For any business owner, the happiness of employees should be the number of priority. Employees who are content in the workplace are more motivated, which in turn can produce better results for the company. There are many factors that can contribute to an employee being dissatisfied at work. Things such as lack of resources, poor facilities and workplace conflict can all make an employee feel unhappy.
One of the more difficult aspects to tackle is workplace conflict. A popular method is through mediation. Here’s how it could benefit workplace morale:
What Is Mediation?
Mediation is a technique used to try and resolve conflict. It essentially involves bringing the involved parties together to discuss their qualms with a mediator. Parties may wish to involve one of the mediation solicitors Manchester offers if the matter is serious. The process of mediation is often regarded as a last resort.
In the workplace, conflict can lead to discrimination, bullying, sickness and absences. In most cases, disagreements of a more concerning nature will be reported to HR, who analyse the situation themselves and decide the best course of action to resolve the problem. Sometimes, mediation is required.
Why Don’t All Companies Use It?
You would be mistaken for thinking that all companies use this method to resolve conflict in the workplace. In fact, there are many businesses who are reluctant to adopt this approach, largely because it may seem as though their in-house HR team aren’t capable to resolve matters internally. It’s difficult for any business to acknowledge a breakdown in a professional relationship, for which they will be forced to accept some of the blame. This can be detrimental to a company’s reputation.
What It Can Do For Workplace Morale
Mediation aims to restore peace and harmony into the workplace, with the idea that every employee should be happy when coming into work. One of the main benefits is that it can resolve specific disputes between co-workers, as well as issues within teams or even the whole organisation. Moreover, when staff know there are mediation options available, they will be more likely to use them rather than let the problem manifest into something worse or avoid it altogether.
Productivity and efficiency are frequently enhanced by the resolution of disputes. Colleagues who are content with working together are more likely to collaborate, coming up with new ideas that can benefit the business. In fact, parties in mediation learn more effective communication and problem solving skills that they can bring back into the workplace.
The Process
It’s rare that a business will have an internal mediation team. In most cases, the mediation help will need to be contacted externally, with special teams of highly qualified professions who are used to dealing with workplace disputes. Dispute resolutions solicitors Manchester companies often use tend to have a high success rate at calming down situations. Mediation is widely reported to be successful around 70% of the time. Even if the parties are unable to agree, usually the situation is still improved and the relationship mended over-time.
