MWI specializes in getting companies back to business by helping employees and managers resolve disputes systematically and efficiently. 

Companies like Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola Enterprises, Johnson & Johnson, and Shell Oil, who have implemented successful dispute resolution systems report an increase in productivity, a reduction in absenteeism and turnover, and the ability to redirect resources to business priorities currently dedicated to dealing with disputes. 

Consider these facts:  

·        The average time for a civil suit to go to trial is 2½ years, whereas disputes that went through a dispute resolution program were resolved in an average of just 67 days and at a fraction of the cost.

·        Over the last 10 years, discrimination cases filed in federal court have increased 300%.

·        After implementing an employment dispute resolution program, Motorola reported a 75% reduction in litigation costs over six years.

·        Unmanaged disputes are responsible for up to 65% of workplace performance problems.

·        It has been shown that unresolved conflict leads to poor morale, which in turn increases absenteeism, and the cost of absenteeism to large employers is over $1 million per year. 

·        Fifty percent of departures are linked to conflict, and turnover costs for an employee range between 75% and 150% of annual salary.

How an Employment Dispute Resolution Program Works

In summary, the goal of an employment dispute resolution system is to provide employees tools and choices to resolve their disputes early and often.  These tools and choices include preparing employees to resolve their own disputes internally through training and providing employees with services such as mediation by an external neutral professional provider.

Internal options include dispute resolution training for employees, the coordination of existing support options such as HR and EAP and lastly, internal mediation services provided by employees and managers trained by MWI.  Employees trained in effective dispute resolution skills prepare employees to work out their differences early and often.  Existing support programs such as Human Resources and EAP are aligned and coordinated by MWI to work seamlessly with resolving employment disputes.  Internal mediation involves trained internal employees assisting the other employees to resolve their own disputes. 

External elements include Office of Ombuds, External Mediation and Arbitration provided by MWI.  The Office of Ombuds provides a confidential forum for employees to discuss options for particular dilemmas. (More information about MWI's Organizational Ombuds Services is available at <www.mwi.org/services/ombuds.htm>.)  External mediation is a process in which an external professional neutral from MWI helps the employees work out a mutually beneficial resolutions to difficult disputes with other employees and managers.  Arbitration involves an external professional neutral who makes a binding decision for the parties to a dispute.

Consider these benefits to employees and managers:

• Benefits to Employees:  Employees benefit by having a confidential, company-sanctioned avenue to express concerns, explore options, and resolve conflicts. MWI’s adherence to strict confidentiality reduces an employee's fear of retaliation when the services are used. MWI’s services are both informal and timely, which exist outside of the company structure and assist employees in resolving issues before they escalate to formal complaints against other employees or against the company.

• Benefits to Management:  Management benefits from MWI’s services by addressing employees’ concerns before they escalate into decreased productivity, lowered morale, or even lawsuits. Management also benefits by receiving regular direct reports about issues and conflict trends affecting the company that would otherwise be unavailable to management.

Elements for Success

For a program to succeed, experience has shown that a number of key elements are required, including management’s commitment, a firm no-retaliation policy, broad promotion of the program, and employees being trained in both using the program and conflict resolution. 

Experience has shown that if employees have been trained to increase their capacity to resolve disputes, the vast majority of disputes are resolved with direct communication, internal mediation conducted by peers or the office of the ombuds.  Only a small number utilize external mediation and arbitration.

MWI’s Role

MWI will not only design and implement the program, we have experience administering all aspects of the dispute resolution system, including case intake, convening, logistics and follow-up for each case as well as in preparing regular progress reports for management.  Our goal is to provide employees with an effective, confidential and central location to resolve conflict at work.

Consulting Process

MWI will work with you to design and implement a program that is appropriate for your organization.  Our system design consultants utilize a process involving five steps, namely: Initial Consultation; Assessment; Design; Implementation; Evaluation.

1)      Initial Consultation: The initial consultation involves a MWI system specialist and the primary person in your group responsible for conflict management concerns.  The goal of the initial consultation is to assure that MWI understands the needs of your organization.

2)      Assessment: The assessment phase involves four parts:

• Creating a design team made up of the MWI system specialist and appropriate leaders and stakeholders from your organization;

• Gathering information from a sample of stakeholders and leaders to understand the culture and how it deals with conflict;

• Reviewing existing strategic and marketing materials;

• The MWI system specialist develops a report of the assessment.

3)      Design: During the design phase, the MWI system specialist will combine his or her knowledge of best practices in system design with the culture of your organization to identify and recommend a dispute resolution program that matches the needs of your business.  A final report with rationale and a budget will be provided with the recommended program.
 
4)      Implementation: During the implementation phase, the MWI system specialist will work with the stakeholders and leaders to assure that the program and elements key to success of a program are put into place in a timeframe and a manner that fits the organization and its current priorities.  MWI will also offer external resources that may be required (such as training, external mediation, meeting facilitation, external ombuds, etc.).
 
5)      Evaluation: During the Design phase, appropriate benchmarking will be identified and performed to assure proper evaluation.  A timeline will be established for evaluation and at its conclusion, recommendations will be provided by the MWI system specialist based on the results of the evaluation.
 

For more information

For more information, please call Charles Doran, Executive Director at 800-348-4888 x22 and <cdoran@mwi.org>, or fill out the form below to request specific information or to schedule a session. 

For more information about dispute resolution system design, please download the following article entitled “What is Conflict Costing Your Company?  The Value of a Comprehensive Employment Dispute Resolution System” co-written by Charles Doran and Tad Mayer at <www.mwi.org/about/news/ADR_Article.pdf>.

 

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