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Individual Case Studies - Mediation Service
Anonymous police service
A largely rural constabulary commissioned us to mediate in a dispute involving uniformed officers. This constabulary has been successfully using mediation for several years as part of their corporate response to disputes and grievances, and mediation is articulated within their policies and procedures.
The culture of the organisation is pro-mediation, and it is, rightly, not seen as a failure of management or HR that a case be referred to external mediators. In addition, this organisation sees the benefit in offering mediation as a way for employees to learn and develop.
The client's goal was to improve the potential future working relationship of those involved. They were clear about the boundaries of confidentiality and informality, and had used our services previously.
A female senior uniformed officer had encountered a problem with her manager in relation to a performance management issue, and she felt unhappy with the way she perceived the more senior male officer had handled the issue. After raising a formal grievance, which resolved the issues, the parties and HR felt that they could benefit from mediation to resolve any outstanding issues between them, and to reconnect positively, as there was ongoing discomfort within the working relationship.
A male mediator with a solid background in mediation met with each party on neutral ground, for around 2 hours, taking a neutral and empathetic approach to understand their situation and feelings. He prepared them for a joint meeting the following day, inviting them to think about what they wanted to say to each other, questions that were outstanding in their minds, and what they wanted from the mediation for themselves.
Thus prepared, they met, again on neutral ground, and spent some 4 hours together. Although there were difficult things to say and to hear, for each of them, the mediator enabled them to find a way of articulating their concerns which were not blaming and which allowed the other person to understand the feelings and issues of the other. The mediator guided them through tough spots - not avoiding the challenging issues and heated emotions, but by using empathy and reframing he was able to support them in arriving at a better understanding of the other person's point of view and needs. They were able to close with an improved relationship and communication.
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