Mediation

At Simply Therapy, Bury, Rossendale and Greater Manchester we offer both mediation between couples and mediation within the workplace where both parties are enabled to reach an amicable resolution. Our Mediators are qualified, offer a wealth of experience in dealing with mediating between couples and resolving issue within the work place.

Counselling and Mediation Services

Most people enter counselling or mediation seeking a resolution from a current breakdown in a relationship. They acknowledge the need for change but may be unsure of how  to reach a settlement from their current difficult situation.

Counselling and Mediation Services can help you by providing effective solutions and creating positive constructive changes in your life through a multi-disciplined, empathetic, planned, structured, organised and productive approach.

Mediation is different from Relationship Counselling as most couples choose to see a Mediator once their attempts to reach agreements have come to no avail. Mediators work with couples involved in family breakdown to make arrangements to plan for a separation or divorce.

Through mediation you can settle disputes over contact and living arrangements, child maintenance, property and money, without having to go to court, enabling a smoother separation. It is a neutral and non-judgemental environment in which to discuss issues privately.

What can you expect in Mediation?

Mediation requires both you and your partner to attend the sessions. Mediation gives both parties the chance to talk in a safe environment and deal with the practicalities that result from separation.

Sessions last for from one to two hours. There are usually around four sessions but depend on the complexity and number of issues that need to be resolved.

At the end of your sessions the Mediator will provide you with a document clearly setting out the agreed proposals you both decide to go ahead with. This document is to enable you to take legal advice if you wish, before agreeing that the proposals are binding and to follow through as an aftermath. Mediation generally costs far less than a costly and lengthy court battle.

How can Mediation help you?

Mediation can help each of you put forward your point of view and be heard by the other party, and help you to express your feelings without arguments in a neutral environment with a mediator who does not take sides and facilitates and enables you both to reach an amicable resolution. The mediator will explain legal principles, and explore and identify various options with you both.

Mediation aims to strengthen communication and help you to make your own informed decisions. People who come to us at Simply Therapy  for mediation tell us that they feel emotionally less stressed, more in control and have appreciated the support to reach agreement on workable arrangements rather than have decisions imposed on them by the court.

A mediator’s role will not tell you what to do, or apportion blame for the breakdown in the relationship. A mediator will be impartial, facilitate, and help you talk openly and honestly to each other, to reach a common understanding and amicable agreement. We are qualified and experienced mediators that provide a safe space for both parties to express your concerns to each other in an environment where you will be listened and understood and thereby be able jointly to work out solutions and dealing with the difficulties you face.

Mediation can include reaching an agreement on: what happens to the family home, how finances can be dealt with and how the access arrangements with the children are co-ordinated.

Work Place Mediation

Conflict is an everyday fact of life – in the workplace, it can impact negatively on individuals, teams and organisational efficiency unless it is handled in a constructive way. Workplace mediation is a professional and alternative approach to assist our clients in resolving disputes within the business.

Clients are often faced with breakdowns in working relationships or clashes in personalities.

Mediation is cost effective and at an early stage, can prevent conflict escalating and becoming entrenched.  It is recognised as an effective business tool and can help individuals identify the underlying issues in any dispute which gives the best possible chance of success.

Mediation is based on the principle of collaborative working,  problem-solving, with a focus on rebuilding relationships and moving forward, rather than apportioning blame. Mediation is primarily future focused and encourages both parties to identify how they can work together in the future and not affect the team dynamics and not impact on the businesses profitability.  Most people do not like conflict within the workplace but need skilled support to sit down and talk to the other person in a safe and confidential environment.

Mediation can provide a swifter response to disputes and can nip potentially damaging conflicts in the bud. Through mediation there are reductions in grievances and, where these would have led to a tribunal, it provides a more cost effective response than the employment tribunal process.

Employment tribunals do not resolve systemic problems at work that may underlie an individual dispute. Mediation is more likely to enable the employer to have a greater understanding and  get to the root cause of the problem and make changes to working practices that can benefit employees and the business in the long term. Mediation is effective in  addressing issues around stress and helps to prevent long-term sickness absence.

Conflict between individuals in the workplace can cost an organisation dear. With conflict management time being diverted to dealing with the dispute instead of focusing on managing the business. With added costs of staff turnover and recruitment and training costs and where conflict leads to the departure of personnel from the organisation impacting on staff morale, confidence, commitment ,leading to lower productivity, poor working relationships within the teams.

This then affects affects corporate goals and common objectives as people are distracted by the dispute with the potential for a blame culture to develop and the organisations external image and reputation could be compromised.

The mediator is in charge of the process of seeking to resolve the problem but not the outcome.

Mediation is flexible,voluntary,morally binding but normally has no legal status,confidential and owned by the parties.

What does work mediation seek to achieve?

Mediation seeks to provide an informal and speedy solution to workplace dispute What the process offers is a safe and confidential space for participants to find their own answers. It does this in a number of ways, by analysing and exploring the issues, feelings and concerns of all participants and rebuilding relationships using collaborative joint problem-solving techniques.

With Simply Therapy we will be working with all parties in a dispute to establish their underlying issues, needs and interests, encourage dialogue and ultimately, facilitate a mutually acceptable resolution. As mediators we are passionate about providing support and helping our clients overcome the issues they face and be empowered in making the right decisions when facing difficulties they face either within the workplace or within a personal relationship.

Issues suitable for workplace mediation

Workplace mediation is suitable for a wide range of issues. If you are unsure about the suitability of a case in your organisation, please contact us on 07429 608873 and we will be happy to offer impartial advice to help you decide if mediation is right for you and your organisation.

Listed below are just some of the cases that we have successfully mediated :

• Conflicts and disagreements between employees and within teams.
• Conflicts between senior managers and other leaders and decision makers .
• Conflicts arising from change and the management of change.
• Allegations of bullying, harassment, oppression, discrimination and other inappropriate behaviours.
• Conflicts arising within, or between, various stakeholder groups
• Conflicts arising from the reintegration of employees after disciplinary action, a period of sickness or following suspension.
• Employment disputes including claims of unfair dismissal , equal pay, discrimination, redundancy pay, terms and conditions and flexible working.