Workplace Mediation
I have seen so many times the damage that a failure by an employer to deal with conflict can cause within a workplace. Low morale, performance issues, sickness absence, grievances, staff turnover and employment tribunal claims are some of the knock on effects. The cost of such issues, in terms of time, disruption and loss of productivity, legal costs and reputational damage to a business cannot be underestimated.
Formal grievance processes can often become all consuming for everyone involved in the business for a long period of time. Often, these processes themselves seem to encourage individuals to become further embedded into conflict.
I represented hundreds of employers in employment tribunal claims, regularly conducting my own advocacy. The employment tribunal process is slow, time consuming, expensive, uncertain and stressful for everyone involved. Even employers who won often came away from the process feeling deflated.
Workplace mediation is a quick, effective, low key and flexible way of proactively tackling conflict which gets to the heart of the issue, instead of dealing with the effects in the way that formal procedures and employment tribunal litigation do.
My experience and skills gained as a solicitor, advocate and coach/manager, together with my skills as a mediator make me ideally placed to understand the dynamics of workplace issues and give me a unique ability to assist organisations to avoid or resolve people conflict issues which can often cause such damage to the business.
As a mediator, my focus is on facilitating an agreement by the parties in conflict to find their own solution, with an emphasis on repairing and maintaining working relationships and going back to "business as usual" as soon as possible. Where this is not possible, I can assist the parties to bring an end to the employment relationship in a dignified manner which allows everyone to move forward in a positive way.
I am accredited by the ADR Group, a leading authority on mediation and alternative dispute resolution, which is recognised by the Civil Mediation Council, the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council. Accreditation involves a robust assessment process and compliance with UK and European standards in mediation.
I am happy to send you some more detailed information about workplace mediation or to discuss whether it might work for your business, just contact me.
"Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means."
- Ronald Reagan