Researchers are able to estimate the more tangible costs accrued as a result of, for instance, increased staff sickness rates, high staff-turnover, retraining, legal fees and tribunals; such statistics are often published.
In 2006 the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution published research indicating that in the UK at that time £33 billion a year was being lost through the poor management of conflict. An OPP survey, published jointly with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is more optimistic, finding that poorly managed conflicts at work cost British employers in the region of 370million working days, at a cost of more than £24bn a year. Indeed, during 2009/10 the BBC paid-out £607,138 plus at least £34,201 tax as a result of tribunal claims and associated legal fees.
However there are many costs of workplace conflict that we cannot accurately estimate. For example, workplace disputes undoubtedly spread to other colleagues, leading to reduced productivity, poor morale and maybe even sabotage.
Very often the most significant hidden cost to ordinary businesses of workplace conflict is damage to their reputation. We all occasionally find ourselves in social situations listening to a friend or acquaintance off-loading about their colleagues and how unhappy they are at work. These days, business people put lots of effort into brand recognition and effective networking. It is easy to see that the negative networking of staff embroiled in unresolved conflict can undermine this good work.
In 1929, Hungarian writer Frigyes Karinthy proposed the idea that we have only six degrees of separation from everyone in the World! Whatever we believe about this idea, bad news is like good news; it travels fast and it travels far. For many businesses the workforce has the potential to be free, high-quality advertising as colleagues spread positive messages both within and beyond their organisation.
As a Workplace Mediator I believe that it is possible for anybody, in any working situation, to be happy, creative and fulfilled when they are at work. I believe that it is a tragedy, that for millions of individuals this is currently not the case. Furthermore, I do believe that most businesses, in both the public and private sectors, could dramatically improve their efficiency by simply improving working relationships.
Within any organisation, insightful leadership is essential in order to keep colleagues happy, positive and well motivated. At the same time, it is worth remembering that an appropriate level of conflict is actually stimulating and beneficial in that it can drive creativity. However, when disputes or poor relationships are causing harm to an individual or effecting productivity, commissioning an external mediator at an early stage could prove to be a wise investment.
There are all sorts of misconceptions about mediation. People often think that it is part of the grievance process or about giving advice, adjudication, arbitration or even some sort of therapy. In fact, it is none of these things.
The mediation process is solution-focused and future-focused; its sole function is to help individuals achieve an improved working relationship in the future. The mediation process is actually highly counter-intuitive and it is because of this that naïve attempts by managers to support colleagues who are in conflict sometimes have the opposite to the desired effect; in my experience, this can cause serious long-term emotional harm. For this reason, it is essential to check that your mediator is properly qualified.
When conflict occurs, avoid procrastinating and hoping that problems will blow over, as this is rarely the case. Commonly, unresolved problems leave individuals feeling embittered, often for years. They can spread to other colleagues and other departments, and can go on to affect the families and children of disputants. Where undesirable patterns of workplace behaviour have been rehearsed over a long period of time, they become more difficult to reverse.
Mediation can be very effective, although there is no guarantee of success. There can be no doubt that as a management strategy, it is a relatively inexpensive and responsible way of addressing workplace conflict. At the same time it is a humane way of supporting unhappy employees.
If you are considering employing an external mediator to address a particular issue within your organisation, you will be able to discuss the mediation process in more detail prior to making a commitment. Not all conflicts are mediatable, and a mediator has a responsibility to help employers make judgements about whether the approach fits with a given need within the workplace.
www.workplace-mediation-norfolk.co.uk
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