Mediation process with regards to the process itself

 You work in the HR department at an insurance company and have just received an email asking you to mediate a discussion on an issue that you hear has been ongoing for some time. The issue involves a conflict between an employee and their supervisor who cannot agree on many aspects of an upcoming project (division of work, deadlines, and each other’s responsibilities). A new employee named Lucy has recently joined the HR department and you feel it would be a good learning experience for her to join you and observe the mediation. You set up a meeting time with the employee and supervisor involved in the conflict. Before meeting with them, you take some time to speak with Lucy and take her through some pointers that she should be aware of.

 

Explain what you would tell Lucy about the mediation process with regards to the process itself, three important skills that would be required during the mediation and explain how you would deal with the potential power imbalance between the employee and supervisor. ( worth up to 12.5 marks).