Joanna Bielcka, mediator in the International Mediation Centre
1ST CASE UNDER MEDIATION
PARTIES:
– a President of a western pharmaceutical company in Poland
– a Management board member, managing one of the departments of the company
– employees of this department
AMOUNT IN DISPUTE:
Loss of part of the profit and the reputation of the company because of poor performance or delay in the performance of projects resulting from the sudden departure of one of the key employees, cost of finding and introducing a replacement, potential cost of further conflicts in the team including expansion to other departments.
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE MATTER, INCLUDING THE REACHED SETTLEMENT
In a fast developing company, a conflict grew until one of the key employees dramatically filed for termination of his employment contract in the presence of other employees, which was as an act of protest against a management board member. This situation caused significant unrest in the company. The mediator’s task was to bring the situation under control, diffuse tension and prepare a report presenting the situation as the basis for remedial action.
The Mediator’s work resulted in:
- The real and not the superficial causes of conflict were named and a list of potential remedial activities was created.
- Each of the parties of the conflict received support re understanding the source of conflict and ways to prevent conflict
- Positive emotions was re–established, which allowed the parties to draw conclusions and focus on the actions which in turn were visible to other departments in the company
- The Mediator facilitated better communication between the parties of the dispute and better cooperation during new projects
The Mediator helped the parties to identify a list of other potential difficult issues within the company for the future.