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Individual Case Studies - Mediation training
Mediation training case studies are listed below, click on the organisation name to access the case study.
HMP Whitemoor
Prisons can be a very stressful environment with a high level of conflict. Conflict, particularly between staff members, was often dealt with formally through investigations and grievances at HMP Whitemoor.
The goals of setting up an in-house mediation service within HMP Whitemoor were:
- To offer an alternative and more positive approach to resolving conflict
- To provide a way of resolving conflicts to the satisfaction of all parties
- To help rebuild teams
- To help repair relationships
- To be accessible by all
The Certificate in Mediation Skills training was very practical, relying on extensive role playing, which staff responded well to. It was very positive that those who completed the course achieved a recognised qualification.
Training in mediation not only allowed staff to practice mediation, it also changed the approach to other managerial work; improving areas like interviewing and managing meetings. HMP Whitemoor found that people responded well to being given the opportunity and responsibility to work through the issues themselves.
Mediation at HMP Whitemoor has been used in the following situations:
- One-to-one situations, where individuals have submitted or are considering submitting a grievance
- Post-investigation cases, in order to rebuild relationships after allegations of bullying, harassment or discrimination
- Team situations involving several parties, reaching agreements about how to improve working relationships
Jamie Bennet, Governor, HMP Whitemoor
The Greater London Authority
The GLA invited Conflict Management Plus Ltd, after a national tendering exercise, to help them set up a team of internal mediators, primarily to support their Equality and Diversity Policy. They felt mediation could provide:
- An alternative to more formal processes
- A speedier route to resolution for some conflicts and disputes
- An effective way of rebuilding relationships before difficulties escalated into serious conflict.
Mediators were recruited as volunteers from all staff and management levels via a full selection process, and went through our Accredited Certificate in Mediation Skills programme.
Having recognised the need for corporate buy in, the GLA was careful to carry out a comprehensive internal consultation process, culminating in a formal launch of their new service.
The GLA envisaged that mediation would have a positive impact on:
- Working relationships
- Staff well-being
- Staff performance
- Communication
- Morale
The uptake of mediation has been good, and has impacted on formal processes, with there being fewer formal grievances and a growing willingness to explore mediation by managers and staff alike.
Patrick Alleyne, Human Resources Manager, GLA
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A Local Borough Council
In 1998 a Local Borough Council wanted to set up a service to be able to deal with incidents of harassment and bullying without necessarily having to resort to formal disciplinary procedures. Although they had a policy for dealing with complaints formally they also wanted a service which would deal with individuals confidentially, one to one, as well as working with groups where relationships had broken down. They were one of the first Council's in the UK to establish a Colleague Support Network.
Volunteers were sought from the staff base, and after initial assessment twelve went forward to a full 6 days' training. The trainees matched the make-up the staff generally, so came from a mixture of grades and departments.
The service is marketed via posters in English and Welsh, which are displayed in each department and through details being included on staff pay slips. The Manager also has a dedicated phone line with an answering machine, to help keep callers' identity confidential, and then allocates appropriate mediators to each case.
Users of the service report high levels of satisfaction, in the response time and the way they are dealt with, and how difficulties are addressed by the mediators.
Unison, with many members within the council, supported the initiative from the start and advises members to get in touch with the network when they are in difficult situations at work involving bullying, harassment and poor working relationships.
The response from management has also been positive, with the volunteers' line managers commenting it was a worthwhile initiative to set up. Initial concerns about their staff taking time away from their duties have been worked through with the network Manager.
A major public sector organisation
This organisation has been involved in over 200 cases in 3 years. All the mediators received training from Conflict Management Plus Ltd.
The mediation service, positioned within Welfare, which could see the impact of not resolving conflict, both on colleagues and the business. They understand the culture and the business, and knew how much grievances were costing and the saving that mediation could bring to the business. Providing mediation in-house was cost effective compared with outsourcing.
The types of cases reaching mediation include:
- Personnel appraisals
- Relationships
- Sexual harassment
- Complaints relating to equal opportunities and diversity
- Bullying
- Teams falling out
- Perceived unfair treatment
They have a success rate of well over 90 per cent, with success being defined by:
- A reduction in the number of grievances
- Colleagues returning successfully from sick leave back into the work place
- Having helped colleagues understand the other parties' point of view
- Supporting colleagues in reaching closure and feeling positive about moving on
Part of achieving this success, and reflected in the number of cases coming to mediation, was the work they put in to engage with and get the support of the union; and in getting support from the very top.
They also reflect the importance of not underestimating the value of
- Spending time talking to all parties before deciding to take the situation forward using mediation
- Having a clear co-coordinator role
- Evaluation and monitoring of both hard and soft data
- Refresher courses to keep up to date on both skills and changes within the law
- In-house supervision
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
The major drivers for Defra to introduce an Assisted Dispute Resolution service included:
- The length of elapsed time for processing disputes through formal methods, which resulted in teams likely to be dysfunctional for that period of time
- The amount of time needed by the organisation to do investigation work, and to prepare and respond to formal investigations, both by the complainant, their manager(s) and HR staff
- Some perception that even after a dispute had been through the full resolution process, up to and including an Employment Tribunal, there was often little resolution for a way forward in the workplace
- Feedback from the annual Staff Survey that the method in which disputes relating to bullying and harassment were dealt with were not satisfactory
They nominated Conflict Management Plus Ltd to provide their mediation training and consultancy.
Several strategic decisions were taken early in the project that shaped the subsequent implementation approach:
- The use of employees to become mediators. This phase was preceded by a few outsourced mediations, and then by a 6-month pilot project. Defra took this approach so that its employees would have access to fully trained and accredited workplace mediators who understand the unique nature of the organisation, its values, cultures and structures. This type of argument was seen to have strong relevance, particularly for the specific culture of central government.
- The method for selecting mediators was in line with the standard recruitment procedure, with mediators being selected from across the entire organisation. This was seen as being important to ensure equity and adhere to the principles of valuing diversity. An attempt was made as far as possible to ensure that the mediators mirrored the organisation's make up in respect of a mix of grades, ethnicity and geographic location.
- There was a single access point - within the central human resources function - to the mediation process; while employees could in principle self refer, every case would be vetted initially to see if the circumstances were conducive mediation. This decision was taken to avoid raised expectations for situations where mediation was not appropriate.
- The use of the mediation service was completely confidential; however, it did not preclude the person from making use of any other avenues for progressing the dispute, and no details were kept of the mediation on the individual's personnel details.
The factors critical to success appear to be:
- Management buy in
- Excellent communications
- An ongoing supply of mediators
- And an ongoing flow of cases
Jen Challinor, Transforming HR Programme Manager
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