Setting up an in-house mediation service at your university

The problem with the standard grievance and disciplinary channels is that they are set up to deliver judgement. They provide a clear basis for who should be blamed and who should be absolved. Few cases of employee fall-outs and issues are that simple. Misunderstandings, miscommunications and personality clashes are always going to be part of campus life when people from different backgrounds with different perspectives and power levels work together. It’s important to address disputes fairly before they escalate.

The prescribed formal processes for conflict resolution, which often include waiting for hearings and panel decisions, can lead to extended periods of doubt, anxiety and insecurity for the parties involved. There’s also a drain on senior management time (and a reliance on opinions which can be unpopular and contested).

With more than 12,000 academic and professional services staff at the University of Manchester, we wanted to look at the alternatives and help more people have a positive experience by making workplace mediation the first resort for any staff at the early stages of their worry or grievance, making sure they knew they were being listened to and supported, not simply judged.

Recruiting an internal mediator team

Rather than an external service, our institution has built a resource of skills internally with a team of 12 mediators drawn from across academic and non-academic areas and junior and senior levels. Mediators should handle at least two cases per year to maintain their skills and confidence.

Mediation needs to be timely, taking place when it’s needed and not just when mediators can find the chance to be available. Delays always lead to the risk of escalation and cause conflicting positions to harden. So internal mediators need to have some scope for flexibility within their schedules and be able to shift their focus to mediation with support from their line manager.

While acting as a mediator means committing time to extra duties it offers a range of benefits that should be highlighted during recruitment. It means the opportunity for personal development and career growth: to speak with people from different functions and backgrounds, to learn how to manage difficult conversations and situations, think about how feedback is given and received and develop skills like listening, curiosity and empathy. Staff also talk about how rewarding it can be to help people in difficult or damaging situations, reducing stress and identifying solutions.

Mediation is all about having the right space and environment to look at a situation in new ways. The venue for conversations, then, is an important factor. Part of the service involves ensuring there is a quiet room away from the office or workspace of those involved, and not in an HR office or similar where formal interviews usually take place.

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Training mediators

Offering staff the chance to become mediators helps them develop soft skills and grow professionally. Mediation involves a complex set of skills and it is critical, for their own confidence and that of the service users, that mediators are trained and accredited. That means working with a professional partner that has HE-specific experience.

It’s important to be clear about the mediation approach being used. “Interactive mediation” is where people in conflict interact directly with one another in order to restore communication, rebuild relationships and resolve the issues in dispute. Employees can say what they need and hear one another rather than say what they think of one another. The quality of interaction between the mediator and the parties involved is crucial here.

More than the basic training, university staff will benefit from one-to-one coaching around their particular use of the skills – in other words, tailored role-play exercises and small group exercises suited to the university context. That includes how to manage the potential for resistance to the mediation process itself as something that’s likely to be unfamiliar, and that also might be uncomfortable for senior academics.

Setting up a pool of mediators and a recognised process is the first step. This needs to be followed by an awareness-building campaign, ensuring line managers appreciate the value of mediation. Mediators will benefit from coming together regularly as a self-supporting network and will need regular skills refresher sessions. 

The outcomes so far

Since we developed our institution’s in-house service, there’s already a heightened awareness of it and confidence in what it delivers. We are training another group of mediators and the number of people taking advantage of mediation has tripled this year. We’re moving towards a situation where mediation happens before minor grievances can turn into formal complaints.

As the foundation of a more open culture, mediation needs to be turned into an everyday, ordinary option. The ever-growing use of it should be seen as a positive development rather than evidence of a problem. 

Carol Platts is the head of employee relations at the University of Manchester.

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