How do UK workers experience, respond to, and resolve conflict in the workplace?

About the study

In September 2025, NatCen conducted the largest ever study of workplace conflict in Great Britain with members of its Opinion Panel on behalf of Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). The survey aimed to understand the prevalence, nature, and consequences of workplace conflict across different employment types, and sectors.

Conflict was defined broadly to include disputes, disagreements, and difficult relationships with colleagues, managers, direct reports, clients, or others. The study focused on individuals who had experienced conflict in their main job over the past 12 months, asking about:

• Who the conflict involved
• What caused it (e.g. bullying, performance issues, employment terms)
• How they responded (e.g. informal discussions, HR involvement, leaving the job)
• What impact it had on their wellbeing, productivity, and career
• Whether the conflict was resolved and how

For those who manage staff, the survey also explored the time spent dealing with conflict and the challenges of managing disputes with direct reports.

This is one of the most detailed UK studies on workplace conflict, providing valuable industry-level insights into how conflict unfolds and is handled in real-world settings. The findings will help inform Acas’s work in supporting fair and effective employment practices.

Key findings

Prevalence

• 44% of working-age adults experienced conflict at work in the past 12 months, marking the highest level ever reported.
• Wholesale and retail workers reported the highest prevalence of conflict (50%), while administrative and support services reported the lowest (33%).

Differences

• People whose disability significantly affected daily life experienced conflict at a rate of 68%, far above the national average of 44%.

Topics

• Capability and performance issues emerged as the most common topic of conflict (38%), followed by personal disagreements (33%) and bullying or harassment (24%).

Who was involved?

• Conflict most often involved a colleague (34%) or a line manager (32%), with 27% of workers reporting conflict with multiple people.

Resolution

• Half of conflicts were largely or fully resolved, but 31% remained mainly or completely unresolved.
• Workers primarily resolved conflict through informal discussions, with 45% speaking to their manager and 30% speaking directly to the other person involved.
• Only 9% of workers used formal grievance procedures, and fewer than 0.5% filed an employment tribunal claim.

Impact

• 57% of people who experienced conflict reported stress, anxiety or depression, and 49% reported a drop in motivation or commitment.

Managers

• Managers spent up to a week managing most conflicts, but 7% spent more than a month dealing with them. 

Methodology

Fieldwork period, sample, mode

Fieldwork for this study was conducted using the NatCen Opinion Panel – a random-probability panel of people recruited from high-quality, random probability studies such as the British Social Attitudes survey. The data was collected between 22nd August to 21st September 2025 using a web-only design.

Survey content

The survey began by screening participants by employment status and whether they had held one or more main jobs in the past 12 months. Those who had not worked were

excluded. Those with relevant work experience were asked whether they had experienced conflict in their main job(s) during the past year.

Conflict was defined broadly to include disputes, difficult relationships, or disagreements with colleagues, managers, direct reports, clients, or others. Those who reported conflict answered detailed questions about who the conflict involved, what caused it, how it was dealt with, and what impact it had on their wellbeing, productivity, and career. Managers were asked additional questions about conflict with direct reports, including how they managed it and the time spent dealing with it.

The survey also collected information on organisation size, and industry type to enable SIC (Standard Industrial Classification) coding. To address the sensitivity of workplace conflict, the survey used clear definitions and allowed respondents to share their experiences confidentially and in a structured format.

Response rate

Out of 12,649 panel members invited to take part, 6,261 completed the survey – yielding a 50% response rate. Of these, 1,943 participants were an employee/self-employed (with at least one employee) and had experienced conflict at work.

Weighting

The data was weighted to be representative of the UK adult (16-65) population who were an employee/self-employed (with at least one employee).

For full details on the published findings, access the Acas research report titled “How prevalent is individual conflict at work in Great Britain in 2025?” at the link below.