Mediation: Restoring Relationships Quickly After A Workplace Bullying Complaint

From time to time, most employers will have to deal with workplace bullying and harassment complaints. Workplace bullying costs the UK economy £18 billion a year, according to ACAS. This figure includes sickness-related absences (due to bullying), workforce turnover, and productivity losses.

Dealing with the aftermath of a formal complaint can be extremely difficult. Regardless of the outcome, the complainant’s relationship with the subject of their complaint is likely to be strained. In most cases, both parties will require support after an investigation to re-establish a productive and harmonious working relationship. This support may be required for some time and may include ongoing support or mentoring from a neutral third person, team-building activities, clarity about expected behaviours, or perhaps an adjustment in roles. Restoring workplace relationships early after a formal complaint through mediation can help save businesses money. Potential business implications for not giving the required support early include;

• Increased sickness absence
• A rise in staff turnover
• Decreased productivity and staff morale
• Poor employee relations
• The poor mental health of staff

Mediation

A particularly successful approach for re-establishing professional relationships, following a bullying and harassment formal complaint is workplace mediation. Mediation is a voluntary process led by an impartial third party that Organisations can use to resolve workplace disputes. It can be used at any stage in a conflict, especially after a formal bullying and harassment complaint. The goal of the mediation process is to offer a safe, confidential environment for all individuals involved to find mutually acceptable solutions.

Mediation done following a bullying and harassment complaint has the potential to:

• Assist individuals to hold open conversations that would normally be too difficult to have constructively.
• Explore the issues and concerns of each individual and use joint problem-solving to find solutions that each party feels are fair.
• Make the individuals less entrenched in their views and thus more open to compromise.
• Assist individuals involved in understanding and empathising with one another’s feelings and problems.
• Empower individuals to find and own a resolution to the issues at play.
• Encourage communication and help establish a functioning working relationship.
• Assist individuals to develop the ability to resolve workplace disputes for themselves in the future.
• Reduce the risk of a tribunal claim down the line, and the costs associated with this. 

The role of a mediator is not to determine who is right or wrong but to help facilitate discussion and help the parties find a way to move forward. Dealing with the aftermath of workplace bullying and harassment is always difficult however, the use of a trained mediator can offer a practical, quick and cost-effective means to minimise the disruption to your business and help re-establish productive working relationships.

Our HR Consultants are professionally trained mediators who can help assist employers who are experiencing workplace conflict between employees. If workplace mediation is something you feel could be beneficial to your Organisation, please do not hesitate to get in touch for a confidential discussion by sending an email to enquiries@thinkpeople.co.uk