Acas-commissioned YouGov polling of over 1,000 employees in the UK found that 44% of workers who knew of conflict in their organisation over the last three years said it has increased, compared to just 13% who say it has decreased.
The same survey found that pay (25%), working patterns (22%), capability and performance (20%), and bullying or harassment (16%) are now among the top causes of workplace conflict.
Speaking to HR magazine, Ruth Cornish, founder of HR consultancy, Amelore, said: “HR has a role to support the leaders to create an inclusive, trusting culture.
"Having clear communication channels and ensuring that any disputes are resolved as early as possible are key. Training managers so they have the confidence to confront any areas of potential conflict is helpful.
"The more that employees understand the needs of the business and their role, together with creating multiple opportunities to check in and speak out, the less likely they are to get into dispute."
Figures published by Acas on 18 July show that Acas handled 117,000 individual disputes from April 2024 to March 25, the highest number since the covid-19 pandemic and an increase of 13,000 from 2023 to 2024.
HR has a key role to bridge the gap between employee and employer needs, desires, and non-negotiables, Cornish added: “Taking proactive steps such as equal pay audits, making sure expectations on performance are clear, and there is a flexibility framework with consistency on exceptions on variations to working patterns will help.”
Speaking to HR magazine on 20 August about how HR can resolve workplace conflict, Paul O'Donnell, managing director of workplace relationships firm CMP, advised HR professionals to "ensure there's a clear and mutually agreed agenda."
Fixing a clear agenda allows both sides to acknowledge that while their values may not align, there is a fundamental agreement on what's to be discussed, O’Donnell added.
The results come after Acas revealed it will help to support economic stability by reducing the cost of conflict through increased prevention, improved management, and earlier resolution of disputes.
The new Acas strategy aims to prevent more disputes before they arise by targeting industries and groups where conflict is most likely, as well as support employers to manage conflict with clear guidance, tools and training offers.
Cornish suggested that some of the reasons workplace disputes are on the rise could be because there is an “increasing awareness of employment rights fuelled by the availability of free advice on employment and HR forums."
She also suggested that businesses are still recovering after covid-19 and dealing with increased National Insurance, which are “increasingly restricting pay rises" and that "managing performance can be hard in a difficult market.”
O'Donnell continued: “The main points of negotiation should be clearly set out and approved by both sides in advance. HR can manage this part of the process."
Both sides will always begin with opposing positions and points of view; they'll see the issues and solutions with their own filter, he explained: “The role of HR [is] to create an environment where both sides are open to accepting that each side has a different perspective, and to encourage each side to recognise the other's point of view."
The survey figures are from an Acas-commissioned YouGov survey, and the total sample size was 1,081 UK employees. Fieldwork was undertaken between 31 July and 6 August 2025.
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