As long as human beings live in a society, conflicts will remain inevitable. People have different cultures, belief systems, religious affiliations, experiences, and goals and they are, therefore, bound to cross paths with each other from time to time.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) offers an excellent Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) technique known as workplace mediation. Unlike the conventional litigation and investigation resolution methods that focus on throwing accusations, this method focuses on solving conflicts in a subtle, friendly manner.

Workplace mediation enlists the help of an unbiased third party to help the parties to bring issues in the open, communicate better, and clear any misunderstandings. Here is a quick overview of the significance of workplace mediation on worker productivity.

Empowerment

Employees don’t always appreciate being ordered around by bosses. Mediation gives them the power of taking charge of their actions and not having someone else do it. They thrive in the opportunity to be a part of the decision-making process and give valuable input. The result will be felt in the way they carry out their tasks.

A happier environment

When an organization employs litigation and investigation to solve workplace conflicts, it creates a deeper resentment and hatred between workers. Mediation is fast, voluntary and friendly. The solution doesn’t even come from the mediator but the involved parties themselves. This means workers walk out having a strong sense of awareness and appreciation. This promotes a happier, less-stressful work environment. The ripple effect is improved productivity.

Better employer confidence

The fact that the employer actually calls for external help to try to solve tension between workers speaks volumes to all employees. It demonstrates trust and pure intentions from the employer. This trust makes employees work harder than they would if the employer used other means of conflict.

Enhanced communication

Mediation helps people speak their minds. Both parties are voluntarily requested to state their grievances and find ways to agree. This curbs poor communication in the future even concerning work-related matters.

Workplace mediation is one of the secrets of increasing workplace productivity. This method helps the whole organization stay at peace with each other and have an easy time carrying out their daily work assignments. An organization should, therefore, embrace mediation as way of resolving workplace issues and ironing out workplace relations. Finally, it is important to remember that trust is one of the most important elements in any mediation process, and it is critical that mediators (whether it is the senior employees or a third-party) are seen to be as impartial as possible.