Once again, we see a headline reminding us that employers can face unlimited payouts in discrimination cases. Yet many similar cases show that early action taken by the employer could have resolved the dispute and prevented it going to tribunal.

Against a background of economic stagnation and shrinking public sector budgets, mediation is bucking the trend, with more people than ever taking up mediation training. And while the legal system is embracing the change, many of the new breed of mediators come from outside the law profession.

A Polish female doctor has been awarded nearly £4.5m in compensation after a tribunal found she had been subjected to sex and race discrimination.

This is an example of the potentially high cost of not addressing workplace conflict effectively at an early stage, particularly when allegations of discrimination are involved where there is no upper limit on payouts.