Registration deadline: Monday, Sept 14th, 5:00pm

When Conflict Lands on Your Desk: A Practical Guide for HR Professionals

Workplace conflict is inevitable, but how HR responds can determine whether a difficult situation becomes a productive conversation or a much larger organizational problem.  When conflict lands on HR's desk, the instinct can be to immediately solve, investigate, mediate, or take sides.  But effective conflict resolution often begins with slowing down, understanding what is really happening, and determining what the situation actually needs.  

This interactive session will explore how HR professionals can assess conflict, recognize the factors that cause it to escalate, determine when to coach, intervene, mediate, or involved others, and help leaders address conflict before it becomes more costing to the organization.  

Learning Objectives:

Participants will: 

• Identify common factors that cause workplace conflict to escalate or become more difficult to resolve. 
• Use a practical framework to assess what a conflict situation needs before determining how to respond.
• Apply practical language and techniques for coaching employees and leaders through difficult conversations. 
• Recognize when HR should facilitate a conversation, involve additional resources, or move a situation into a more formal process. 

Lunch is included with your registration!

Payment is required at registration and is non-refundable.

Registration will cancel if payment is not received within 15 minutes of registration.

About our speaker...

Jeff Lay has spent more than two decades helping leaders navigate the people challenges that don't show up in a job description — the tension between two strong team members, the manager who's technically performing but quietly eroding trust, the conflict that's been avoided just long enough to become a crisis.

He most recently served as Vice President of Human Resources at Pine Cove Camps, and now works as an Executive HR Advisor through his firm, The People Curve, partnering with organizations that need a trusted, experienced voice for their most complex people challenges. His work spans employee relations, conflict mediation, leadership coaching, culture, and executive decision support — across industries from oil and gas to banking to nonprofits.

Jeff also serves as an Executive Coach in the Texas A&M Mays Business School Executive Coaching Portfolio, working with working professionals and executive students on leadership and career development.

Jeff holds a SHRM-SCP certification, is a Certified Conflict Resolution Specialist, and earned his business degree from Texas A&M University.

He believes good HR isn't about bureaucracy — it's about clarity, trust, and steady leadership when it matters most.

Outside of work, Jeff is a Christ-follower, a loyal (and long-suffering) Dallas Cowboys fan, a devoted Aggie, a bass player, a birder, and an enthusiastic Texas BBQ explorer.

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Payment is required at registration and is non-refundable.

Registration will cancel if payment is not received within 15 minutes of registration.

The use of this official seal confirms that this Activity has met HR Certification Institute’s® (HRCI®)  criteria for recertification credit pre-approval.