A mediation case study

The organisation & issue

This is an organisation in the leisure industry, where during the summer the number of staff employed would be in the region of 200. The issue lay with two members of staff (male and female) in the marketing and PR department.

Although it one time they had got on well, a slight change in their roles was creating friction and an atmosphere in the team. They had been spoken to informally a few times by the General Manager but nothing changed. At one point the female member of staff was prepared to resign as the stress of the situation and having to work with the other member of staff was becoming too much for her. Management did not want this to happen as she was a valued and long standing member of staff.

PicassoHR suggested mediation before any formal action is taken. The General Manager agreed and so did the two members of staff.

What PicassoHR did

• The PHR mediator had an initial meeting with the individuals separately to understand the issues and to explain the mediation process. Both parties signed the mediation agreement form.
• They were then both asked to write a statement that they would then read out in front of the other with the mediator present.
• Two rooms were booked at a location that was away from the workplace and where there were facilities for refreshments.
• The mediator spoke to the parties together to go over the process again and explain the rules. She then asked each party to read their statement out loud and then encouraged a dialogue and creating a ‘safe’ environment. At this point the participants were feeling emotional and defensive so she decided to separate the parties.
• In the individual private sessions the mediator went through the issues again, listening with empathy. She asked each party in their private sessions to bullet point the issues on flip chart. The mediator encouraged each party to think how things could be done differently and how each could communicate better when issues arise.
• It took a day to get an agreement on what needs to happen and how to improve their working relationship.

Outcome

Both parties left the mediation feeling very happy, having been heard, having listened and agreeing a way forward. Their colleagues said how much better the atmosphere was at work now that they were getting on and their performance improved considerably as well.

This is what the participants had to say afterwards:

"I tried to come to the meeting with an open mind but I was also apprehensive because of comments being made by a member of the team at ****lls. After the initial dialogue with the mediator these anxieties were dispelled."

"I found the whole process very professional and I felt that there was a no blame policy that made reaching an agreement between ***** and me easier and open."T N

Related Pages

Mediation FAQ  Questions about mediation.

 

Workplace mediation services  How mediation can assist in resolving disputes.

 

 

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