Conflict is unavoidable in any workplace where people of differing personalities, communication styles, and approaches are spending long periods together. However, when conflict goes unrecognised and unresolved, it becomes a serious issue.
In one report, ACAS estimated that 9.7 million employees experience conflict at work in the UK each year. Employees involved in a workplace conflict are much more likely to suffer from higher levels of stress and depression. This shows up in the workplace as decreased productivity and increased absenteeism.
If conflict is unavoidable in the workplace, negatively impacts people’s wellbeing, and costs businesses money…then having procedures in place to reduce and resolve conflict should be a top priority for HR, managers and business leaders. That’s where pre-emptive mediation training for managers can come in.
In this post, we take a deeper look at the real cost of conflict in the workplace and how mediation skills training for managers can help.
The Cost Of Conflict In the Workplace
Mediation, the ability to help two conflicting Parties come to an understanding is a crucial managerial skill. The adoption of internal mediation as a conflict resolution tool is increasing in UK workplaces as leaders look to reduce the negative business effects.
In a mediation policy brief based on ACAS data by Professor Richard Saundry, it was estimated that workplace conflict costs UK businesses £589m annually in lost productivity. And the estimated total cost of sickness absence as a result of individual workplace conflict is £2.2bn.
When conflict is unresolved or escalates to a more serious level, there are other issues for businesses too:
- Employees resigning/high staff turnover/increased recruitment costs
- Low morale and negative company culture
- More time spent on formal actions such as disciplinaries
- Employees taking legal action against employers
The good news? The same report stated that 74% of employees who underwent mediation reported their conflict had been fully or largely resolved.
The benefits are clear for businesses that have managerial staff trained in mediation. Conflicts are resolved sooner, are far less likely to result in formal procedures, and employees feel satisfied that their concerns have been adequately resolved.
Benefits Of Manager Workplace Mediation Skills Training
Workplace mediation, performed at the managerial level lessens the burden on HR departments and reduces the risk of conflicts escalating. It can also reduce absenteeism, boost productivity, and improve company culture.
But what do managers learn during workplace meditation training and how do these skills help on a day-to-day basis?
Managers who have undergone mediation training will develop enhanced conflict resolution skills. After training, managers will be empowered with tools to diffuse difficult situations such as learning active listening, reframing, and identifying the needs of each Party involved.
Equipped with these tools, managers will be able to help team members navigate difficult discussions more effectively and resolve issues before there is any need for escalation. The ability to resolve conflicts without escalation has business benefits but it is better for employees too. Unresolved conflicts increase stress and can affect entire teams, even those not directly involved. Early resolution is key and managers are the people best placed to ‘nip issues in the bud’ early on.
Workplace mediation training for managers also strengthens key leadership qualities that have benefits beyond conflict resolution. During mediation training, managers can expect to increase their communication skills, ability to empathise, and also increase their understanding of impartiality.
Skills like these are invaluable to managers and can be applied to many other areas within the business. Having managers with these qualities also fosters trust and collaboration in teams, making the workplace more harmonious in general.
The skills a manager will learn during mediation training and putting those new skills into action in the workplace can also result in personal and career progression.
Understanding The Role Of A Workplace Mediator
As demonstrated, having managers within a business who possess mediation skills is a great asset and can ultimately save businesses time and money. But it is also important to understand what the role involves and its limitations.
There can sometimes be a bit of a misconception about what mediation is and it’s important to make it clear what a manager’s responsibilities are when they are acting as a mediator.
During conflicts, a manager will act as a facilitator – not a decision-maker. They are there to guide employees to their own resolutions. Workplace mediation should be focused on collaborative problem-solving, not imposing solutions on the parties involved.
The point of managers being trained in mediation is to stop conflicts from reaching a ‘boiling point’ in an informal way. Outcomes are often more agreeable to both parties if a conflict is resolved at an early stage. However, in situations where a resolution can’t be reached, a manager needs to know where to draw the line and look to take further action. Luckily, this is also something a manager will learn about during mediation training.
Rossendale Mediation
There are many companies offering mediation training in the UK as external or internal courses. Training is usually delivered by a professional mediator who has extensive experience in workplace conflicts and how to help employees resolve them.
Here at Rossendale Mediation, we provide bespoke training workshops that are tailored to your business needs. In addition to mediation training, we also offer workshops covering many other ‘soft skills’ that are essential to leaders and can stop workplace conflicts from occurring in the first place.
Upfront and honest with our pricing, experienced and accredited mediator Jackie Kenny delivers workshops to businesses of all sizes, across different types of industry.
As a Lancashire mediation service, we mainly work across the county but can travel anywhere in the UK to deliver workshops. These can be arranged to take place at your business, or a pre-arranged venue of your choosing.
We hope this article has given you a bit of insight into the benefits of manager mediation training and demonstrated how transformative early conflict resolution can be for businesses. Whether you are a business leader or manager, we would love to talk to you about your training requirements.
Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or would like to arrange a workshop.
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