• The average time for a civil suit to go to trial is 2½ years, whereas disputes that went through a dispute resolution program were resolved in an average of just 67 days and at a fraction of the cost.
• Over the last 10 years, discrimination cases filed in federal court have increased 300%.
• Unmanaged disputes are responsible for up to 65% of workplace performance problems.
• It has been shown that unresolved conflict leads to poor morale, which in turn increases absenteeism, and the cost of absenteeism to large employers is over $1 million per year.
• Fifty percent of departures are linked to conflict, and turnover costs for an employee range between 75% and 150% of annual salary.

Click here to read more.

The goal of a corporate dispute resolution system is to provide employees with tools and choices to resolve their disputes efficiently. These tools and choices include preparing employees to resolve their own disputes internally through training and providing employees with external options such as mediation by MWI’s panel of experienced mediators. Options include dispute resolution training for employees, the coordination of existing support options such as HR and EAP, and internal mediation services provided by employees and managers trained by MWI.

External elements include an ombuds resource, external mediation, and arbitration provided by a neutral provider. An ombuds resource provides a confidential forum for employees to raise and resolve challenges and provide upward feedback to leadership. (More information about MWI’s Organizational Ombuds Services is available by clicking here.) External mediation is a process in which an external professional neutral from MWI helps the employees work out mutually beneficial resolutions to difficult disputes with other employees and managers. Arbitration involves an external professional neutral who makes a binding decision for the parties to a dispute.