Mediation Services

What is Mediation?

Mediation is where an impartial third party, the mediator, helps two or more people in dispute to attempt to reach an agreement. Any agreement comes from those in dispute, not from the mediator. 

The mediator is not there to judge, to say one person is right and the other wrong, or to tell those involved in the mediation what they should do. The mediator is in charge of the process of seeking to resolve the problem but not the outcome

Why do it?

Conflict causes all manner of problems, including health problems resulting in sickness absence and stress or anxiety. It can have a detrimental impact in teams within the workplace who are directly or indirectly involved in mediation.

Early intervention can prevent both sides from becoming entrenched and avoid a full-blown dispute in which an employment tribunal claim becomes more likely.

How does it work?

Individual meetings - First contact with the parties – our mediator will meet parties separately

Joint meetings - Hearing the issues – we bring the participants together and invite them to put their side of the story during a period of uninterrupted time. 

Exploring the issues – Having identified the issues to explore we encourage communication between the parties, promoting understanding and empathy and changing perceptions. 

Building and writing an agreement – As the process develops, we encourage and support joint problem-solving by the parties, to ensure the solution and agreements are workable and record any agreement reached.

Closing the mediation – Once an agreement has been reached, we will bring the meeting to a close, provide a copy of the agreed statement to those involved and explain their responsibilities for its implementation.