Thursday, February 7, 2013

Workplace Mediation Process Resource and Best Practice

By Christopher McArdle


Intent of workplace mediation is to get people together within the same negotiating table with a desire of eliminating the dispute. Just like any mediation process, mediators assist two or in some situations more people to produce a viable agreement that is ideally in the best interest of all involved. This deal must also observe any organisational procedures and applicable industrial statutes. While in the mediation process, both parties are encouraged to converse honestly and present all the obtainable information to be certain of credibility and openness.

Many more prevalent sources of dispute in the workplace are due to discrepancy in needs and wants, views, beliefs, ability and expectations. Lack of praise, control or respect besides the more evident examples of harassment and bullying can all be results of disagreement at work. These things commonly bring about either employment termination or an employee taking a position; both of these typical scenarios can lead to a dispute predicament where an employee is claiming an unfair dismissal or an employer taking disciplinary action to counter employee's position.

Workplace disputes often are elaborate impacting more than 2 parties such as the instances of aiding work groups, management teams or entire offices to recognise issues and take care of disputes. While workplace mediators will likely be seasoned in employment and industrial law, their task as mediators requires them to abstain from taking any sides in the course of the mediation process.

In the case of an employment lawyers in the role of mediators, it is understandable that there must be no conflict of interest, i.e. these mediators shouldn't be representing any of the parties legally. Just like any workplace mediation, mediator's role is not to supply any industrial or legislative advice. The primary function of every mediator during the gathering is to encourage parties in clearly evaluating issues in dispute differentiating the needs from wants, entice the dialogue, create and present the choices and eventually reach the agreement which is consequently recorded in the mediation report.

As the motive of a good mediation process is to reach an attainable settlement for all parties concerned, it's not atypical for negotiation to provide broad feedback to management relating to easy changes to HR policies and workplace procedures with a view of minimising the disputes going forward.

Though it is technically possible to use an in-house expert for workplace mediation such as the human resource staff or a CEO, doing this generates challenges regarding lack of neutrality and non-disclosure. This kind of in-house conciliator or arbitrator could be persuaded by prior occasions, knowledge, loyalties and alliances making them possibly biased or at least they might be viewed as biased by the disputed parties. Workplace mediation that is done by an external mediator will more likely be fair, objective, discreet and independent.




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