News

How businesses can save money

on resolving workplace disputes

Workplace conflict costs UK employers nearly £30 billion every year, with half a million workers resigning over disputes – that’s according to recent research published by ACAS. Experts are warning workplace tensions are expected to increase even further now that organisations shift back from remote to on-site work.

Nearly 10 million people in the UK experience conflict at work each year. Wandsworth Mediation Service, a London non-profit mediation provider, has seen a trifold increase in enquiries about workplace mediation since the pandemic started. During lockdown, the charity carried on supporting businesses by conducting all of its mediations online.

If left unchecked, even minor misunderstandings in the workplace can escalate beyond control, creating stress and impacting productivity of all team members. Zoom mediation has proven to be an effective way of resolving workplace disagreements, as it is quicker to organise and is much cheaper than formal action. During a mediation session, an accredited mediator meets with the parties in dispute and acts as an unbiased intermediary, facilitating the discussion and assisting the participants in finding a mutually acceptable resolution. The process is completely confidential. Wandsworth Mediation Service is an established non-profit mediation provider resolving commercial and workplace disputes across the UK since 2004. In 2020, the charity was appointed to mediate the dispute between the Post Office and its postmasters over the Horizon computer system. All generated income through commercial work funds the charity’s free community service, providing free mediation and conflict resolution training to Wandsworth residents.

For more information email commercial@wandsworthmediation.co.uk or visit www.wandsworthmediation.co.uk

Engage in some wishful

thinking to get ahead

We are rapidly heading towards the time of year where people make resolutions. Most people do it every year but find it hard to make them stick.

COVID aside, was 2021 largely a good year for you or was it full of struggles and strife? If you had a ‘bad year’, what is it that went wrong? Were you a victim of circumstance or was the calamity something that you could have avoided? Do you need to make a small shift or take a completely new direction to feel good going into 2022?

In this magazine there are lots of articles designed to help you make the most of what you’ve got and gain success, but often the issue is that we’re stuck in our own heads. We make decisions about our business and then we stick doggedly with them, even when situations change. The idea of doing something different can seem scary to the point of being overwhelming. In my therapy room, I regularly invite clients to close their eyes and imagine what their life is like if everything is exactly as they’d like it to be. What will they see and hear if a miracle happened and their problems had magically gone? This technique allows the person to go straight to the solution; rather than getting caught up in why something won’t work, it invites a sense of possibility into the conversation. Instead of making a resolution for 2022, why not try this yourself. What’s your perfect scenario or situation? Where would you be and what would you be doing? Allow yourself time to sit quietly and carry out this exercise and trust the process. It’s all too easy to find excuses for why none of it would be possible: ‘I’m no good at...’, ‘I couldn’t....’ ‘I’m too old’. We believe these thoughts and let ourselves get stuck in that place. Once you know where you want to go, the first step to getting there is letting go of unhelpful beliefs that keep you stationary. Challenge yourself to start moving towards your dream and use each step to build up motivation and confidence. If you want to make some changes in your life but have a habit of self-sabotaging or staying stuck, you might benefit from some sessions with a therapist who can support you to shift those patterns.

Senia Dedic WoW

Enterprise Club

Women of Wandsworth community organisation, started our WoW Enterprise Club in 2010 to help local parents get selfemployed and work from home to solve their catch twenty-two problem, having to choose to take care of their children or go back to work.

Several of our WoW Mums became entrepreneurs and were finalists or won Business Awards from Wandsworth Chamber of Commerce. Members of WoW Enterprise Club, who run a small business or who would like to become an Entrepreneur, attended Edge of The Box business training at the Chelsea Football Club VIP section, organised by Chelsea Foundation.

We continued our training with Google Garage, learning how to get our business more visible on Google. Presence on Google Search and Maps can help customers find our business more easily.

We learnt how to create an online listing for our business on Google Maps to optimise our online profile.

Please join our club if you would like help with writing your Business Plan or any other constitutional documents for your new enterprise.