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Home improvement agency
(Details have been changed in this account
to preserve confidentiality.)
When mediators started to unravel a four-year
dispute between the manager and team member of the home improvement
agency, they found that difficulties had been evident from
the very beginning of the team member’s contract. A delay
in project funding led to the new team member handing in notice
on her previous job too soon. The manager’s lack of acceptance
of any responsibility for this mistake had soured the working
relationship from the start.
Initial meetings were held with both parties
to establish the situation from their perspective and to inform
them about mediation. In these private discussions, it became
clear that since then, further misunderstandings had created
a climate of mistrust. The team member felt her manager did
not respect her and gave her too little time. The manager
found it so difficult to deal with her member of staff that
she tried to minimise their contact.
A round table meeting was then held to
explore these issues together, at which each party:
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acknowledged
the misunderstandings that were fuelling their difficulties
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agreed
to make changes in the way they dealt with the other.
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After the mediation, both parties reported
an improved working relationship and a spirit of cooperation
that had been previously absent. In a letter to Mediation
at Work, the manager wrote, "I would like to thank you
very much for your part in the process. I was extremely impressed
by this approach and the outcome has been very positive."
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