Picture of an unknown Cambridge college. Not really our home!

Picture of piled up hastily abandonned bicycles. Our mediators are busy rushing to class.

Picture of Cambridge bridges. Build bridges, not walls.

Picture of punts (flat bottomed boats used in shallow water around Cambridge). Get from A to B.

Workplace mediation

ACM's workplace and employment mediators are professionally accredited and experienced in helping resolve disputes, whether between people while at work, or between employer and employee on leaving.

In the workplace

Work is a place where conflict is inevitable, it is a part of working life - people are to some extent thrown together, and cannot easily walk away. Friction can arise from the inevitable stresses and pressures of the workplace, including the manner in which people criticise each other and interact, and exacerbated sometimes by misunderstandings and clashes of personality. People often smooth over their own disputes of course, and management can help. But sometimes it is just not possible.

And a dispute costs an organisation in terms of time, money and energy.

Mediation is the way to address unresolved grievances and disputes. It provides a safe and confidential environment in which people can let off steam to the mediator - the mediator is trained to handle it. It also provides a safe environment in which individuals can (if they wish) express their feelings to the other party and be heard, and the mediator can then assist them to carry on communicating in a constructive way.

Click here for true-life cases:

In a mediation, disputes which seem insuperable can melt away. The air can be cleared and communication restored, and the parties are enabled to establish a framework for handling problems arising in the future.

If you are an employer or HR person, we strongly recommend you to engage an ACM mediator when there is a grievance, harassment or bullying complaint, or other dispute which is not going away, perhaps when people at work have stopped talking to each other, or there is ongoing hostility. This can be at any level e.g. between co-workers, between manager and employee, between departments, across sites or within top leadership teams. If you are an employee, suggest it to your employer or HR department. Where a dispute is persisting, the sooner a mediator is brought in the better. The conflict can usually be resolved and the people concerned, instead of devoting their time and energy to the dispute, can get back to being fully productive and probably happier individuals.

On leaving

If the employment relationship is terminated, mediation is the ideal way to handle any claim arising, including an unfair dismissal or discrimination claim. You may wish to take preliminary legal advice to establish the strengths and weaknesses of your position. Then go to mediation - instead of fighting the case in an Employment Tribunal, with all the attendant expense on legal costs, stress and management time, and sometimes the possible risk to reputations. Our mediator can usually help the parties (and their legal advisers) to negotiate a settlement which each can live with.

Ring us on 01223 370063 for a discussion about our mediators or workplace mediation in general or email .

Click here for our Notes describing the workplace mediation process .

Our workplace panel mediators

Click on a name for a full profile of each mediator:-

  1. Gillian Caroe
  2. Carolyn Graham
  3. John Byrne
  4. Frances Green
  5. Sally Ruthen
  6. Phil Barlow
  7. Hywel Griffiths
  8. Paul Wheatley
  9. Dennis Muirhead
  10. Louisa Taylor
  11. Sally Thompson
  12. Adjoa Tamakloe
  13. Simon Carne

"Mr Byrne showed great skill, perseverance and tenacity in helping to resolve [the dispute] in a way which was satisfactory to the parties."


Solicitor

"Very good. Would recommend to anyone considering mediation."

Mr B
Business client

"Very tactful.  Impressed.  John Byrne did a good job … a new experience for me with this legal dispute that [had] gone on for far too long."


Client