Through experience we know that early intervention through mediation significantly increases the chances of resolving workplace disputes.

Akenham will appoint a certified and experienced mediator to your case. In fact, we use award winning mediators!

The three services we provide are:

• Informal mediation – to resolve relationships at the early stages of a dispute
• Formal mediation – following a grievance being aired or perceived discrimination being raised
• Re-integration – ensuring relationships have the best chance of working positively after an incident has been resolved

Formal mediation at global business

Akenham have recently provided mediation services to a large global client. We were contacted by the client’s HR department who wanted to identify if mediation could be used to resolve a relationship breakdown between a manager and their employee.
The employee felt that the manager was bullying them and the manager felt that the employee was being unnecessarily disruptive.

After an initial telephone briefing Akenham appointed a skilful mediator who liaised directly with the employee and manager involved. We acted swiftly and arranged individual meetings for the following week. After the key points had been identified, a cooling off period was introduced before the mediator arranged a joint session, during which the employee and the manager had the opportunity to air their frustrations in a safe and structured environment.

The mediator concluded the process by helping the employee and the manager build a written agreement which could be used as a point of reference going forward. Both parties also agreed that a copy of the agreement could be sent to the HR department who could offer any required support going forward.

In this case a grievance was avoided which brought numerous benefits for the employer. Management time was not wasted conducting lengthy investigations, the circle of involvement was kept at a minimum and, as the rest of the department were not embroiled in a lengthy internal process engagement levels and productivity remained consistent.