Resolve Your Employment Dispute in Minnesota Privately and Confidently with Mediation

Whether you are involved in an employment dispute that alleges discrimination or harassment, you want to enforce the terms of a covenant not to compete, or you are involved in a wrongful termination lawsuit, the mediation process can help resolve these disputes and provide greater clarity to businesses and workers alike. Here is what you should know about the employment dispute process in Minnesota.

The Benefits of Mediating Employment Disputes

Employment disputes may arise for a variety of reasons, but mediation can often help resolve them. Mediating employment disputes often bring about the following benefits:

• Privacy – Mediation is a private and confidential process so the employer and employee can resolve their issue without sacrificing the worker’s privacy or threatening the business’ good reputation.
• An opportunity to communicate – Workers may feel mistreated or misunderstood, and mediation allows them to express these things. This can often be cathartic for the employee and eye-opening for the employer.
• Faster and cheaper resolution – Mediation can be scheduled much sooner than any court case. It can also be resolved faster and avoid the time-consuming process of filing and responding to various motions and appeals. Additionally, mediation is far less expensive than litigation.
• Creative solutions –One of the most significant benefits of mediation is that the parties can agree to creative solutions that meet both of their interests, such as creating new policies or committees, committing to real change within the workplace, reassigning workers, creating new job opportunities, or others.
• Control over the outcome – In an employment dispute, neither the employer nor the employee may want to sever the employment relationship. However, if a dispute becomes litigated, this often happens. In mediation, the parties do not have to agree to anything that they are not willing to accept, so they have greater control over the outcome. They know what they are agreeing to upfront and do not have to place themselves in the precarious position of leaving their fate up to a judge or jury.

The Mediation Process of Employment Disputes

The typical employment dispute mediation consists of the following steps:

• Both parties give an opening statement
• The mediator explains the rules and purpose of mediation
• The parties split into private caucuses
• The mediator meets with each party individually, learning more about their position and their underlying interests
• The mediator communicates information between the parties
• The mediator may help the parties brainstorm possible solutions to resolve the dispute
• The parties communicate offers and counteroffers between the parties
• The parties reach an agreement and sign the mediated agreement

Contact Us to Learn More

If you are involved in an employment dispute and want to avoid the expense and time of litigation, Michael S. Kreidler can help. Call us today at (612) 751-1044 to learn more.