The UK Government and employer organisations almost unanimously recommend mediation as a means of resolving workplace disputes at the earliest stage possible.
The purpose of workplace Mediation is to get colleagues to work professionally and productively in cases where the relationship is an obstacle to effectiveness and efficiency. The aim is to encourage relationships to be mended in a carefully handled discussion with the assistance of a skilled mediator. We often see that employers fail to act early, and thereby allow problems to develop and worsen, and potentially cause irreparable damage to professional relationships and career paths.
Mediation makes more sense on many levels
Mediation also far cheaper than litigation or typically prolonged disputes grievance procedures, and the potential long-term absence through sickness – and possible loss of valuable personnel.
What’s more, mediation is a fully confidential form of resolving workplace disputes in which individual employees’ working relationships have broken down. This can take the form of personal disputes, alleged bullying, or the development of isolating workplace cliques.
How mediation works in resolving workplace disputes
The process in mediation works to identify the underlying causes of workplace disputes, and help the involved parties understand each other’s issues and find mutually agreed ways to resolve them.
However, it’s not a soft or easy option. Mediation can be emotionally demanding and requires honest participation from everyone involved to enable them to work together effectively and productively without resentment. It accepts that in most cases employees are unlikely to become best friends, they can at least understand each other better and work professionally and co-operatively.
Independent mediation and full confidentiality
We undertake workplace and employment mediation with our own experienced and independent mediator. This keep things impartial and entirely confidential – not even the employer will know what has been discussed unless the participating employees give their explicit consent – and it can result in binding agreements.
A quick, if not easy fix
Normally, a session with our fully accredited mediator, Terry Falcão, session lasts for a half or a full day. Our mediator has a long and strong track-record of working with parties to resolve disputes before they become toxic and entrenched, and potentially damaging to people’s happiness and productivity at work.
We’ve helped many employees resolve workplace disputes through mediation. Some examples include:
success with several seemingly intractable boardroom and senior- management disputes
mediation between two professional services practitioners that helped them resume a healthy and productive working relationship
expert mediation for three children’s nursery practitioners, where the working relationship had broken down to the point where it was affecting children’s services.
