workplace mediation

Conflict can occur in any workplace. No-one wants to deal with the consequences - costly tribunal claims, time consuming grievance procedures, poor morale and staff turnover problems. At the same time, the voluntary sector is obliged to solve these problems in a way that is both fair and inclusive

Workplace mediation offers just this, and is becoming an increasingly common support process for decision makers, HR managers and professionals when these problems threaten to become intractable. It can be used for many common personnel issues including:

• Colleague relationship breakdown
• Bullying
• Harassment
• Discrimination
• Grievances

building a better workplace

mediation is a proven approach that can save you time, money and stress. You will also benefit from a more open and inclusive workplace. Your employees may report improved motivation and well-being, reducing staff turnover and making it easier for you to recruit like-minded colleagues.

mediation can “offer a solid basis for sustainable high-performance working.” (CIPD, 2008)

how we help

we have over 20 years’ experience in mediation practice. Our service is completely bespoke – one size never fits all. We can help bring mediation in to your workplace in several ways:

a one-off dispute resolution service ideal for smaller companies, isolated incidents or more complex disputes requiring an external specialist click here.

accredited mediation training programmes to train an individual or team so that you will gain in-house mediation skills – click here.

conflict resolution consultancy for troubleshooting in areas or teams with ongoing conflict problems – click here.

a range of training for HR professionals and line managers to keep you informed of the latest techniques and accreditations  - click here

Case study - workplace mediation

The dispute was between the Chief Executive of a national organisation, based at head office, and a project manager in a regional office. As a voluntary body with restricted travel budgets, the two rarely met. Most communication was by email via admin teams, making it difficult to maintain confidentiality and leading to serious misunderstandings.

The regional project manager had worked with the chief executive since the project’s inception, and at the beginning the two had equal status, but the adoption of a hierarchical structure changed this relationship. The project manager not only had to report through the chief executive to the board, but also directly to the project funders, creating split loyalties. The board, being volunteers themselves, felt it wasn’t their responsibility to deal with an “internal” conflict, leaving senior staff nowhere to go when problems arose except by reporting directly to funders, which nobody wanted to do.

We succeeded in bringing the two parties together and established the need for regular face to face meetings. Ground rules were also agreed as to the best communication method for different circumstances and for what could and could not be said in the future.

Interested?
Click here to contact us. NHS manager awarded nearly £1m in racial discrimination case Jan 24, 2012 New breed of mediators can revolutionise British legal system Jan 24, 2012 Doctor awarded £4.5 million for sex and race discrimination claim Jan 12, 2012