Mediation

Is there a conflict in your organisation which is causing real problems? Are you dealing with grievances about bullying and harassment? Do you have any managers and employees who just don’t see eye-to-eye? Are there some teams who always seem to be bickering amongst themselves? Do different parts of your organisation mistrust each other? Is the lack of co-operation between individuals and / or teams starting to have a damaging effect on the performance of your organisation?

Mediation can help with issues like this.

It’s quick to set up and very flexible. The process can be designed and managed by the mediator, to suit the parties and the context. Mediation enables the parties to identify solutions which are not possible in more formal processes such as Employment Tribunals, litigation or arbitration. It can therefore benefit all the parties, particularly if there is the possibility of a continuing relationship between them.

Typically, it works like this:

  • Preliminary telephone calls between the mediator and each of the parties prior to the mediation day
  • Separate meetings with each of the parties when they arrive at the venue
  • A joint meeting of all those attending the mediation, at which each of the parties will normally be invited to present their view of the situation
  • A mix of further private meetings and joint meetings as proposed by the mediator and agreed by the parties
  • If the dispute is settled, either in whole or in part, all agreed matters will be written down and signed by the parties

We have a very experienced mediator who can help with conflicts between individuals or groups of people. She can actively facilitate discussions between parties in conflict, whilst remaining neutral at all times, helping them to work towards a negotiated agreement in a private and confidential setting. She can also agree in advance with other relevant parties, eg, HR or senior management, what process (if any), needs to be followed to ensure that any agreements are practical and successful.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss mediation in more detail, or if you have a situation which you think may benefit from using a Mediator.

 

Our thanks to Gill for writing this page.

For a no-obligation discussion about how our employee relations support services could help your organisation, please just give us a call on 01582 463462 and we’ll happily put you in touch with a consultant, so that you can discuss it directly with them.