Workplace Dispute Mediation can be defined as a voluntary process that is led by a neutral third party to resolve conflict between two or more parties in an office or establishment. Disputes can easily escalate in the office if not dealt with on time. When it escalates, it leads to grievances and may even affect the company yields.
Workplace dispute mediation aims to avoid the costlier and formal methods of conflict resolution. Rather it urges conflicting parties to reach a middle ground and settle. This is a great way to resolve workplace conflict as it ensures that both parties communicate their grievances and afterwards resolve the issue. With dispute mediation, losses to company is greatly reduced if not totally eliminated.
Advantages Of Workplace Dispute Mediation
Workplace dispute mediation seeks to give a fast and lasting solution to individual workplace conflict. This can be utilised to solve misunderstanding in any stage. The entire process is flexible and totally voluntary. It is important to point out that any agreement reached during this process is morally rather than legally binding.
However, this process seeks to provide fuller solutions that will properly address the underlying causes of the dispute. Generally, they are more genuinely win-win than adversarial approaches. In the end, this process provides a safe, confidential space for those involved (the ‘parties’) to find solutions that are acceptable to each side. The advantages of workplace dispute mediation includes the following:
- This process makes it possible for parties in a misunderstanding to communicate openly. Without it, such talks would normally be too difficult to have constructively.
- It also makes the parties involved to listen to each other and understand themselves. This is only made possible because they have both calmed down and listened to each other.
- It goes round the situation on ground as well as concerns of all parties. Afterwards, it makes use of common ground approach to bring both parties to peace.
- Importantly, the process encourages and improves communication and also establishes workable relationships.
- During the process, the participants have an opportunity to learn and relearn how to manage office issues better.
- When you look at workplace dispute mediation closely, you will discover that it encourages people to be more open to compromise. Both parties have to let go of a few things in order to meet at a common ground.
- It also helps to maintain and improve relationships among workers in an organisation.
- It is even less stressful for the parties involved in the dispute.
- This process also eliminates the costs involved in defending employment tribunal claims in a court of law.
In workplace dispute mediation, a mediator’s role is to act as an impartial and neutral third party. It is his or her duty to organise a meeting between two or more people in dispute. The aim of the meeting would be to help them reach an agreement. Even though the mediator is in charge of the process, any agreement reached upon at the end of the day comes from the parties involved.