How can mediation help in the workplace?
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Conflicts that are left unresolved or poorly resolved have a negative effect on productivity and morale. Every business needs a clearly defined conflict management system and an essential component of any conflict management system is a mediation option. It is the option that comes after trying to resolve the problem directly with the other person and that precedes filing an EEO complaint or initiating a lawsuit. It is an alternative to giving up or ignoring the problem

Types of workplace conflicts that the CRC can mediate:

• Supervisor/Supervisee
• Co-Workers
• Business/Commercial
• Partnerships
• Merchant/consumer transactions
• Real Estate
• Contracts

Process:

• Anyone –an employee or employer- calls CRC to request a workplace mediation.
• CRC staff calls and speaks to the person who called to gather basic information. If someone other than the employer calls, CRC staff will contact the employer to find out if a workplace mediation is possible.
• If the employer is open to CRC’s assistance, a trained mediator will speak separately with each of the parties to understand their perspective and concerns.
• The mediator assesses whether the case is appropriate for mediation, and if it is, s/he will facilitate a dialogue between the two parties.
• Once the parties have the opportunities to be heard and to listen, they are often in a position to look creatively at options and create a mutual agreement of how to proceed.
• Upon request, CRC can follow up to see how the agreement is going and to support the parties in any fine-tuning.
• We work with you to have our hourly rate be affordable. 

Things to consider: 

Mediation is Voluntary:
Do you anticipate the person or people with whom you are interested in mediating would choose to attend voluntarily? If not, mediation may not be the best option for you. Our process requires that people choose to participate. 

Mediation is not Legally Binding and Mediators are not Lawyers:
If you have any concerns about your legal rights, we recommend speaking with a lawyer prior to requesting mediation. Mediators are not judges or lawyers, and will not be providing advice during the mediation. In the mediation process, if parties come to agreement, it is NOT legally binding through mediation.
 
​Mediation typically takes multiple weeks to schedule:
Are the issues you are looking to mediate urgent? Given the high volume of requests, we typically find it takes 2-3 weeks to schedule a mediation once we have contacted all the parties involved.