During the formal processes the employee concerned was away from work and was now in a position to return to work. Some team members had been adversely effected by the processes and were anxious about the return to work.
We were asked to assist with enabling all concerned to move on from recent events, We meet with team members individually and confidentiality to gather viewpoints and opinions of what needed to happen to facilitate the return to work and improve team working. A recurrent theme was an unwillingness within the team to provide open and honest feedback previously; as a result by the time the situation came to management and HR attention it had escalated significantly. It was also clear that there was a team divide.
A mediation took place between the employee who had raised the grievance and the employee who had been disciplined. This was a difficult process for both as both felt extremely hurt by the others actions; the employees were able to work through this and have a better understanding of the impact of behaviours and how the situation had arisen. Genuine apologies were given on both sides.
A team meeting was then facilitated. This included statements from the two employees who had taken part in mediation and discussions around barriers to open feedback and how these could be overcome. This meeting provided an opportunity for team members to express their own viewpoints in a managed way. An action plan was agreed which included aspects of the return to work plan.
This process enabled all employees (to varying degrees) to move on. It has enabled the employee to return to work in a much more effective way then would otherwise have been possible. It has also helped to raise awareness of the benefits of challenge and feedback and begin to break down the divisions within the team.
