Blogs / Tags / Conflict & Dispute Resolution

Excerpted from North Dakota Employment Law Letter written by attorneys at the law firm of Vogel Law Firm Claims of unlawful religious discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1991 may involve your unwillingness to reasonably accom... More...

Many Canadian organizations are experiencing deep and debilitating morale crises, just as they're trying to cope with a challenging business climate. Companies are finding that a large number of their workers, supervisors, managers and executives ... More...

During a Practice Safe Stress and Team Building workshop for legal assistants and support staff of a major law firm, a paralegal, with an edge in his voice, recalled a frustrating encounter with one of the firm’s partners. Apparently, misinfor... More...

Negotiations play a major part in our everyday work experience. We negotiate with coworkers, colleagues, and customers in accepting ideas and proposals, in winning jobs, in buying and selling products or services, and in resolving conflicts. Yet re... More...

Following are selected excerpts of a series of e-mail exchanges I had with a reader of my books and articles. It's a great example of having the self-esteem, and mustering the courage, to do all you can to change your job situation (some of those det... More...

My last article, Pruning Thorns from Roses: HR's Role in Managing Disruptive Key Employees,1 explored approaches for managing difficult key employees. Several readers of this article requested that I examine what they felt was a more difficult and pe... More...

Which statement is true? Bullying behavior in the workplace: " Is commonplace. " Can have a significant adverse impact on a company's bottom line. " Is usually ignored by management. In fact, all three statements are true. Surp... More...

With rising fuel costs, longer commutes, and threatened layoffs, workplace morale is at an all-time low--and frustration is on the rise. In many cases, workers are being asked to do more work for less pay. The result? Frustration and desk rage are ra... More...

Mediation adopts a 'no-blame' approach when supporting people in resolving their dispute. And the reasons behind doing this are just as relevant in any difficult situation such as a complaint, or relationship breakdown or other destructive conflict s... More...

A bright line differentiates client advocacy in mediation from other forms of client advocacy. Good lawyers know the difference and are getting much better results from mediations than those who do not make this important distinction. As the lega... More...

Imagine that, a couple months ago, you bought a house in a nice new development. The house is only ten years old or so and looked good when you bought it. You paid more than you had thought you would have to in order to live in the area, but you're s... More...

We've all heard the saying "Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, but when it comes to standardizing on a global human resource management system (HRMS), the same could be said for an organization's Information Technology (IT) and Human Resour... More...

Janet and Kawas have worked together for three years. From the beginning, they've argued over their responsibilities on shared assignments, requiring their manager's intervention each time. Their disagreements are becoming increasingly strident and t... More...

Since I began mediating 12 years ago, I have made it a practice to ask parties and counsel to sign an Agreement to Mediate, usually prior to the first session. I have developed my own form agreements for different types of mediations (commercial, fam... More...

Every experienced mediator I know has developed an individual style. The mediator's opening statement, our use of caucuses (or not), the degree of evaluation with which we are comfortable, and effective techniques for moving through impasseall of th... More...

Many employers are easily frustrated by the amount of effort it takes to respond to even the most frivolous of employee claims. For example, if a disgruntled former employee files a frivolous complaint of discrimination, the EEOC wants you to "submit... More...

The Tempest "The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity. - Harlan Ellison On May 16, 2008, George Bush visited Israel on the occasion of its 60th birthday party and, in a speech to the Knesset conveying b... More...

Like it or not, conflict between people is inevitable, yet fair and acceptable resolution is not. In business as in life, people interact and their differences lead to conflict, and often to dispute. As Roger Fisher, William Ury and Bruce Patton wrot... More...

Discipline and termination meetings are emotionally charged events that carry the potential for nasty words, hurt feelings and even legal troubles.HR professionals and supervisors never know how employees will respond to discipline or firings. But th... More...

I'm not arguing. I'm just talking to myself. Nicholas Eisaguirre Evans, Age 4 Preparing to Listen When we're arguing during a conflict, most of us are not listening; we are, as my son says, "just talking to ourselves. Clearly, one of the most import... More...

Albert Einstein was considered one of the great problem solvers of his generation. His remarks about the universe query scientific and conventional wisdom. Can we discover in his life and innovative beliefs any attitude, aptitude, method or skill sui... More...

If a mediation is going to have a chance at success, perhaps the most important decision is who will sit in the neutral chair at the head of the table. From case to case, that decision will vary. Attorneys owe it to their clients to invest the time i... More...

A ball. A bat. A glove. A field, A player. Baseball is brilliant in its simplicity. So too is mediation. Sometimes we forget the basics, while other times we complicate them for a variety of questionable reasons. The process of mediation ought not be... More...

Say a long-time VP leaves your organization without warning. Suddenly, everyone is abuzz. Why him? Why now? What does this mean for me?Unexpected and unexplained events can spark rumors among employees. If ignored by HR and the management team, rumor... More...

What does conflict management have to do with comedy? A lot, it turns out. To be funny, to elevate another person (or, say, a large audience) one has to be present and very much in tune with the other. A merging of sorts takes place. A shift from pit... More...

Tags

News

Hostile Work Environment: Employee Warned to 'Find God' or 'Go to Hell'

Morale Problem? Look in the Mirror

Transforming Conflict: Replacing Blaming “You”s with Tactfully Assertive “I”s

Language Can Shape the Outcome of a Negotiation

Refusing to be Victimized by a Bad Boss

Managing a Difficult Boss (Part I)

Bully in the Workplace: Ignore at Your Peril

Tips for Dealing with Desk Rage -- Theirs and Yours

The No-blame Approach In Mediation

Sincere Opening Statements Bring Best Mediation Results

So You’ve Got a Beef. Now What?

Bridging The Gap When 'IT' is From Mars & 'HR' is From Venus

The ‘Evilution’ of Workplace Conflict

Are Agreements To Mediate Necessary? Yes!

Are Mediators Damage Control Experts?: A Case Study of Community Mediation

Punishment by Complaint

Appeasement and Diplomacy

The Huge Costs of 'Being Right'!

Responding to Employee Rants: 4 Do's and Don'ts

Communicating Effectively During Conflict

Einstein’s Tips For Negotiated Solutions In Human Conflicts

Choose Carefully: All Mediators Are Not Created Equal

Simplicity Works

Managing the Workplace Rumor Mill: 4 Ways HR Can Tame the Beast

Fear of Funny: A Mediator’s Guide to Losing It

	Good Guy = Bad Manager :: Bad Guy = Good Manager. Is it a Myth?

	Base Pay Increases Remain Steady in 2007, Mercer Survey Finds

	Online Overload: The Perfect Candidates Are Out There - If You Can Find Them

	Cartus Global Survey Shows Trend to Shorter-Term International Relocation Assignments

	Rewards, Vacation and Perks Are Passé; Canadians Care Most About Cash