Mediation in the Workplace

A workplace mediation program supplements or replaces institutional grievance processes in order to increase job satisfaction, boost productivity, reduce employee turnover, and decrease the chances of legal action. Weinstein, a social worker and a labor and employment lawyer, provides a powerful administrative, educational, and training tool for human resource professionals, administrators, peer and professional mediators, and students of mediation.

Mediated resolutions to conflict in the workplace are designed to last because they seek to address underlying causes and they rely on the participation of the affected parties. Mediation with an impartial third party is more likely to result in a satisfying solution than are decisions imposed upon the parties from outside sources, whether employers or the legal system. Mediators work to strengthen relationships so that future conflicts can be prevented or minimized. This valuable guide to implementing formal mediation programs can be used by both beginning and experienced mediators in all types of organizations- in schools, social service agencies, government agencies, and private industry. Its practical application of mediation theory will benefit students and teachers of mediation, conflict resolution, business management, public administration, law, social work, counseling, and other related disciplines.

REBECCA JANE WEINSTEIN is an attorney and social worker./e Her experience includes serving as executive director of the West Virginia Center for Dispute Resolution, a nonprofit organization dedicated to peaceful, nonviolent conflict resolution. She is also a former labor and employment lawyer, who represented members of the National Education Association in West Virginia. The owner of Mediation Alternatives, a mediation practice and training firm, she continues to pioneer alternative conflict resolution and mediation efforts.