Have you ever encountered disputing employees in your workplace? If so then you will be aware of the absolutely detrimental impact that such a dispute may have on the workplace as battle lines are drawn and other employees get caught up in the dispute and wind up taking sides. The net result is that workplace morale, communication and productivity declines rapidly. If you have encountered such difficulties then you may be already aware that such disputes are a common place throughout businesses in Ireland. This is where Workplace Mediation comes into its own. Workplace Mediation is an effective, speedy, voluntary process which aims to resolve workplace disputes, disagreements and conflicts, in particular those between individuals or small groups.
Lotto Syndicate Dispute
A good example of when mediation can be applied can be seen in the recent high profile UK case of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), where 16 colleagues were each due to receive £62,500 each, after winning £1 million in the EuroMillions draw. However a dispute arose after the group argued about the division of their winnings, once it was claimed that three members had not paid for their tickets. If these three members were to be excluded, the remaining members would receive an extra £14,423 each, so clearly both sides are in disagreement over how to divide the winnings. National Lottery operators as well as DVLA officials are trying to mediate in the dispute.
How Does Mediation Work?
Mediation gives both sides to a dispute an opportunity to work with a mediator who will provide guidance and assistance to both parties in finding a common goal and a mutually agreed solution to a problem. Importantly, this is a voluntary process which needs to have both sides agreeing to participate with a view to resolving their differences. If this intent does not exist then mediation may be doomed to failure.
There are many workplace disputes which could be easily resolved through the use of mediation, for example where there are personal differences or people have problems working together or where issues have arisen from a grievance or disciplinary matter.
Benefits of Mediation
The benefits of using Mediation can be clearly seen in a case such as this. Mediation allows for problems to be resolved in a timely, confidential and informal manner, where both sides will have the opportunity to be heard. Perhaps the biggest benefit is that the employees involved retain ownership of the dispute; it is up to them to reach a resolution and the terms of that resolution. This is far more beneficial than an employer stepping in and telling the employees what to do as invariably one of the disputing employees will feel that they came out worse of when this occurs which may lead to further entrenchment. In addition to this, the mediator is a skilled, impartial party, who may ensure that the process reaches a swift and amicable conclusion.
The benefits that mediation may offer to the Lotto Syndicate Dispute are therefore plain to see. If the employees agree to mediate then they are already halfway towards reaching a compromise. This is far more beneficial than the DVLA management telling the disputing employees what to do with their money.
Interested in Mediation?
If you have a workplace dispute matter that you feel would benefit from an experienced mediator meeting your disputing employees then please don’t hesitate to contact the Peninsula 24 Hour Advice Service on 01 855 50 50 where one of our experienced consultants will be more than happy to assist.
