Workplace Conflict in Applied Behavior Analysis: Prevalence, Impact, and Training

Kazemi et al. (2022) sent an online survey to 1,000 BCBAs across the United States. They asked how often staff fight, argue, or feel tension at work. They also asked if fights made them lose clients or think about quitting.

The team wanted to know if BCBAs had any training on how to solve these fights. Most people finished the survey in under ten minutes.

Seven out of ten BCBAs said workplace conflict happens often. Half said fights caused them to lose at least one client in the past year.

Four out of ten said the stress made them want to leave their job. Yet only three out of ten said they felt ready to handle the fights.

Platt et al. (2023) asked the same group about bonding with clients. They also found BCBAs feel under-trained, but in making friends, not fixing fights. Together the two surveys show a wide training gap.

Bottini et al. (2025) built a new burnout test that points to exact stressors like "role confusion" or "no break room." Their tool gives managers a map, while Kazemi’s survey shows the size of the problem.

Johnson et al. (2009) found kind supervisors lower burnout. Kazemi’s data fit this: when fights rise, support drops and quitting thoughts grow. The old lesson still holds—good bosses matter.

You can’t serve kids well if you’re fighting the team. Use the new BADDS items to spot top stressors in your clinic. Add a ten-minute conflict-resolution drill to staff meetings. Teach supervisors to step in early. Fewer fights mean fewer lost clients and fewer goodbye letters.