What do you do when two of your best employees can’t get along? It’s not always as easy as firing one of them and interpersonal problems don’t always go away on their own. A manager may need to intervene, especially since feuds can easily polarize entire departments.

• See it for yourself. Don’t just believe the rumors. Watch the interaction between the employees and the effect it has on the department before jumping to any conclusions.
• Don’t take sides. Your job is not to decide who is right and who is wrong; your job as the manager is to ensure that the conflict does not interfere with work.
• Set goals together. Ask them each for ideas on repairing the situation and make them accountable for reaching those goals. Set a specific deadline and have both employees report to you with progress.
• Remain professional. Remind the employees that they must maintain a professional workplace; if their disagreement continues to affect work, they will receive written warnings under the progressive discipline process that can lead to termination.
• Document, document, document. As with every disciplinary situation, keep clear, unbiased written records.