What are the opportunities for mediators, arbitrators, and other ADR professionals using a short horizon of 5 or 10 years? The last couple of years have been quite an experience and here we are, poised on the edge of what I hope will be the start of the post-pandemic era.
You’re frustrated. You want to improve your relationships and reduce your dissatisfaction level and so you try to fix the people who are making you frustrated. Spoiler alert: it’s not going to work. The change you need is in your own head. Change your perspective by presuming positive intent. You can be a better leader and improve your life in general by changing that one assumption.
What are the qualities that contribute to being an effective mediator? Recent conversations with people considering careers as mediators, brought me back to this topic. How do I know if I have what it takes to be a mediator?
Behaving with respect for others and being treated with respect seems simple and common sense. In extreme situations it may be easy to identify harassment, discrimination, workplace violence, or other human rights violations which could indicate a lack of respect in the workplace. Closer to the dividing line it is not so easy to distinguish respect from a lack of respect.
Caucus-only mediation has become increasingly popular in many mediations for business, insurance, even more personal situations such as estate and workplace disputes. Recent research shows that the caucus-only mediation approach has negative consequences. As an experienced mediator, that research conclusion was not a surprise to me.
How not to be stupid is a subject that is smart to think about. Stupidity is not lack of intelligence but a symptom of intelligence being overridden in a complex environment.
We have seen lots of information about using mediation to reduce the costs of resolving disputes. Now in Ontario if you do not use mediation, it could cost you money.
It is essential for all of us to have basic knowledge of human rights law, how it applies in our workplace, and what to do if there is a complaint. In January 2018, the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario granted a female retail worker one of its largest-ever damage awards. The facts of the case illustrate how much remains to be done in educating everyone in the workplace; individuals, people leaders, those with complaints, and those who observe harassment.
The Global Pound Conference event was held in Toronto on October 15, 2016, the only Canadian venue.
Participants with an interest in the legal system are invited to join a world-wide, 15-month-long conversation being convened by the International Mediation Institute. There are currently 40 events planned in 31 countries starting in Singapore in March 2016 and ending in London, U.K. in July, 2017.
Munn Conflict Resolution Services supports healthy, peaceful workplaces
Please join us for an event in London, Ontario sponsored by Munn Conflict Resolution Services.
The topic is: Workplace Harassment, Sexual Harassment & Violence