Friday, February 8, 2013

Workplace Mediation Process Information and Best Practice

By Christopher McArdle


Objective of workplace mediation is to get people together within the same negotiating table with an intent of remedying the dispute. As with any mediation process, mediators guide 2 or in quite a few situations more people to obtain a usable settlement that is ideally in the best interest of all included. This agreement must also pay attention to any organisational regulations and appropriate industrial regulations. In the course of the mediation process, both parties are motivated to negotiate honestly and present all of the attainable information to be sure of truthfulness and openness.

Many of the more prevalent sources of disagreement in the workplace are due to discrepancies in needs and wants, perceptions, ethics, ability and expectations. Not enough praise, control or respect besides the more apparent circumstances of harassment and bullying could all be triggers of argument in the workplace. These things typically end in either employment termination or an employee taking a position; both of these widespread scenarios could lead to a dispute situation where a worker is claims an unfair dismissal or an employer taking disciplinary action against employee's position.

Workplace issues can be elaborate involving more than 2 parties such as the instances of helping work groups, management teams or whole workplaces to differentiate issues and resolve disputes. While workplace mediators will in all probability be seasoned in employment and industrial law, their position as mediators requires them to abstain from taking any sides through the mediation process.

In a case of an employment lawyers serving as mediators, it is evident that there must be no conflict of interest, i.e. these mediators shouldn't be representing any of the parties legally. As with any workplace mediation, mediator's role is not to give any industrial or official advice. The primary function of every mediator through the gathering is to enable parties in clearly evaluating issues in dispute differentiating the needs from wants, entice the dialogue, create and present the choices and then reach the agreement that is then recorded within the mediation report.

As the motive of a good mediation process is to reach an effective settlement for all parties concerned, it's not rare for negotiation to result in broad feedback to management about possible changes to HR policy and workplace procedures with a view of fending off the problems in the future.

Even though it is technically possible to use an in-house expert for workplace conflict resolution such as human resource staff or a CEO, doing this forms drawbacks relating to lack of neutrality and confidentiality. This type of on-site conciliator or arbitrator could be influenced by prior circumstances, knowledge, loyalties and attachments making them perhaps biased or in any case they may be deemed as biased by the disputed parties. Workplace mediation that is done by an external official will more likely be fair, objective, confidential and independent.




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