Workplace disputes between individuals and teams are a negative experience for those involved. They also adversely affect other personnel who work closely with the colleagues concerned.
Minor issues can escalate over time in the minds of those involved. Small issues may become mountains as a result. It would be unusual that every employee will like all others in their workplace, yet professional working relationships are vital for your organisation to perform at its peak.
The knock on effect of recurring disputes ruins morale, increases sickness and staff turnover, and reduces productivity.
Our independent mediation service helps both parties to recount and listen to all perspectives, before helping them reach agreement. Successful mediations avoid costly and protracted legal proceedings that may be disruptive to those involved and damaging to the reputation of your organisation.
Here are some examples where we can help:
- Breakdown in Employee-Employee Working Relationship – ongoing disagreements due to situations such as personality clashes, non-discrimination bullying or harassment, unresolved long term disputes and breakdown in communications
- Breakdown in Manager-Employee Working Relationship – often created by issues such as non-discrimination bullying or perceived bullying, management style, and breakdown in trust among others
- Breakdown in Manager-Manager Working Relationship – unresolved disputes can happen anywhere in an organisation. Ongoing disagreements at senior level often have a serious impact on results and the morale of all employees
- Breakdown in Working Relationships Between Teams – for example, where one team may feel they have taken the blame for a situation they believe was caused by another team. Sometimes due to a breakdown in an employee-employee working relationship that escalates to team level
- Failure in the Reparation of Previous Breakdowns – rectifying situations where previous breakdowns in working relationships have not fully repaired in the eyes of one or both parties
- Disagreements Relating to Unfairness or Perceived Unfairness – relates to situations where one or more employees feel unfairly treated in areas such as job grading, work allocation or overtime allocation to name
a few
Mediation is not suitable for all situations, nor is it an alternative to the proper use of your organisation’s Disciplinary and Grievance Procedures.