Pragmatism (UK) Ltd

People often call us and almost apologise that the situation they need help with isn't a pleasant one. Situations needing mediation are rarely positive to start with - people don't tend to ask for mediation because they're really happy with each other! It’s amazing how many times clients will say “you won’t have dealt with anything like this before”. What they forget is we’ve dealing with disputes all day every day so there probably isn’t much that w haven’t seen before 😀 W've dealt with some very prickly situations (from disputes between two people through to national strikes) and some really prickly people. Most people don’t get out of bed wanting to be horrible, they’re usually passionate and frustrated - as mediators our job is to tap into that and help two or more frustrated people talk, listen and understand each other. Once they do that they find solutions! If you ever want to learn these skills yourself, you have managers who avoid tough conversations, you’d like to train internal mediators, attend our webinars, or you have a dispute which needs resolving, you know where we are - just drop us a message. #Mediation #Leadership #pricklyissues

Today I’ve spent some time reflecting on my recent mediations, it’s been so fulfilling to play a role in transforming workplace relationships - relationships where the impact extends far beyond the hours of the working day. Often, people share how the situation has affected their partners, parents, and even their children. So while my focus during mediation is always on the people in the room, I approach each one knowing that its effect can reach much further. Seeing someone leave a session feeling lighter than when they arrived is a powerful reminder of how meaningful this process can be. Here’s to creating workplaces that not only support employees but also positively influence the lives of those around them. #WorkplaceMediation #ConflictResolution #WorkplaceWellbeing

Do you like our new training venue? This is the main training room which is incredibly airy and spacious, overlooking the beautiful golf course. It even has a dance floor at the back should we need it, and given that one of our delegates used to be a professional dancer you never know! 🕺💃 We're so lucky to have such fantastic people who join our workplace mediator training programmes at Pragmatism (UK) Ltd, and this week's delegates are no exception. I'm very excited about the week ahead! #mediatortraining #hr #leadership

People often ask us “is mediation likely to work? I just can’t see a solution”. Our answer always is that if they could see a solution, presumably they would have implemented it by now and wouldn’t be calling us for help! That’s what we do - we help people to find solutions. Not seeing solutions is normal. Not knowing how to sort things out is normal. Feeling that there’s no hope really is normal - and it’s OK! What isn’t normal is that we never give up. We never give up helping people to find solutions so they can move on with their lives and focus on what’s important. Most cases are about building relationships and it’s such a great feeling seeing them discuss and agree how they’re going to work together in future. Occasionally a relationship is broken beyond repair. That’s OK too - it doesn’t mean there isn’t a solution. We simply switch from workplace mediation to employment mediation (see the blog below). Often we run both in parallel! A client recently left a review which said “Charlotte performed miracles and the two individuals came out with a solution and were raving about the process. I’m not sure if it was mediation or magic, but it was amazing!’ We’re so lucky to have a small but perfectly formed team of mediators who will never give up, and whilst it seems like magic it’s purely down to talent, personality, ethos and the desire to help. As we often say “there's always a solution with a touch of pragmatism” - it’s incredible what people can achieve when they’re helped to talk, listen and understand each other. Why make statements in investigations, formal meetings and tribunals when good old-fashioned talking finds solutions? If you ever want to learn these skills yourself, you have managers who avoid tough conversations, you’d like to train internal mediators, attend our webinars, or you have a dispute which needs resolving, you know where we are - just drop us a message. #Mediation #Disputes #HR

Congratulations to the new team of internal mediators at KP Snacks, the latest team to join our revolution to resolution! Safe journey home Charlotte! #mediatortraining #feedback #dedication

We all know life is too short. Most of us spend far too much time at work. Why would we want to spend our precious time battling against each other? As mediators we work with many people who have been through months and years of intensely stressful grievances and disputes. Within a matter of hours mediation enables them to finally move on with their lives. The job satisfaction of literally seeing the weight lift from people’s shoulders is immense. What’s the most common thing people say after a mediation? “I wish we’d had this conversation months or years ago”. The sad thing is they could have - in fact we would argue they should have. This is why we’re happy to mediate any disputes, but we’d rather develop your leaders so you won’t need us again! Give managers the confidence to have the right conversations and they will nip issues in the bud immediately. Don’t waste any more time in disputes - life really is too short. Proper conversations are the answer - not grievances or tribunals! If you ever want to learn these skills yourself, you have managers who avoid tough conversations, you’d like to train internal mediators, attend our webinars, or you have a dispute which needs resolving, you know where we are  - just drop me a message. #mediation #grievances #disputes

A really good drama and a nice, simple explanation as to why mediation is such a better option than battling in court! #mediation

It’s so tempting isn’t it? When someone hacks you off - react and tell them exactly what you think! Give them a “right mouthful” or send them that “rocket” of an email using as many expletives as you can. When you get the same back, your heart races with anger - so then you really give it to them with both barrels. No holds barred this time! The one thing you can guarantee is it won’t end well. When issues escalate and we resolve issues in mediations we often hear words such as “maybe I shouldn’t have said that” or “I didn’t really mean it to come across that way”. Once they’ve sorted things out, they then agree on how they will interact in future when they have disagreements or misunderstandings. All they needed to do a long time earlier was to have the right conversations - if only their organisations had developed the skills and confidence to help people resolve their own issues internally. If you ever want to learn these skills yourself, you have managers who avoid tough conversations, you’d like to train internal mediators, attend our webinars, or you have a dispute which needs resolving, you know where we are - just drop us a message. #communication #leadership #hr

We do love the interaction we get on all our webinars, especially the unknown questions which we get asked in our 90-minute open Q&A sessions! Most disputes don't need external mediation - they could (arguably should) have been nipped in the bud earlier, and we want to help you to do just that. Formal grievances aren't the solution - they're usually the problem! If you haven't already signed up for this webinar it isn't too late - the link is in the comments, and you'll also be able to sign up for future dates for different free webinars too. We need to get back the lost art of conversation! #hr #leadership #mediation

Reading reviews such as this makes us all so proud! #mediatortraining #hr #leadership