24 Days Per Employee: What Unmanaged Conflict Really Costs Your Nonprofit in Time & Talent
Nonprofit leaders are acutely aware of conflict issues; these are likely what keeps them up at night - even in the age of Trump, Take 2.
The problem is, they may be acutely aware of the issues and not the conflicts.
Looking at recent surveys, it seems nonprofit leaders are nearly screaming the need to better manage their workforces:
57% of nonprofit leaders say staff-related concerns are among their organizations’ biggest challenges. (CEP)
1 in 5 nonprofit leaders were concerned about something related to their workforce in 2024: staffing, leadership, burnout, and engagement. (Urban Institute)
Soft skills rank at #3 for the most important skills smaller nonprofits consider in hiring - beaten out only by mission alignment and previous experiences. That means hiring for the ability to communicate clearly and kindly and being able to get along well with others was more important than technical experience, salary expectations, local community knowledge and engagement, or degrees and credentials for nonprofit leaders. (Career Blazers)
It makes sense: Nonprofits, particularly smaller ones, tend to be close-knit organizations whose strict budgets don’t have room for wasting time with unclear communications, petty conflicts, or disputes arising from a lack of expressed concern for colleagues.
What’s the most pressing micro issue affecting your nonprofit?
Conflict: What It Looks Like & Costs
So now you may be wondering: How is it I see conflict where others see staffing?
In personal conversations with nonprofit leaders, I am often asked about situations like:
Someone who is otherwise a great performer just refuses to follow certain guidance. And beyond the issue related to the policy, other staff have feelings about this refusal, too.
A senior employee but not a direct report to the CEO opens formal grievances every time her direct supervisor - who does report directly to the CEO - says or does something she doesn’t approve.
An otherwise high performer is outright mean to both peers and less senior staff, but responds positively to the ED.
A new ED is stuck dealing with direct reports who have been allowed to have screaming fights with each other in the past, and won’t stop.
Some of these are issues where a conflict lies at the heart, and some of these are issues that create conflicts amongst staff. The conflicts may be about standards being applied inconsistently; actual or perceived discriminatory acts; pettiness; or casual cruelty caused by burnout.
It can be hard to see the urgency of some of these issues. One of the biggest “aha!” moments we give clients is taking time to walk though our Conflict Calculator, where we help leaders estimate the time lost to an individual conflict - and the cost to your organization of that time. Here are some research-backed stats to help you understand what a single conflict is likely costing your organization:
On average, an American employee loses about 4 hours of productivity a week due to workplace conflicts - that equals 2 days of lost time every month - or 24 days/employee/year. Over the course of a year, it’s an entire month’s worth of productivity. (The Myers Briggs Company, 2022)
Just witnessing unkind acts at work can increase turnover of both staff and clients. While one study found that 12% of people treated unkindly at work ultimately leave their job because of it, a full 25% of employees who have witnessed a negative interaction among staff say that they have taken their frustrations out on clients. (Christine Porath, 2016)
A different survey found that 41% of employees have quit their jobs due to unresolved workplace conflicts. (CPP, 2008)
Burnout & Conflict
A few years ago, I heard more frequently about burnout concerns. While I have heard less about burnout concerns directly in 2025, the research suggests it’s still happening. Possibly, burnout has become so commonplace that while leaders know it’s an issue it’s just not urgent enough for them to prioritize when seeking external assistance. Regardless, burnout and conflict exacerbate each other - just like inconsistent standards (which is also often the basis of workplace discrimination), pettiness, and casual cruelty (being mean in everyday conversations or chats).
Back-to-Basics Action List for Emotionally Intelligent Nonprofit Leaders
One of the best ways for leaders to approach issues related to conflict - or burnout or staffing, as they are all related - is with a simple, back-to-basics approach.
Take an inventory of your workplace standards and ensure you apply them consistently.
Then, make sure your direct reports are also consistent and not letting some folks get away with something for which others will be held accountable. Doing so can lead to accusations of discrimination.
Have your HR staff or consultant inventory pay rates - not necessarily to match to the market, though that is important if it’s possible for your budget, but to uncover patterns that may reveal other harms.
For example, if the men you employ consistently earn more money than the women, it’s possible that female employees are also being treated differently in other ways (not to mention it’s likely illegal).
While pay is still a relatively hidden issue, these discrepancies hint at the existence of other issues that staff do notice, and discuss, whether or not you’re aware of these conversations.
Work with your favorite among your larger funders to undertake a leadership development program. Good leadership programs educate people about their emotional intelligence skills, including self-regulation, empathy, and relationship management.
Higher EQ skills make it easier for folks to deal with conflict - and to approach differences of opinion with curiosity where appropriate, ensuring some conflicts never see the light of day.
Skills in how to approach difficult conversations diplomatically and forthrightly also fall under the category of emotional intelligence - and are essential for growing good leaders.
And to the extent that you may be concerned about keeping staff, everyone loves to feel their organization and its leaders are invested in them - thus a leadership program for staff helps in two ways.
1. You’re literally investing in them. They see this, they feel this, and in turn they become more engaged and committed to your organization.
2. You’re teaching them the skills you need them to have in order to free up your own time and energy for more strategic concerns - like whether you need to cut a certain program now that the funding has all but dried up, or whether restructuring is necessary, or how to better utilize the skills of your board members. You know the strategies you should be focused on and just can’t find time to handle (and if you don’t, your problem is not about conflict or staff).
We generally advocate a back-to-basics approach for our clients, and how that looks may vary based on the specific people involved, the nonprofit’s structure, and the outcome the client seeks.
When we facilitate groups, “back-to-basics” means not packing the agenda, so we make room for what needs to come out amongst the participants.
When we mediate, “back-to-basics” means following the tried-and-true method of facilitative mediation: set some ground rules, discuss what’s happened, brainstorm possibilities, and commit to a highly detailed resolution.
When we train, “back-to-basics” means getting curious.
Yet in each situation, the specific details vary.
Nonprofit leaders deal with so many different types of conflicts. There are the macro issues, which may be precisely the reason your organization exists:
Defending individual freedoms (ACLU)
Access to sexual & reproductive healthcare (Planned Parenthood)
Championing the rights of a particular group of people (HRC, NAACP, Unidos US)
The micro issues vary much more, and range from not-obvious (“did I just see what I think I saw?”) to screaming-in-your-face-obvious (like the ED whose direct reports regularly, literally, screamed at each other and slammed doors). Some issues feel so petty or micro that it may be hard to feel certain what, if anything, needs to be done.
If people are generally not wonderful to each other, it may be time to take a hard look at your own actions and the actions of other leaders in the organizations. What kinds of behaviors are common? And do they have anything to do with the values your organization espouses? Are people always in an urgent state, where they can’t take the time to slow down and say hello to each other or think twice about what words they just said?
What’s the most pressing micro issue affecting your organization?
It is possible to change things. It requires intention, attention to interpersonal details, and a deep commitment to making your organization truly behave like a community that supports all its members.
It’s not easy - but it is possible. That’s why we’ll start our first leadership training cohort in February 2026. If you’re curious to learn more, let us know in a 3-question survey.
What’s the most pressing micro issue currently draining your resources? Let’s have a conversation - email me your thoughts or schedule a call.
Curious to learn more about our leadership training cohort?