FAQs

Business

  1. What sort of companies use mediators?
    Almost all types of companies use external mediators at one time or another, ranging from small family businesses to multinational corporations. A survey conducted by Price Waterhouse and Cornell's PERC Institute on Conflict Resolution of over 530 corporations in the Fortune 1000 category revealed that:

    - 90% of respondents view Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as a critical cost-control technique.
    - 54% of respondents indicate that cost pressures directly affected their decision to use mediators.
    - 88% of respondents reported using mediation in the last three years.
    - 23% of respondents use grievance procedures for non-union employment dispute resolution.

  2. Don’t companies usually handle problems like this themselves?
    Not all problems can be handled by the Human Resources Department. Often an external professional mediator is necessary to avoid potential conflict of interest on the part of the company, the union or the individual. With the neutrality and confidentiality of the process, mediation can:

    - prevent conflict escalating into costly legal disputes
    - decrease staff turnover
    - decrease absenteeism
    - enhance team cohesiveness
    - improve morale
    - promote productivity within your organization
    - enable employees to successfully deal with interpersonal conflict on their own.

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  3. Does mediation really work?
    The answer is “yes”. According to a report entitled “Controlling the Costs of Conflict”, corporations that have developed collaborative conflict management systems reported significant litigation cost savings. For example, the firm of Brown and Root reported an 80% reduction in outside litigation costs. Motorola reported a 75% reduction over a period of six years, and NCR reported a drop of pending lawsuits from 263 to 28 between the years 1984 and 1993.

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  4. How does mediation help my bottom line?
    Chances are that both the company and the customer want to get past whatever their issue is, and return to their prior business dealings, especially if they have worked well in the past. Offering mediation will likely surprise, but greatly please your customers. You are showing you are proud of your products or services and are prepared to support your position. Yet you are also showing you care for your customers and their business, and will do whatever it takes to resolve problems. Keep your customers happy, and they will reciprocate.

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The Negotiators is a mediation and and negotiations firm based in metro Atlanta, Georgia, serving the U.S. and Canada. Our mediators, negotiators and conflict management practitioners are highly experienced, well trained and extremely qualified to help resolve your personal or professional disputes.