Mediation: An Early Dispute Resolution Procedure for the Workplace

Dispute resolution is an integral part of management. Almost seventy-five percent of job-related stress is generated by internal disputes, and more than eighty-five percent of people leaving their jobs do so because of some perceived internal conflict. Festering disputes are time-consuming and can result in feelings of alienation, reduced productivity, loss of production quality, and strained relationships. All too frequently, employees in conflict ‘win the battle but lose the war’ because they confuse long- and short-term conflict resolution goals and objectives. If employees are likely to work together in the future, dispute resolution procedures should be designed to encourage the development and the maintenance of healthy long-term relationships. Mediation is becoming a popular early dispute resolution procedure in many companies and provincial organizations.