Workplaces are naturally stressful environments, and personal conflicts between co-workers can be both a cause and product of this stress. Yet allowing them to build and intensify will only further impair the work environment, according to Susan Lankton-Rivas, a practice leader at human resources consulting firm Insight Performance Inc.

"By understanding the issue and taking positive action, you can help solve the problem and make your office a place where you really want to be," she writes.

Whether your conflict is with staff, peers, or management, here are Lankton-Rivas's eight tips for effectively handling conflict.