{"id":43,"date":"2017-04-10T17:12:02","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T17:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wyomingtraining.com\/subject-matter-minute-blog\/?p=43"},"modified":"2017-10-12T15:17:37","modified_gmt":"2017-10-12T15:17:37","slug":"mediation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wyomingtraining.com\/subject-matter-minute-blog\/mediation\/","title":{"rendered":"Subject Matter Minute, Episode #3: Mediation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The below post is taken from the Video Blog, the Subject Matter Minute. If it’s a little hard to read, it’s because it’s taken from the spoken word. You can view the episode on YouTube if you would like. Find it here: \u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OzWLKctL1PM<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

If YouTube is blocked for you or your agency, you can scroll to the bottom of this post to view it from Google Drive.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You can also listen to an audio version: Episode #3: Mediation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Welcome to episode number three of\u00a0the subject matter minute. Thanks for\u00a0joining me again, I appreciate it.<\/p>\n

I would\u00a0like to thank\u00a0last episode’s subject matter expert once\u00a0again… that was EGI, or employee’s group\u00a0insurance. They helped us out with vision\u00a0benefits. Hopefully, if you were thinking\u00a0about getting vision benefits or paying\u00a0for that extra benefit, it helped\u00a0you decide whether or not to do it. And\u00a0if you already had it, hopefully it\u00a0helped you figure out how to use it best.<\/p>\n

Let’s get on with episode\u00a0number three. This week the subject is\u00a0mediation. Before I get\u00a0started, I want to mention a couple\u00a0things. First of all, I just ran through\u00a0this entire episode, nearly perfectly, and\u00a0then realized I wasn’t recording. So yeah, this one’s probably going to suck! Anyways… first of all, I want to thank\u00a0this episode’s subject matter expert… Karla\u00a0Smith of HRD.\u00a0She’s a senior\u00a0human resources consultant with HRD,\u00a0and\u00a0a co-worker of mine, and she’s a project coordinator that works\u00a0on special projects as well. One of\u00a0her special projects has been to head up\u00a0the mediation program. All of her contact information is going to be below and\u00a0after I explain everything about this, you can contact her with questions or if\u00a0you need to use the service.<\/p>\n

Mediation… what is it? It’s an informal process to resolve conflicts\u00a0between employees. It’s really that\u00a0simple. It’s used in order to not\u00a0move on to other processes such as\u00a0grievances. Let’s talk about some of the\u00a0advantages of it. To begin with, it’s a voluntary process\u00a0that’s offered to all state employees; it’s a fair process; it’s a confidential\u00a0process; and really\u00a0what it does, is it opens\u00a0up avenues of communication. You know how\u00a0it is… typically these problems are\u00a0communication problems. It also offers the\u00a0opportunity to resolve these issues at a\u00a0low level instead of bringing in all the\u00a0bigwigs and going through processes that\u00a0require a lot of paperwork.<\/p>\n

Next, let’s talk about what mediation is not.\u00a0It’s not a substitute for discipline: discipline is a different process. It’s\u00a0not therapy. Now, our mediators are\u00a0trained, but they’re not trained\u00a0therapists. It’s not telling others what\u00a0to do, so if you’re coming into it\u00a0thinking that you can tell the other\u00a0party how to act or what to do, or that the mediator will… that’s not\u00a0true. It’s not crisis intervention, so if\u00a0there’s\u00a0immediate\u00a0threat or danger, there’s\u00a0different processes for that. It’s not appropriate\u00a0for all situations. And finally, it’s not\u00a0magic. That being said… it\u00a0works most of the time.<\/p>\n

Let’s talk about the mediators. The\u00a0mediators are volunteers that have\u00a0volunteered to help in this area, and\u00a0there’s several across the state. A\u00a0mediator is an individual who’s attended\u00a0training. They\u00a0are good\u00a0listeners; they’re a fair person who\u00a0doesn’t take sides; they’re a person who\u00a0can be trusted; they’re a person who\u00a0keeps things confidential; and on that same\u00a0line, they are a person that doesn’t\u00a0make assumptions or draw conclusions\u00a0based on stereotypes. Now\u00a0I know that sounds like a perfect person, but these\u00a0folks really are good folks that are\u00a0volunteering to help you guys work out\u00a0these problems. A\u00a0mediator is\u00a0not a judge or a legal advisor… they have\u00a0training but not that kind of training. They\u00a0are not a person who\u00a0gives orders or advice… they’re there to\u00a0bring you together and help you out.<\/p>\n

Next, there’s a bunch of frequently asked\u00a0questions that I’m going to kind of sum\u00a0up because it hits a lot of the\u00a0highlights.<\/p>\n