Thoughts on workplace mediation

We've written before on the benefits of workplace mediation. I still believe them to be true. But two items entered my stage in the last week that causes further reflection.

First, a blog post by Yusuf Salwati at IT Knowledge Exchange notes that "communication is the best conflict resolution method". Clogged communication channels are the cause for most conflicts in the workplace, including management not willing to listen (or too busy to listen) and employees not willing to come forward to express their concerns. The author suggests that employers should talk to employees and make sure that employees are not holding something back.

Second, I received a call from a prospective client about an employment-related issue. I asked if the company had an internal dispute-resolution program, the caller said "yes". He also said that there was a perception that if an employee initiated the program, that was viewed by employees as a death sentence. Using the internal ADR procedure was viewed as a quick trip to the unemployment line.

This is unfortunate.

If an employer is going to go to the trouble of implementing an ADR program, it ought to support those who want to use it. Employees need to know that the use of ADR isn't the first step to dismissal, but is, instead, the first step to greater understanding and communication. And employers ought to recognize that they can obtain good intelligence about policies, procedures, and people that can be used to improve the bottom line and company morale.

A workplace success story

I've posted about the need and use of workplace mediations. Karen Dorn and Cheryl Stinski published an article in the Appleton (Wisconsin) Post-Crescent about the same issue. A human resources manager asked them about ways to ease the HR manager's job because of conflict in the workplace.

The authors suggest that workplace mediation would be an answer to the problem of employees who are in conflict. There are three specific tools that these authors suggest:

• Use "I" statements instead of "you" statements (for example, "I feel like you are always taunting me" instead of "You are always taunting me."). This changes the focus to one's own feelings and takes away the more attacking form of "you" are doing something.
• Reframe the message. Make a negative message positive; don't assume bad things about the other person. So instead of "You are always taunting me" you could say "I feel that you are frustrated with me because I ask so many questions. But I'm just trying to understand the instructions and the timing to accomplish these tasks."
• Restate what you heard and allow open dialog. There are numerous studies that establish that people want to be heard, and once they get things out in the open, they feel better about the situation. That makes negotiations easier. So give folks room to talk and after they talk, restate what they've said. That way, they know that you were listening.