Promoting Workplace Mediation in Ireland: Key Recommendations.

The main focus of this article is on identifying possible ways of promoting workplace mediation in Ireland. There is a growing interest in workplace mediation but the actual level of its uptake remains very low. Workplace mediation benefits are identified and key barriers to a greater uptake are discussed. Four recommendations for Ireland have been developed based on data analysis of questionnaire responses and interviews with workplace mediation practitioners in Ireland. Practitioners’ opinions and views on promoting workplace mediation in Ireland are discussed involving the role of professional bodies and individual mediators, role of the judiciary, the role of organisations. The recommendations for workplace mediation in Ireland include the involvement of the Institutional drivers, workplace mediation pilot schemes, the role of the State and the encouragement of informed decisions. The research identified that raising awareness and understanding about mediation and its benefits would be the first step to take in order to increase an uptake of workplace mediation in Ireland