Employee Mediation- How it Works

 

Employee mediation is the act of using third-party involvement to resolve workplace conflicts in an informal, voluntary, and confidential manner. Workplace conflicts can escalate into arguments between staff if they are not addressed quickly. 

When a variety of individuals work together in a team, conflicts and problems will inevitably occur. To resolve these, a mediator must step in. Their primary goal is to resolve problems by encouraging the disputing parties to discuss their concerns respectfully with a solution in mind. 

Employee mediation is not a legal process: in fact, it exists to avoid the need for litigation. In mediation, companies appoint a trained and impartial mediator to work with the disputing parties and help them come to an agreeable solution together. 

 

Mediators invite and facilitate open dialogues to deescalate the conflicts. They allow both parties to voice their views and perspectives. After collecting evidence and listening to both sides of the story, mediators assist the parties in reaching a conclusion that is mutually acceptable.

Employee mediation is a useful practice because it helps diffuse workplace conflicts and interpersonal struggles among coworkers. It is a great practice for companies to adopt as it resolves problems quickly, dispels chances of costly litigations, increases productivity and fosters a harmonious work environment. 

It helps preserve the working relationships between employees while ensuring efficient and guided discussions address and resolve the conflicts. Now that we have established what employee mediation is, let’s take a look at the necessary steps for conducting a mediation process.

Steps of Employee Mediation Process

The primary objective behind choosing employee mediation is to protect the work environment, ensure there’s positivity and harmony throughout and that every employee thrives. If leaders do not opt for employee mediation, it could lead to more conflicts, a toxic work environment and unproductive, unhappy employees. 

Disagreements are inevitable in every organization but mediation helps to contain those from contaminating the positive work culture of the business. When leaders choose mediation as a way to resolve workplace issues they can expect to see any or all of the steps below employed by their mediator:

•  Mediators explain the purpose, process, and the objectives of the process to the conflicting parties. 
• The conflicting parties have a discussion with the mediator to discuss the issue at hand. 
• The conflicting parties each receive a chance to express their side of the story, with complete attention from other members and zero interruptions. The first discussion is usually a short one in which everyone receives complete information on the conflict. 
• The mediator acquires vital information from both parties and then seeks to gather evidence concerning the matter. 
• Once the mediator has complete knowledge of the conflict, he/she must help the parties to reach common ground. Based on the evidence, the primary goal of a mediator is to help the parties to reach a solution that will be mutually acceptable. 
•  While noting down the views of each party, the mediator must also ask for the desired action each party wishes for the other to take. By doing so, it would become easier to arrive at a solution that works beneficially for all involved, rather than favoring one party. For instance, a party could say they want equal distribution of shared resources instead of fighting at the common resource pool at work. The other could say they wish for weekly employee reports instead of monthly to stay updated on deadlines and individual progress.  
• When all parties have voiced their opinions, shared their desired solutions, the mediator helps them to review the options and select viable solution(s). All parties come to an agreement and accept the solutions to resolve the issue. 

Typical Situations for Applying Employee Mediation

Workplace conflicts are typically unavoidable and can occur in a variety of ways for various reasons. Some employee conflicts could be of a less severe nature but if left unresolved they may lead to greater concerns for the organization at large. 

Let’s take a look at some of the most common situations where employee mediation is useful:

• A clash of personalities. A workplace comprises of a group of people, each with a different mindsets, personalities, beliefs and values. When a diverse group of people work together personality clashes may arise. Employees may disagree on a particular method for project completion. Someone may give voice to derogatory remarks out of some personal enmity or frustration. Regardless of the cause, employee mediation can help resolve conflicts of personality clash. 
• An employee breaking a code of conduct or undergoing a formal process of grievance or disciplining by the management. In situations like these when company employees go against the rules and regulations of the organization, employee mediation helps bring them back on track. 
• When a company’s management has to resort to severe processes of grievance or disciplining, employee mediation might be a better option. This is especially helpful when company managers know indulging in a litigation to correct an employee’s wrongdoing could be costly and may tarnish the public image.
• Employee mediation is particularly useful for resolving contractual and pay disputes 
• In cases where one employee harasses or bullies another for whatsoever reason, employee mediation may prove helpful in calming the disputing parties down

Final Thoughts

Employee mediation refers to a process where a trained and neutral mediator steps in to resolve workplace conflicts between employees. Conflicts in a working environment can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as pay disparity, personality clashes, or imbalances in responsibilities and authority.

Many workplace conflicts often escalate to the point where companies may feel obliged to take the matters to court to resolve them. Doing so can result in large expenses, a bad public image of the organization and ruined business relationships. 

To avoid these pitfalls, leaders more commonly utilize employee mediation as it provides a more positive, time-saving, and less costly approach to resolving issues. Workshop such as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Workshop teach managers and leaders how to resolve conflict in the workplace.