Workplace
Mediation Services for Employers
Mediation with Robinson Ralph
Workplace conflict happens.
People disagree. Communication breaks down. Personalities and working styles clash. And sometimes a relatively small issue starts taking up a disproportionate amount of management time, energy and headspace.
Left unresolved, workplace conflict can damage relationships, affect morale and productivity and, in some cases, lead to grievances, sickness absence, resignations or Employment Tribunal claims.
At Robinson Ralph, our workplace mediation service gives employers another way to deal with difficult workplace relationships.
Mediation provides a confidential and constructive environment in which people can talk openly about what has gone wrong, understand each other's perspective and, where possible, find a practical way forward.
It won't be right for every situation. But used at the right time, mediation can stop a difficult workplace issue becoming a much bigger one.
What is workplace mediation?
Workplace mediation is a voluntary and confidential process in which an independent mediator helps those involved have an open and structured conversation about the issues affecting their working relationship.
It isn't about deciding who is right or wrong.
Instead, everyone has an opportunity to be heard, understand the other person's perspective and explore what needs to change for the relationship to move forward.
Unlike a formal grievance, disciplinary process or investigation, mediation puts the people involved at the centre of finding a solution.
And the aim isn't necessarily for everyone to agree. Sometimes success simply means finding a way for people to communicate and work together more effectively.
Why workplace mediation matters for employers
Anyone who has managed a workplace dispute knows how quickly it can start to consume diaries, inboxes and headspace.
What starts as a difficult relationship between two people can affect their colleagues, their manager and eventually the wider team. If it continues, it can lead to formal complaints, grievances, absence, resignations and potentially legal claims.
Addressing workplace conflict early can help employers to:
restore working relationships before positions become entrenched
improve communication between colleagues or managers
reduce the likelihood of lengthy formal processes
support employee wellbeing
protect team morale and productivity
retain valued employees
reduce the management time spent dealing with ongoing conflict.
Mediation can provide the space for conversations that might otherwise never happen – or might happen very badly.
Our workplace mediation services
Our workplace mediation service is led by Simon Robinson, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Robinson Ralph, who has undertaken specialist mediation training.
As an experienced employment lawyer, Simon has spent many years advising employers on workplace disputes, grievances, difficult working relationships and Employment Tribunal claims.
That experience matters.
He understands the legal framework employers are operating within, but also knows that resolving workplace conflict isn't simply about what the law says.
Our mediation service therefore sits naturally alongside our employment law support, giving employers another option when deciding how best to deal with a difficult workplace situation.
The mediator's role is not to provide legal advice during the mediation or take sides. It is to provide an independent, structured process that helps those involved have better conversations and, where possible, reach their own workable solution.
When workplace mediation may be appropriate
Workplace mediation can be particularly useful where:
communication between colleagues or managers has broken down
personalities or different working styles are causing friction
a working relationship has become strained
conflict between individuals is affecting the wider team
an issue could potentially develop into a formal grievance
previous attempts to resolve the problem haven't worked
there is a genuine desire to repair an ongoing working relationship.
It can also be worth considering mediation before moving into a formal HR process, where the circumstances make that appropriate.
But mediation isn't always the answer – and we won't pretend that it is.
There will be situations where a formal investigation, grievance or disciplinary process is necessary. There will also be circumstances where a relationship has simply gone too far for mediation to be effective.
Our employment law experience means we understand that distinction and can help employers consider the most appropriate route.
Successful mediation can do more than resolve the immediate disagreement.
It can help those involved understand how the situation developed, improve the way they communicate and agree practical changes that make the working relationship more sustainable.
For the employer, that can mean:
less management time spent dealing with conflict
fewer formal processes
reduced disruption for the wider team
improved communication and working relationships
greater ownership of the solution by the people involved
a confidential and less adversarial way of resolving workplace issues.
Perhaps most importantly, mediation gives people the opportunity to deal with the underlying problem rather than simply managing its consequences.
The benefits of mediation in the workplace
Workplace mediation as part of your wider HR and employment law strategy
Not every workplace problem needs to become a formal process.
Sometimes a grievance or investigation is necessary. Sometimes legal advice is needed. And sometimes the most useful intervention is simply getting the right people in a room and helping them have a conversation they haven't been able to have themselves.
Workplace mediation gives employers another option.
At Robinson Ralph, we can help you consider how mediation fits alongside your wider HR and employment law approach and whether it is likely to be effective in the circumstances you're dealing with.
Our approach is the same as it is across everything we do: professional, practical, straightforward and human.
No unnecessary jargon. No taking sides. Just a structured process focused on helping people find a way forward.
Speak to Robinson Ralph about workplace mediation
If you're dealing with a difficult workplace relationship and aren't sure what to do next, talk to us.
We can discuss what's happening, whether workplace mediation could be appropriate and what the process would look like.
Sometimes the best time to resolve a workplace dispute is before it becomes one.
Email Us
Send a message to info@robinsonralph.com
Call us
Give us a call on 0113 212 3240
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