Allegations of DISCRIMINATION/HARASSMENT

Discrimination and/or harassment are very sensitive issues to the affected employee(s).  It is common for employees to not trust in-house resources to be fair in dealing with them.  If a discrimination complaint is filed with a government agency, the costs to the organization in money, time, and energy can be substantial, even if the employer prevails.  Moreover, the employee who loses a discrimination charge is inevitably a less motivated and less productive employee.  The mere filing of a discrimination complaint often adversely affects productivity of co-workers and friends of the aggrieved employee. 

Discrimination complaints settled with the involvement of government agencies tend to be resolved based on who is “right” and usually leave one party (if not all parties) feeling shortchanged.  Complaints resolved through collaborative mediation, on the other hand, tend to not only resolve the specific problem leading up to the complaint --- they also heal the deeper wounds that inevitably accompany such complaints.

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