Workplace Mediation

'Conflict grows out of ignorance and suspicion.' Gordon B. Hinckley

Are you an HR Manager struggling to find effective ways to address conflict within the workplace?

Do you worry that you in-house trained mediators do not have enough relevant experience to deal with the dispute in your workplace?

Are you having difficult finding someone independent to carry a workplace mediation?

Are you looking to introduce mediation into the workplace, so as to reduce the stress and conflict that arises from operating formal procedures?

Definition of workplace mediation

The definition of workplace conflict that ACAS uses is "discontent arising from a perceived clash of interests". That conflict can affect morale, performance and communications of individuals and teams and can have a disastrous effect on productivity. It is often said that employees leave (bad) managers not jobs. Ongoing conflict is very damaging for the business and has a direct impact on staff retention and business performance.

Workplace mediation - rebuilding relationships

Whilst civil and commercial mediations focus heavily on assisting the parties to reach an acceptable negotiated “solution” to the current problem, workplace mediation will focus much more on helping the parties to rebuild relationships. Typically the relationships will have deteriorated as a result of a number of factors. The parties now find it difficult to discuss matters without emotion and misunderstanding. A workplace mediation can give the parties and opportunity to rebuild their communications so as to resolve the problems at hand, and a good mediator will encourage the parties to build a workable basis for communicating effectively in the future.

Workplace mediation becomes part of the DNA

Workplace mediation can be used to resolve any workplace dispute. However, it works most effectively when it is automatically triggered by organisation's own internal processes, polices and procedures and becomes part of the culture of dealing with disputes.