Lessons from the RAF: How to get the most value from offering mediation

Flight Officer Jesal Patel

Royal Air Force

Flight Officer SO3 Mediation

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September 21, 2023

RAF lessons: How to make the most of mediation

Mediation can be a valuable tool for establishing a more open workplace culture.

By Flight Officer Jesal Patel

Tags: Communication, Leadership, Management, Wellbeing

Mediation — the use of an independent third party to support people in finding agreement and reconciliation — is becoming part of the everyday culture of the RAF.

The principle is that a conversation can solve any conflict, and bring an end to situations that would otherwise result in a formal Service Complaint, the involvement of senior officers, more time, costs and longer periods of stress and anxiety for all those caught up in the process.

With a network of 127 mediators now in place, RAF Mediation’s priority is to make informal resolutions the norm; the instinctive first step that catches conflict and potential conflict early on.

The RAF was the first of the three armed forces to embrace mediation in 2008.

Along the way, there have been a number of lessons in terms of how to get the most value from offering mediation.

Make sure there is a sense of independence

There has to be trust in the mediator – not only in their training and professional expertise – but in their impartiality.

There can be no suspicion of connections or sympathies that make them unable to step back from a situation, or that prompts any kind of doubt in the minds of employees involved in the mediation conversation.

And that can depend a great deal on the scale and culture of the organisation.

There has to be trust in the mediator – not only in their training and professional expertise – but in their impartiality

The importance of accreditation

All mediators have been through the Professional Workplace Mediator programme; the most widely used, nationally accredited training programme for mediators.

Each participant gets developmental and motivational coaching around their use of skills and use of the mediation process.

There are carefully set-up assessed role plays throughout and interactive small group exercises.

The course is structured so that delegates get the chance to learn core skills and process early on, then move into more detailed work on higher levels of conflict and conclude with the most difficult material including power imbalances and high levels of resistance to the process.

Provide availability and speed

Mediation needs to be timely, taking place when it’s needed and not just when mediators can find the chance to be available.

Delays always lead to the risk of escalation, for conflicting positions to harden.

So internal mediators need to have some scope for flexibility within their schedules, and be able to shift their focus to mediation with support from their line manager.

Mediation needs to be timely, taking place when it’s needed and not just when mediators can find the chance to be available

Get the scale right

Evidence suggests that a ratio of one mediator per 300 staff is the minimum.

At the same time, mediators should be handling more than three cases per year to justify their role, to avoid skills becoming rusty and there being a decline in confidence.

Be clear about the value to mediators

Listening, facilitation, empathy and emotional intelligence are the kinds of skills that radiate positive effects throughout a workplace.

There is a widespread recognition of the practical value of mediation skills, their transferability and essential importance for good management and leadership.

Feedback within the RAF suggests there is also a genuine desire to be part of an offering that is improving working lives, overcoming relationship issues and simply making the service work better.

Collect data

The team collects data on requests and the mediations themselves; cases can be tracked and trends monitored, providing crucial information for HR and for the development of support.

Feedback within the RAF suggests there is also a genuine desire to be part of an offering that is improving working lives, overcoming relationship issues and simply making the service work better

Tailor your CPD

At the RAF, a programme of continuing professional development, support and regular updates for the network has been put in place.

The flexibility of working with an expert partner like CMP means the RAF has been able to tailor its CPD and meet needs as they change.

For example, focused training has been arranged for non-white staff to help encourage a more diverse pool of mediators (which has also been hugely oversubscribed).

Keep up awareness

Awareness and understanding of the mediation option is spreading.

New briefing sessions have been running across units to explore whether and when mediation is being considered, and the practical details of how the process can work for them.

As mediation becomes more used, more familiar as the default option for addressing concerns and grievances, there is a pay-off for the entire culture of the RAF.

As mediation becomes more used, more familiar as the default option for addressing concerns and grievances, there is a pay-off for the entire culture of the RAF

Getting impact from mediation

Making mediation an everyday part of a workplace has an impact on an organisation’s culture.

Effective, regular use of mediation as a standard option, rather than the last resort, leads to a cycle of trust and confidence in the systems involved.

In turn, this establishes a routine of more open conversations, early resolutions and the dissipation of minor grievances and resentments that would otherwise accumulate, affecting relationships, engagement and the workplace culture as a whole.