

    © 2015 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and Georgi DiStefano, LCSW[Excerpt from Chapter 3 of the Axiom award-winning book It’s All Your Fault at Work: Managing…

  34. Apr 8, 2015

    Are High Conflict People Ruining Your Business?

    © 2015 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. & L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW[Originally published by Capital Business, a subsidiary of the Washington Post, in March 2015]Are…

  35. Feb 4, 2015

    Groundhog Day on the Job: Dealing with High Conflict Co-Workers

    © 2015 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. A surprising occurrence for many individuals in the workplace is the notion of Groundhog Day when dealing with someone who may…

  36. Jan 20, 2015

    Setting the Agenda (For Meetings That Include Potentially High-Conflict People)

    © 2015 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSWWhether you are a manager developing the agenda for a team meeting, a mediator or lawyer setting…

  37. Jan 15, 2015

    Why They Don’t Get It?

    Why Don't They Get It?© 2015 By L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSW and Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.It’s so aggravating! No matter what you say or do, that certain employee is…

  38. Jan 13, 2015 · 4 min read

    What Baseball Can Teach Us At Work

    © 2015 by Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. and L. Georgi DiStefano, LCSWAs both therapists and attorney, we have spoken with hundreds of clients over the years. From…

  39. Sep 24, 2014 · 7 min read

    7 Tips for Managing Your Narcissistic Boss

    Dealing with a narcissistic boss? Bill Eddy shares 7 practical tips for managing a high-conflict manager while protecting your job — and your sanity.

  40. Sep 11, 2014 · 5 min read

    It's All Your Fault At Work: Author Interview

    © 2014 By Georgi DiStefano [An Interview with It’s All Your Fault at Work! co-authors, Bill Eddy and Georgi DiStefano] Q: Although you have many years’ of…

  41. Apr 21, 2014 · 6 min read

    Coaching Clients to Make Proposals

    © 2014 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Whether you are a lawyer, mediator, collaborative practitioner or other professional involved in dispute resolution, you know…

  42. Oct 29, 2013

    Workplace Bullying – Against the Law?

    © 2013 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. When I was recently in Australia, I had the opportunity to give a seminar in Canberra (the nation’s capital) about the dynamics…

  43. Aug 28, 2012 · 9 min read

    Splitting at Work: How High-Conflict People Divide Teams

    How high-conflict colleagues split workplaces into 'allies' and 'enemies' — and what managers and HR can do to stop the damage. From Bill Eddy.

  44. Jul 4, 2012

    It’s All Your Fault – At Work!

    © 2012 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.Have you noticed more people engaging in “high conflict” behavior these days at work? A customer in a store yells loudly at a…

  45. May 25, 2012 · 11 min read

    Lessons from Steve Jobs’ Biography: HCP or Collaborative Leader?

    © 2012 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. “Plays well with others,” would not be an expression that applied to Steve Jobs at any age. Yet he was the co-founder and CEO…

  46. Jan 19, 2012

    BIFFs for Business and Professions

    © 2012 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.Excerpted from BIFF: Quick Responses to High Conflict People, Their Personal Attacks, Hostile Email and Social Media Meltdowns…

  47. Oct 18, 2011

    Building A Team Against The Problem

    © 2011 Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Whether you are a manager, mediator, lawyer or other type of professional dispute resolver, one of the common problems you face…

  48. Sep 1, 2011

    Incivility in the Workplace: A Growing Problem

    © 2011 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Times have changed. Incivility is growing in the workplace, as well as in most areas of our society. How big of a problem is…

  49. Jul 12, 2011

    BIFF In Action: At the Workplace

    © 2011 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. A Workplace Example Rochelle’s boss, Phil, sent an email to the manager of a major project they were working on, explaining…

  50. Feb 18, 2010

    High Conflict People and Workplace Violence

    © 2010 By Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq. Now we have another workplace shooting incident to analyze. This one apparently by a female faculty member at the University of…