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Conflict Management eLearning
Online conflict management training for people who deal with the public: how to spot aggression building, take the heat out of it, and get out safely when it does not work.
Who it is for
Who this conflict management course is for
HSE defines work-related violence as any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work. That includes verbal abuse over the phone or online, not only physical attacks. Anyone whose job puts them in front of the public is exposed to it.
- Retail, hospitality and licensed premises staff
- Reception, front-of-house and customer service teams
- Healthcare, care and social work staff
- Transport, delivery and door-to-door workers
- Housing officers, enforcement and local authority staff
- Lone workers and anyone dealing with the public out of hours
- Supervisors responsible for how incidents are handled and reported
Course content
What the conflict management course covers
Six short modules that move from why conflict happens to what you do about it, ending with the part most courses skip: reporting the incident so something changes.
Why conflict management matters
What work-related violence and aggression actually cost the people on the receiving end, and the business behind them.
The legal position
Where health and safety law applies to violence at work, and where it is Acas rather than HSE you need.
Preventing conflict
Recognising the triggers and the early warning signs, and defusing a situation before it escalates.
Discrimination awareness
How assumptions and unequal treatment create conflict, and how to avoid adding to it.
Handling conflict
Language, distance, tone and body language: de-escalation in practice, and knowing when to disengage.
Reporting incidents
Recording what happened, what has to be reported, and how good reporting drives better controls.
Outcomes
What you will be able to do afterwards
- Recognise the early signs that a situation is escalating
- Use de-escalation language and body language under pressure
- Judge when to disengage and remove yourself safely
- Avoid the assumptions and unequal treatment that inflame conflict
- Record and report an incident properly
- Explain what your employer must do to protect you
Your legal duty
The law behind conflict management training
Health and safety law applies to work-related violence exactly as it applies to any other risk from work. HSE's position is that employers must protect workers from it so far as is reasonably practicable, assess the risk, and give people the information and training they need. Certain violent incidents are reportable.
One useful distinction: HSE is not the primary authority for bullying, harassment or domestic abuse at work. Those sit with Acas and other sources. This course is about aggression from the public in the course of work.
- Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 - the duty to protect workers
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 - risk assessment, information and training
- RIDDOR - reporting certain violent incidents to HSE
- Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations, and the Health and Safety (Consultation with Employees) Regulations, consulting workers
Practicalities
How the course works
For employers
Conflict management training for a whole team
Front-line teams turn over, and the people most exposed to aggression are often the newest. An account lets you cover induction without buying a course at a time.
- One invoice instead of a card payment per person
- Licences allocated as people join, so new starters are covered
- Completion and expiry reporting for your health and safety file
- Renewal reminders before certificates lapse
- Bespoke versions built around your own incident reporting process
Where staff face a real risk of physical violence, awareness training is the floor. The sensible next step is practical, scenario-based training delivered on site. Talk to us about onsite delivery →
Conflict Management eLearning: common questions
There is no regulation named after it. But health and safety law requires employers to assess the risk of work-related violence and to provide the information and training workers need. Where your people face aggression, training is how that duty gets met.
No. This is awareness and de-escalation, delivered online. Physical skills such as breakaway or restraint have to be taught and assessed in person. Talk to us if that is what your roles need.
Yes. HSE's definition covers anyone abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work, including verbal abuse face to face, online or by telephone.
About 30 minutes, with no time limit. The certificate is issued the moment you finish.
Yes. It runs in a browser on any modern phone, tablet or computer, with nothing to install.
Yes. Open a business account and we invoice you for the licences, which you allocate as people need them, with completion reporting included.
That is a different subject with a different authority behind it - HSE is not the primary body for it. Our Bullying and Harassment course covers that side.
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