Mediation is one of the methods used to resolve a conflict between two parties from workplace disputes, family disputes or company disputes. When people or parties are involved in a conflict but they cannot come to an agreement, they choose to use several methods of conflict resolution to deal with the problem at hand. However, if they feel that they need to resolve their dispute without spending a lot of money, consuming too much time and undergoing a lawsuit, they go ahead and select mediation.
Fortunately, mediation can be used to resolve different kinds of disputes. For instance, if a divorced couple cannot decide who is to take custody of the kids, they can try mediation to find a resolution to the problem. Also, when siblings are having any problems or disagreements concerning the issue of inheritance, or employees are having disagreements with other employees or their employers, mediation can be of great help to resolving these conflicts.
How Does Mediation Work?
In mediation, people hire a trained mediator or a mediation lawyer to help them work together so that they can come up with a resolution that is favourable for the both parties involved. The mediators encourage the people and parties involved in the conflict to share the relevant information about what led them to the conflict and explore the most possible means of ending the conflict.
The mediator hired to offer mediation services during the conflict resolution uses their mediation skills to lead and not to impose a decision for the disputants. Also, with their communication skills, creativity and objectivity, the mediators help the disputants communicate with each other and reach a favourable solution voluntarily. The mediator does not have the right to decide on whatever is right or fair during the mediation since they do not assess blame or give their opinions about the outcome or the probability of resolution to the disputants. Instead, the mediator is a catalyst between the two conflicting parties or individuals attempting to resolve their conflict by defining their conflicts and eliminating any communication barriers as they moderate and guide them in the process of mediation without any confrontation or ill will.
What are the Benefits of Mediation?
In case you are wondering how people benefit from mediation, this section provides you with several ways in which disputants benefit from mediation. The benefits include;
- The disputants have total control
Mediation as a conflict resolution method does not offer the involved parties with a guaranteed outcome since there is no binding decision provided. Instead, the mediator helps parties to do their best and come up with a favourable solution without providing a guarantee that the problem between them will be resolved. This makes both parties have greater control over their resolution and have the right to deny or accept the outcome of the resolution.
- Mediation offers confidentiality
The other benefit of mediation is that the parties and individuals involved are not exposed to the world unlike where a conflict has to be solved in a public process. Therefore, the people involved get to resolve their conflicts without having any issues about public exposure since mediation is confidential.
- It helps preserve relationship
Any conflict between workers, family members or parties can break relationships. Trying to handle the conflict in the court of law is right but it could lead to further problems which will break the relationship between the people and parties involved. Fortunately, meditation helps the people involved talk and come up with a solution to their problem together which helps them preserve their relationship. Hire a local family mediator to help resolve conflict and settle amicably.
