About Mediation & Facilitation About Philip Crump Divorce & Family Mediation Employment & Workplace Construction & Commercial Disability & Special Education Facilitation & Group Processes

Build effective working relationships in an atmosphere of mutual respect.

Philip Crump, Mediator 2200 Fort Union Drive Santa Fe, NM 87505 (505) 989-8558 Ask for information!! philip at pcmediate.com

About Employment & Workplace Mediation

People who work together--colleagues, employees, and employers--come into conflict in ways that may be damaging to themselves or others around them. Colleagues may find the behavioral styles or work habits of their peers to be of concern. Employees may feel that they are unfairly treated or terminated. Employers may find their personnel policies or practices inadequate to address distressing behaviors of staff members.

Offering a number of advantages over either ignoring conflict situations or trying to deal with them through disciplinary processes, mediation...

...can be used when problems begin, not waiting for documentable actions
...is non-punitive and doesn’t build resentment
...allows parties to discuss and resolve their problems themselves
...helps people craft agreements that prevent future problems from arising
...sets an example of caring by the organization
...allows participants to develop more effective communication
...typically, is much less costly than other tools

You can hear more about workplace mediation in a radio interview at Peace Talks—A Radio Show.

The term "intervention" refers to a set of related activities—including interviews, mediation, individual coaching, and facilitated group meetings. These help group members define and communicate their issues in ways that allow the group collaboratively to move from "stuck" to the future they wish to create. In this process, I prefer to help people look at their vision of the future and how to achieve it, rather than just "problem-solve" and get stuck in the mire of complaint.

I continue to provide intervention and mediation for a number of State of New Mexico agencies, as well as the US Postal Service, the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other federal organizations. These agencies find it quite cost- and morale-effective to help employees develop better working relationships.

The "old ways" of dealing with many of these issues included formal grievance procedures, official reprimand, or sudden termination. Sometimes worse, inaction allowed feelings to escalate and behaviors to rigidify. 

Confidential and informal mediation allows issues to be expressed in a safe atmosphere, without fear of retaliation.

Organizations providing mediation and intervention as an avenue of dispute resolution send an implicit message of trust and empowerment to their employees. It offers a unique opportunity for people who work together to build or rebuild trust and healthy working relationships. Organizations find that mediation is an enormously cost-effective tool for responding to conflict.

Please contact me for a detailed Proposal regarding your situation calling for mediation of specific situations or individuals, or large staff interventions to address issues of general concern. Contact me!

When employees, managers or employers start to feel “stuck,” they often feel at a loss for what to do. Here’s a brief list of some strategies that have helped others:

WORKPLACE CONFLICT...REDUCTION...MANAGEMENT...RESOLUTION

Conflict Reduction strategies involve:

· Ensuring individual self-care, confidence and morale

· Establishing procedures promoting cooperation and fairness

· Promoting tolerance of differences throughout the organization

· Systematically encouraging all staff members

· Making opportunities for discovery of cultural similarities/differences

· Using appropriate humor and laughter

· Focusing on the positive contributions of everyone

· Providing opportunities for fun

· Building community and promoting self-esteem

Conflict Management strategies involve:

· Establishing fair and consistent standards for behavior

· Communicating these standards to everyone

· Enacting fair consequences for violating standards

· Using conflict containment strategies and plans

· Providing training in face-to-face conflict resolution skills and approaches

· Planning in reference to frequent offenders

· Referring staff to appropriate support (EAP, coaching, etc.)

· Acknowledging and making allowances for expression of anger

Conflict Resolution strategies involve:

· Providing meditation for all employees as needed

· Focusing on problem-solving rather than fault-finding

· Identifying and validating each person’s feelings

· Teaching communication, self-management, and assertiveness skills

· Addressing anger and formulating anger management plans

· Looking for solutions where all parties get underlying needs met

· Giving disputants time/opportunity to generate their own solutions to conflicts

· Encouraging adult modeling and coaching in resolution approaches

· Establishing regular locations where resolution work can occur

· Establishing access to resolution assistance before disciplinary action is required

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