In the current world we live in, conflict is an inherent part of the employment relationship, with modern organisations being dynamic, complex and typically made up of people with increasingly diverse backgrounds, opinions, values and expectations about work. For their part, organisations are under ever-increasing pressure to be productive or deliver quality services to clients. In addition to this, the continuous change currently being experienced by many organisations and the staff and employees within them can also lead to conflict.

Of course, a certain degree of healthy conflict, for example, fair competition between individuals to excel in their roles, can be a good thing and can even help to create innovation within teams.

However, often the tension can lead to discord and start to create negative conflict. It is when the initial disagreement is pushed under the carpet and not managed properly that the situation can fester and potentially cause the conflict to spiral.

Line managers typically have to play multiple roles in today’s workplace and it is not surprising that many shy away from having those difficult conversations with staff and employees, particularly if they lack the skills or training to handle complex situations that have become personalised.

But if conflict is not managed directly, at an early stage, their job in helping the parties to resolve their differences will become much harder and sometimes impossible.

This is where the traditional method open to any member of staff or employee leans toward them raising a grievance via the company policy and procedures.

Typically in the management and process of the grievance procedure it usually involves a number of employees (personnel, investigators, hearing manager, parties involved, etc) being directly or indirectly involved and a typical end to end grievance has been calculated on average to cost a business around £8,000, without even adding the potential productivity losses that occur during any workplace conflict situation.

In addition, and more importantly to the monetary or productivity cost/losses to any business are the stress levels caused to the staff and employees involved and the emotional toll on their wellbeing that occurs in such a process with typically no satisfactory outcome or resolution.

Workplace Mediation on the other hand is one of the processes within the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) spectrum and is a voluntary process with the aim of collaborating rather than blaming.

It involves a neutral third party (a mediator) bringing two parties/sides (teams or individuals) together, confidentially and informally, by facilitating both parties to indulge in and have, an open and honest discussion to identify a mutually acceptable outcome to the situation.

These are the reasons why my clients and many other businesses like them, are turning to Mediation as an ever-increasing way to resolve disputes in many areas.

Indeed, my last four clients were referred/suggested to me through their companies after exhausting the company grievance process with no satisfactory outcomes to their situations.

After accepting and going through the voluntary process of mediation, feedback from all parties involved was “why wasn't this offered to me at the start”

They like many others before them were enthused by the mediation process and how it supported the finding of mutual agreed outcomes, with all parties having the ability to discuss and share with each other what their real issues were.

I truly believe, like many other businesses and companies who are changing their approach, is to adopt a resolution policy, away from the traditional blame culture and grievance process and toward (where possible) mutually agreed outcomes through mediation.

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