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Mediation
can help resolve disputes in the ADF workplace. Photo by
Pte Simone Heyer, Army newspaper
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Mediators
for problems
One
of the more difficult command duties for ADF officers is the need
to deal with the seemingly increasing number of workplace disputes.
In
common with the rest of society, members today are more willing
to assert themselves and argue for what they believe are their rights.
They
may use the formal redress of grievance process to pursue claims
of unfair treatment, but that often takes considerable time to complete
and almost always involves a great deal of staff work by both the
disputants and those in the chain of command.
Defence
has now embraced a relatively new approach that has the potential
to resolve many workplace issues before they escalate into major
disputes.
Capt
Helen Marks (RAN), Director of Alternative Dispute Resolution and
Conflict Management, is leading the push for Alternative Dispute
Resolution (ADR), and, in particular, the use of trained mediators
to assist disputing parties to sort out their differences.
Capt
Marks said that mediation could save COs an enormous amount of time
and angst by dealing with situations that could be defused early.
“Mediation
is not designed to replace the Redress of Grievance process or any
of the other mechanisms in place, but rather to supplement the current
systems,” she said.
“The
formal redress process or legal action rarely ends with harmony,
but mediation can allow disputing parties to resolve issues and
work together effectively again.”
The
Director of Personnel Operations – Army, Col Gerard Fogarty,
said that Defence now had a list of registered mediators who COs
and OCs could call in to help at minimal cost.
“The
Army is encouraging them to think about mediation as a first step,”
he said.
“The
key to success is to deal with disputes early, before the participants
become really deeply entrenched in their positions.”
Col
Fogarty said it could be very useful to have a person who is independent
of the unit and completely impartial to assist in the process of
resolving disputes between individuals.
Mediators
are available on a user-pays basis, but with a list of about 25
Defence-registered mediators, most units would only be liable for
T&S if there was no locally-based mediator.
There
would be no charge for mediations conducted by internal Defence
mediators in your local area.
For
further information or to arrange a mediation, call any member of
the DADRCM staff.
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