Resolve your workplace disputes

Most organisation experience workplace conflict and whilst constructive conflict can drive innovation and healthy competition, destructive conflict has the opposite effect, creating a stressful working environment and endless loss of time.

Conflict can adversely affect staff throughout the organisation, reducing production, hindering recruitment and damaging staff retention Focus Mediation deliver experienced and effective professional mediation and/or Investigation and Enquiry and Facilitation Services and a combination of these to meet need.

You can reduce costs, stress and avoid lengthy and expensive tribunals or court battles – which should be a last resort.

Mediation is the sane affordable way out of a workplace disaster. 

Workplace mediation is vital where there you want an on-going employment and or business relationship. Litigation would destroy any such relationship, as it turns people who disagree to opponents in an adversarial fight.

Use Workplace Mediation to resolve all types of disputes in the workplace – for example:

• Personality clashes and relationship breakdown
• Staff and management conflict
• Discrimination, harassment and bullying complaints
• Contract and termination disputes
• Deteriorating performance
• Multi-faceted conflict between several people or teams

Mediation is a confidential, informal and voluntary process.

An impartial mediator facilitates communication between disputants helping them to reach a mutually acceptable agreement for their future working relationship.

Investigation

If you have situations in the workplace which are leading to grievances, disciplinary and harassment claims, especially involving multiple parties, then using a neutral fact finder/investigator is the best way to understand the root cause of the issues and reach resolution more quickly and amicably. 

When these types of disputes are managed internally, those involved are perceived as taking sides – this impacts negatively on relationships and trust, hindering a
speedy resolution and can lead to valuable skilled members of staff leaving the organisation.

Enquiry

Enquiry builds on Investigation using established resolution skills.

It gives employers information to help them review policy, make decisions for a way forward and take formal action if necessary. 

Following Investigation and Enquiry and if appropriate Mediation may be recommended between two or more parties.

Alternatively a recommended programme of Facilitation can be carried out using your own internal resources or outsourced to Focus or relevant service.

Multi-party conflict deserves a special mention – it can paralyse an organisation and lead to claims of harassment or bullying for which an employer can be found responsible.

This in turn can result in liability for damages to the victim and offender – an impossible bind.

Add in the crowd effect and you can imagine how beleaguered the business owner feels and how hopeless the staff may feel?

Focus Mediation has experience of such disputes – the biggest involved over forty people.

It took two mediators many days’ work, over an extended period, using a combination of investigation, inquiry, mediation and coaching.

This is what happened:

• Firstly everyone was talked to confidentially to get to the bottom of the problems and establish the catalysts 
• A plan of action was recommended and agreed with the employer
• This plan was presented to the staff who bought into it
• Steps were taken to change the way staff operated and related with each other
• Training and coaching was delivered to achieve this 
• A very small number of key conflict driving people chose to leave rather than change
• One year down the line everyone was working together harmoniously and effectively
• There’s no way this could have been achieved via lawyers
• Mediation, investigation, inquiry, facilitation – and some training, were all needed

Focus Mediation provides you with:

• Competitive fees with no hidden costs
• Civil Mediation Council accredited
• Experienced team of Workplace and Employment mediators so you get the right skill set for your dispute
• Professional and impartial mediator
• Saves you both direct and indirect costs, time and stress

Employment mediation is used to terminate employment or when it is over, but there are still issues to be resolved.

An independent mediator uses their professional skills to assist parties reach a mutually acceptable agreement and/or settlement to facilitate the parting of the ways.

It costs a fraction of the cost of litigation and the parties know what they’re agreeing to, so removing the gamble of ‘winner gets everything’ as well as the attendant costs and delays.

Frequently the biggest issue in litigation is the costs of it – overshadowing the original dispute. 

Contact us now for free confidential consultation.