A Podcast Makes Conflict Agreements Concrete

A new Good Morning, HR episode, published October 22, explores how workplace conflict can be addressed before it escalates. Host Mike Coffey speaks with Amy McDowell and Sasha Vaikhman about voluntary participation, forward-looking conversations, and agreements with specific commitments and follow-up. Read the episode notes.

My take: the useful first step isn’t guessing why someone acted a certain way. It’s naming the specific friction and asking what each person needs to work together from here. A written agreement can help—but only if both people help shape it and can say what they’re not ready to agree to.

When a collaboration hits friction, what makes a reset feel genuinely mutual rather than imposed?