Mediation
Disputes between employees can be damaging to an organisation’s morale and reputation and have far reaching effects on staff members.
Sometimes the best solution to a simmering workplace dispute is to get the parties into a room to talk it out, with the help of a trained mediator.
It’s remarkable how often getting parties to hear and understand each other’s point of view will clear up long-standing issues and give the participants greater perspective about how the dispute evolved and how it can be resolved.
At Insight our trained mediators will help your staff members agree to their own solutions to their disputes.
How a Facilitated Discussion works:
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The initial phone call
The mediator will first have a 15-minute phone conversation with each party during which the mediator we will explain the process to the party and ensure that they understand and are willingly participating in it.
Mediation only works when there is a desire by both participants for it to work and it’s the participants attitude towards the Facilitated Discussion that will determine how successful the process will be.
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Individual Meeting
After the initial phone call, the mediator will have a one-hour meeting with each participant individually.
In this meeting the mediator will get a better understanding of the participant’s point of view and will explore the participant’s desired outcome and how that outcome might be achievable.
The mediator will also explore the participant’s understanding of the other party’s perspective on the dispute.
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Facilitated Discussion
The point of a facilitated discussion is for the participants to be able to speak honestly and directly to each other so that they gain a better understanding of each other’s perspective and can work together to find a solution.
The mediator will assist the participants in identifying the issues of conflict and ensuring that each participant is given an equal opportunity to talk in a polite and respectful environment.
The mediator will listen to both sides without judgement and will not suggest solutions to either side. The goal is for the participants to create their own solutions and come to an agreement on how that would look in the future.
At the end of a successful Facilitated Discussion the parties, with the assistance of the mediator, will document their agreements for how they are going to deal with issues of conflict in the future. Sharing that agreement with management or any other party will need to be agreed by both participants.
