8th March: The next Globis webinar is scheduled for 10.00am on 25th March 2010. The webinar will look at the role that mediation can play in UK places of work and will include presentations from the CIPD and EEF. To register, please click here:
Author Archive for editor
28 February 2010
In October 2010, the Equality Bill is scheduled to become law in the UK. It’ s the biggest single biggest piece of employment legislation that the UK will face this year. The Bill is designed to ensure that everybody is adequately protected against discrimination.
A socio-economic duty to reduce inequality
The Bill will consolidate existing legislation on sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief and age. If not followed or prepared for properly, it could result in significant costs for organisations. The Equalities Office is estimating that its implementation is likely to cost somewhere in the region of £310million mainly as a result of extra tribunal and court cases.
Speaking of a link to bullying and harassment, and the events of the last week, the focus of the new Bill will be on ‘preventing unwanted conduct which has the purpose or effect of violating a persons’ dignity or creating a hostile environment’. The emphasis is on the concept of prevention and the steps an organisation takes to help prevention. Organisations will be compelled to recognise their socio-economic duty to reduce inequality.
The Bill will include a new term of ‘protected characteristic’ – a protected characteristic being sex, race, age, and religious belief etc. Conduct which is ‘related to’ a protected characteristic will be also be covered. For example it will protect an employee from being harassed because of their association with someone – such as having a relative who is a homosexual or of a certain race.
The Bill is also designed to increase transparency about pay. Organisations in the private sector with more than 250 employees will be required to publish information on differences in pay between male and female employees (from 2013). The public sector will be required to publish pay gap reports too. The public sector will also be forced to consider equality when deciding on purchasing or outsourcing.
In recruitment, an employer will be able to take a ‘protected characteristic’ into account. For example, where a male and female applicant are considered as having equal skills and experience, the female could be appointed where there is female under representation. This is in effect, positive action.
Employment tribunals will have new powers to make recommendations that will have to be applied to the whole workforce. For example, if a former employee wins a case for being discriminated against, the organisation could be ordered to provide training in equality and diversity management for all managers.
The Bill is far reaching. Even the Pope has had something to say about it!
What can you do now?
- Ensure your equality and diversity policies are compliant – carry out Equality Impact Assessments
- Deliver staff briefing sessions on the changing legislation
- Deliver one day courses on ‘Equality & Diversity – how to manage difference’
- Run training sessions on the prevention of bullying and harassment
- Deliver training sessions on managing difficult conversations
- Set up an in-house mediation scheme
For more information about the Equality Bill visit:
Equalities and Human Rights Commission
Clive Lewis
Director – Globis
2 February 2010: News Release
On 26/27 January 2010 Globis ran its first Workplace Mediation Conversion Course for civil and commercial mediators. The groundbreaking course has received excellent reviews. There is an ongoing debate in the mediation industry about whether there are any differences in mediating civil/commercial and workplace disputes. Delegates attending the course seemed to think so.
Antony Sendall of Littleton Chambers said “I found the Globis Workplace Mediation Conversion Course both very valuable and highly stimulating. I especially enjoyed the way in which the learning was achieved primarily through dialogue and discussion. The group size was perfectly balanced as it was large enough to result in a diverse range of backgrounds and experience, yet small enough to give everyone sufficient time to say their piece, to exchange thoughts and experiences and to play an active part in the role play scenarios. Despite being an employment lawyer already, I learned a lot and now feel much better equipped to conduct effective workplace mediations”.
Immediately after announcing the course, Globis was contacted with enquiries from civil/commercial mediators who have an interest in adding workplace mediation to their portfolio. The 2 day course, held at the International Dispute Resolution Centre, Fleet Street, London, deals with both the theory and practical aspects of workplace related disputes, looking at key themes such as:
- The 7 step commissioning process
- Understanding key phrases and terms used in workplace disputes
- How to draft a workplace related settlement agreement
- How to follow up after mediation workplace disputes, and
- Providing delegates with an opportunity to practice workplace mediation skills by using real-life case studies
- How to calculate the cost of conflict for an organisation
Jack Fallow, Globis Director said “I am delighted that the first course has been such a great success. We thought long and hard about the design for the programme and it seems that we struck the right balance”.
Due to the continuing demand for the course, new dates have now been added for March. For more details click here:
Note to Editors:
- Globis director, Clive Lewis is the author of ‘The Definitive Guide to Workplace Mediation’
- Globis is a Board member of the Civil Mediation Council
- A new ACAS Code of practice introducing the concept mediation for the first time was introduced in April 2009
- Globis recently trained 16 mediators at East Sussex County Council leading to the implementation of an in-house mediation scheme which has delivered cost savings of just under £1million in just over one year. East Sussex County Council was on the short list for the CIPD 2009 awards for the introduction of the scheme.
31 January 2010: Recent research indicates that Monday February 1st is likely to be a popular day for throwing a ’sickie’ – pretending to be too ill to go into work. To see the BBC news item click here: 
Globis helps many organisations reduce absenteeism and increase presenteeism. To subscribe for the Globis webinar on sickness and well-being on February 25th, click here:
14 January 2010: Today, Lord Justice Jackson published the final report of his review of civil litigation costs.
For copies of the report please click here:
For a brief summary of the report please click here:
8 January 2010: The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) have reviewed ‘The Definitive Guide to Workplace Mediation’ written by Globis MD, Clive Lewis.
The book review states
The Business Case for conflict management is clearly set out and would be a useful background in seeking to convince those considering commissioning mediation (management or HR functions).
For more of the book review, click here: Clive Lewis RICS Book Review
11 November 2009: One of the most exciting developments in the mediation world during 2009 has been the emergence of workplace mediation. Helped by the Gibbons review and the introduction of the news ACAS Code of Practice, employers and lawyers are commissioning more mediation. Globis was one of the organisations invited to advise the Gibbons panel during the review. Globis MD, Clive Lewis, is author of the widely-acclaimed “The Definitive Guide to Workplace Mediation”.
Globis has seen a sharp increase in the number of civil/commercial trained mediators who want to add workplace and employment related mediation to their portfolio. So much so, that they have launched a Workplace Mediation Conversion Course specifically tailored for this group.
The 2 day course will deal with both the theory and the practical aspects of workplace related disputes, looking at key things such as:
- The 7 step commissioning process,
- Understanding key phrases and terms used in workplace disputes,
- How to draft a workplace related settlement agreement,
- How to follow up after mediation workplace disputes, and
- Providing delegates with an opportunity to practice workplace mediation skills by using real-life case studies.
The first course kicks off on 26th – 27th January 2010 and will be held at the IDRC, Fleet Street, London. Spaces are likely to be filled quickly.
The business case suggests that conflict in the workplace is costing UK employers £24bn per year. With 2010 likely to bring tighter budgets to most organisations, mediation represents a cost effective alternative to an ongoing workplace dispute or going to tribunal. The indications are that there will be a continued soar in the number of organisations referring case to mediation.
This course attracts Law Society and Bar Standards Board CPD points.
For more information about the course and to book a place, please click here.
Note to Editors:
- Globis is one of the UK’s leading providers of workplace mediation services.
- Globis founder and director, Clive Lewis is the Author of ‘The Definitive Guide to Mediation at Work’.
- A new ACAS code of practice introducing mediation for the first time was introduced in April 2009.
- Globis recently trained 16 mediators at East Sussex County Council leading to the implementation of an in-house mediation scheme which has delivered cost savings of £500,000 in one year. East Sussex County Council is on the short list for the CIPD 2009 awards for the introduction of the scheme.
5 November 2009: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has advised employers to do more to tackle the effects of stress in the workplace.
The cost of work-related mental illness is reported to be £28bn per year – a quarter of the UK’s total sick bill. Nice advised that there are a number of simple steps that organisations can take to prevent stress levels increasing. Part of the problem, they said, lay with the relationship between line managers and direct reports.
Globis MD, Clive Lewis said “Poor working relationships can have a negative impact on productivity and can cause employees to regularly call in sick. Giving feedback, praise, setting objectives and reviewing performance can all help to manage the stress levels faced by today’s workers. Globis has been working hard to help organisations understand more about building better relationships and managing stress in the workplace”.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development recently produced a survey which revealed that a quarter of UK workers describe their mental health as moderate or poor, yet nearly all continued to work regularly.
Dame Carol Black, the government national director for health, who produced a report calling on employers to take more of an interest in the health of their workforce, welcomed the recommendations.
The Confederation of British Industry said that many organisations have set up staff support schemes in recent years.
To view a clip from Professor Mike Kelly, director for Public Helath, NICE please click here.
30 October 2009 – News Release:
This week, Clive Lewis, Globis founder and MD was interviewed for an article on the BBC’s website. The article, entitled “Doing deals between angry parties” outlines what mediation is and explains some of the key tactics employed to get a successful outcome.
After negotiations between Royal Mail and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) failed to reach agreement despite three days of talks being attended by the TUC’s Brendan Barber, the latest postal strikes are in full swing. Clive, an experienced mediator himself, who has settled hundreds of cases, said that disputes can have several different issues, some not entirely related to the main bone of contention. Pay, working hours and plans for modernisation might all play a part. Something like the issues among the CWU and Royal Mail.
Mediation is used to solve thousands of cases across the UK. There are a number of important key points to follow for a mediation to be successful. Neutral venues to both parties have obvious advantages in creating the right atmosphere; the mediator also operates neutrally in their role. The mediator does not express any views as to the merits of a case being put forward by each side. Their role is to ensure that the parties reach as full an understanding as possible of the strengths and weaknesses of their own and their opponent’s cases. The mediator will guide parties to a point where ideally they reach a settlement.
To view the full article click here
Note to Editors:
- Globis is one of the UK’s leading providers of workplace mediation services
- Globis founder and director, Clive Lewis is a Board member of the Civil Mediation Council and author of ‘The Definitive Guide to Mediation at Work’
- A new ACAS code of practice introducing mediation for the first time was introduced in April 2009
- Globis recently trained 16 mediators at East Sussex County Council leading to the implementation of an in-house mediation scheme which has delivered cost savings of £500,000 in one year. East Sussex County Council is on the short list for the CIPD 2009 awards for the introduction of the scheme.
For more information please call Clive Lewis or Jack Fallow on 0800 345 7703 or email info@globis.co.uk
