Every family will at some stage be faced with issues arising out of the ageing process affecting a loved one. It is always a difficult time so mediation can help family members to engage constructively in difficult conversations on behalf of ageing loved ones. It is a process where two or more parties meet with an impartial mediator (or co-mediators) to resolve differences. Rather than imposing any decisions, the mediator guides the parties, using techniques that foster effective communication.

Many researchers and surveys have drawn attention to the remarkable impact of workplace conflict on an organisation’s bottom line. There is much to be said on this subject but some findings from the CIPD report on survey into workplace conflict produced the following outcomes:
Managing Conflict at Work Survey by CIPD, Feb, 2007
1. The survey provides some evidence that organisations that provide mediation training receive fewer employment tribunal claims.
2. Respondents believe that disputes are less likely to be resolved informally since the introduction of the statutory procedures.
3. More than 40% of employers more likely to take legal advice in response to conflict at work.
4. Only 30% of organisations provide training in mediation skills to employees, even though it works they receive fewer employment tribunal claims than those that don’t.
5. The average costs associated with employment tribunal claims is £20,000. This doesn’t include the hidden costs like damage to employer brand, employee morale and productivity and huge amount of management time.
6. On average more than 350 days in management and HR time a year in managing disciplinary and grievance cases and preparing for employment tribunal hearings.

One of the most interesting and exciting applications of mediation is to introduce it to schools. The benefits are enormous, training pupils to understand the mechanics of conflict and to create a facility for peer mediation within all of the students at the school. One of the most obvious benefits is that it enables issues such as bullying to be confronted at peer level.

Commercial mediation is, perhaps, one of the more interesting in the context of an island wide mediation programme.
It has been found in the past that once a programme gains credibility companies will be happy to take their problems to it because, in the old adage, it's quick it's cheap and it works. Needless to say part of that credibility will be based on the fact that only appropriate mediators will be assigned to cases depending on their complexity. These mediations would be professional and charged at the going professional rate.
It is well known that once industry generally accepts the reality of mediation they embrace it enthusiastically. Up to now the concept of mediation is only something they consider through the advice of their lawyers.

Community mediation tends to be the backbone of programmes such as ours. It creates the opportunity for ordinary citizens to seek mediation of issues that are troubling them. It might be some disconnect with a neighbour or some issues concerning noisiness after hours or indeed anything that causes distress through a citizen. In our view every community should have access to an efficient and effective community mediation programme.

Restorative justice is a genre of mediation designed to help victims of crime find a way to bring closure to their problem. Very often it will entail the victim and the offender coming face-to-face in what can be a powerful and emotional way to bring finality. If this is something that you are interested in please call us.

Divorce is the un-happiest time in the life of a relationship and, sadly, decisions are made, very often, for all the wrong reasons. In the past the legal process and the court system as realistically being the only way to go invariably leading to a winner and a loser in the unfortunate to force situation. Doesn’t always have to be that way as mediation proves time and again. Mediators have the skills to smooth the path as parties take the very painful steps towards the dissolution of what they had thought would be a lifetime together.

This is one of the most used aspects of the mediation process in the United States of America. Few if any of us will go through life without having to contend with major issues concerning either building or repair work to our houses or property within our houses. Once again history has offered little other than litigation as a method of dealing with household matters which, unfortunately, have a habit of being extremely expensive. Not all issues are covered by insurance and too often the householder has to endure months of waiting before his concerns can be properly aired. Seek mediation as the way to a speedy resolution.