Mediation the best course in employment disputes

By E Kelvin Hastings- Smith

Published Feb 20, 2012 at 7:00 am 

There can be little worse, in the employment context, than a dispute between an employer and employee.

Formerly on friendly terms, an employer and employee often find themselves at odds about rates of pay, the lack of a pay increase, or a job appraisal during which one party has delivered some bad news.

In the latter case, the dispute will normally arise over a performance issue where the employer gives a warning about future performance and there is the likelihood that the employee will be fired if there is no demonstrable improvement in such performance.

The employee is often disgruntled and would otherwise wish to challenge such a threat to his livelihood but is afraid to make a fuss because he fears losing his job.

So, the employee plans to leave his position and the employer loses a valuable employee who has simply had a blip in performance but who otherwise has been a good employee with a tremendous knowledge of the employer's business and customer base.

The key, for both parties, is to determine how the end of their relationship can be prevented.

Read more at: http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20120220/ISLAND/702209995