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SIA Training Mediation Techniques
Just like families have their disagreements the workplace is fraught with personality clashes and conflicts, unfortunately they’re inevitable; after all you do spend a lot of your time with your team mates – almost as much as you do with your family and friends in fact.
It might interest you to know, according to a recent survey, that managers spend almost a quarter of their time resolving clashes and this time has become as equally important to management teams as planning, motivation or decision making. The main causes of workplace disputes were identified in the survey as misunderstanding, competition for promotion, lack of team co-operation and need of increased resources.
On the whole we’d all consider conflict as negative or counter-productive; however, providing the disagreement is managed correctly there can be a positive outcome. Remember, teamwork is all about good communication, and providing you are working in a well managed team how you deal with clashes will be monitored – if you’re able to resolve the situation professionally, without your manager intervening your attitude will be rewarded.
In the most extreme cases an effective method of compromise is mediation. This is where the situation is addressed and assessed by a neutral party. Effective mediation will restore a level playing field where each individual is allowed to have their say in a controlled environment. Mediation, when handled correctly, often identifies concerns that have nothing to do with the original conflict, the outcome in this case may recognise other more emotionally based anxiety or a personal misunderstanding.
Mediation should be conducted entirely confidentially and should focus on resolution – it’s not an opportunity to fan the flames, nor should it be concerned with who is right or wrong. There are some proven responses to conflict, they are: Ignore it, Cover it up or simply Dodge the issue and hope it resolves itself; none of these are recommended.
Many people shy away from resolving conflicts because they believe the situation, or whatever outcome there may be where mediation is used, is a threat to their job; this idea is entirely contradictory to what mediation is about, mediation is a way to a negotiation channel that improves moral and communication.
Taking into consideration all the above, apply these thoughts to your SIA Training, a lot of what we’ve discussed here is a fundamental part of your training especially for Security Guards and Door Supervisors where conflict management plays an important part of your instruction – in effect you are the mediator we’ve been discussing.
For example, a lot of your work as a professional Door Supervisor is grounded in conflict management, it’s about using your expert skills to resolve and dispel tricky situations before they escalate. As a Door Supervisor or Security Guard you are often the first person the public will meet when they enter the place where you are working and depending where that may be there could well be times when mediation tactics are needed.
Basically it’s a logical approach to easing the situation and resolving disputes before they get out of hand. Say for example you’re working at a bar or a club, inevitably some members of the public might be a little over the limit. These situations are potentially volatile, however with the right training you’ll learn how to tactfully deal with a rowdy customer or group and either allow them entry or send them on their way with a clear understanding of why they’ve been refused entry.
Many people are under the illusion that working as SIA Licensed Security Guards or Door Supervisors is about sheer muscle or being an obstacle to people having fun; neither of these are conditions of the job, these roles have a whole lot to do with personnel skills, team work, good communication, tactical thinking and acting as a professional representative of the company you are employed by.
You never know when your specialist skills will come in handy, who knows, you might even be able to apply some of your expert training to resolving those inevitable family disputes.
