Mediation in the workplace
A conflict in your organisation can escalate and get out of hand rapidly. It is likely to have wide-ranging impacts on individuals, teams and even the business as a whole. Mediation is a useful tool to deal quickly with the situation, taking some of the burden off your HR team or managers in dealing with these sorts of problems.
Here’s what you need to know.
What is mediation in the workplace?
Mediation is a step-by-step confidential process that offers people in conflict the chance to sort things out quickly. It offers a constructive alternative to formal workplace procedures but can also be used as a follow-up to these to repair relationships.
The mediator is an impartial facilitator. Participants need to trust in their neutrality. They manage the process keeping things balanced and constructive. Mediators don’t take sides, blame or impose solutions. They will listen, ask questions and help everyone to get a better understanding of what ‘s happened and why. They support people to come up with realistic solutions that work for everyone.
What conflicts can mediation address?
There are many situations which can benefit from mediation. Some of the types of issue that mediation in the workplace can help with include:
- ‘Personality clashes’
- Problem behaviour
- Team breakdowns
- Communication issues
- Some cases of bullying or harassment.
Mediation is not suitable for every conflict situation. A professional mediator will not take on a case where they can’t help. They will also make sure that anyone who has felt compelled to go to mediation is given the option to continue or not at any point; everyone needs to be there in good faith.
Moving forward
If you would like to explore the possibility of using mediation in your workplace, please contact us. We can help you to work out if mediation is the right tool for your situation.
