The Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute provided an opportunity for two dozen U.S. Army Europe Soldiers and Civilians to participate in the Mediation Certification Course, April 11 -- 15, on Clay Kaserne.
The nomad training team, traveling from the states, provides military and civilian personnel with the fundamental training required for certification as mediators.
The course also addresses Alternative Dispute Resolution methods, a common application practiced within the federal government focusing on facilitative mediation. Additionally, it provides participants with the basic skills necessary to resolve equal opportunity, equal employment and other types of workplace disputes.
"There are a number of different ADR techniques, such as mediation, facilitation, fact-finding, early neutral evaluation, ombudsmen, settlement conferences and mini-trials," said Ronald Vitiello, equal employment opportunity specialist. "However, the Department of Army uses mediation as its preferred technique."
The ADR strategy focuses on having all participants exit as 'winners' and avoiding 'losers' when resolving workplace disputes. This encourages people to communicate with each other to reach an agreement that is fair, workable and that all parties can accept.
"Because the US Army's goal is to resolve all workplace conflict issues at the lowest possible level, Alternative Dispute Resolution may then be the appropriate venue," said Vitiello.
Additionally, instructors reinforced main points on why mediation is important to the Army:
* Mediation is free. No cost to the parties involved.
* Mediation is fair and neutral.
* Mediation is confidential.
* Mediation avoids litigation.
* Mediation helps to discover the real issues in the workplace. Parties share information, which can lead to a better understanding of issues affecting the workplace.
* Mediation allows participants to design their own solution. A neutral third party assists the parties in reaching a voluntary, mutually beneficial resolution. Mediation can resolve all issues important to the parties, not just the underlying legal dispute.
* With mediation, everyone wins. An independent survey showed 96 percent of all respondents and 91 percent of all charging parties who used mediation would use it again.
Wrapping up the course, Larry Gottardi, chief of U.S. Army Europe's personnel division, congratulated the participants on a job well done and emphasized overseers need to lead from the front, not from behind a desk.
"If you are a supervisor you cannot stay in your office, said Gottardi. "If you are a manager you cannot stay in your office. You have to know what is going on in your section."
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