1. It provides an opportunity for confidential, impartial support for managers and employees and any other stakeholders including Board Members, Charity Trustees etc.

Why is this important?

People involved in a workplace dispute do not always feel safe to openly discuss and actively address their unresolved conflict because they fear confidentiality breaches, gossip, partial interventions by senior managers with vested interests in particular outcomes, and other concerns. This often leads to an adversarial stand-off or impasse, and subsequent suspension of employees or employees ceasing to attend work because the situation has become unmanageable. Once this stage has been reached, involvement of legal representatives or other advocates is almost considered the 'norm'.

While all employees have a right to representation, earlier involvement of effective conflict resolution support is usually missed out in the stages before this becomes necessary.

Workplace Conflict Coaching can be made available to ALL participants in a difficult situation at any stage in a workplace conflict to help them review the way they are dealing with their situation and provide support in creating more effective ways of responding to it.

2. Workplace conflict coaching is not 'counselling'.

One of the difficulties of offering counselling to employees with whom there is a workplace difficulty is that it can suggest that the 'problem' is with the employee. This is often why such intervention is refused or is taken up simply to fulfill the policy requirements of a Disciplinary and Grievance Procedure and is ultimately ineffective because there is no real 'buy in' by the person attending.

Of course there can be a strong belief that the problem is with the employee being 'sent' for counselling, but if the situation is becoming unmanageable, conflict coaching can also support the Manager in reviewing their own response to the situation so that they can learn better ways of responding in future situations.

Conflict Coaching has to be a voluntary process and has to be available for all participants involved in an unresolved conflict at work. In this way it is clear that it is an impartial support, taken up freely by those wishing to and those who do not are not 'judged' for not doing so.

3. Workplace Conflict Coaching continues for no more than 3 sessions.

Why is Conflict Coaching limited to a maximum of 3 sessions?

The purpose of Conflict Coaching is to support a client in making new decisions, about creating new perspectives to their situation, about learning and practicing new ways of responding to their situation.

The limit of 3 cases challenges the client to step out on their own to deal with what is ultimately their 'owned' difficulty - or - to actively decide that at present they do not wish to deal with the problem, perhaps because they have other priorities and the Conflict Coaching has helped them to see that. Whichever they choose, the limit to the number of sessions offered is 3.

A client can return for Conflict Coaching after 6 months, but it is important that there is always a clear end to any Conflict Coaching process - and so, any follow up sessions would also be limited to 3.

Return from Workplace Conflict Coaching to main Conflict Coaching page

Comments