Informal Resolution

Informal resolution is the process of a leader or manager having an informal discussion with an employee to informally resolve a performance issue before it evolves into something more serious. It comes from the principle that performance issues are most effectively resolved as early as possible.

The process generally involves a manager discussing an issue with the individual or people concerned, looking for a mutually agreeable solution that will ensure the negative performance issues are reduced or removed in future. Sometimes informal resolution is used to begin more formal procedures and is seen as a way of setting an outline of the required behaviours of the individual.

This course aims to give attendees the confidence to address issues informally and the skills to do it effectively.

Topics covered:

• Understanding Bulling and Harassment – This session underlines the participants understanding of bullying and harassment and how informal resolution compares to the formal process in these instances.
• Informal Resolution Investigated – In this activity-based session, participants are asked to consider what opportunities exist for solving matters informally, what skills are needed and what situations are appropriate for informal resolution.
• Skills and Behaviours – In this session activities are used to emphasise the appropriate skills and behaviours necessary to resolve issues informally and guidance is provided on personal improvements.
• Asking Questions – Encouraging the participants to use probing questions when confronted with a potentially volatile situation.
• Mediation Meetings – A discussion-based session on the structure of informal mediation meetings with a clear plan for success.
• Responding to Resistance – Using typical statements participants are asked to develop responses to where staff may be reluctant to pursue an informal approach.
• Barriers to Informal Resolution – This session investigates what prevents some managers from pursuing an informal resolution and includes a ‘challenging friends’ scenario that provides a case study to review ideas.
• Guiding Principles – Participants review and discuss the positive behaviours that should be displayed when performing informal resolution. They are also invited to discuss situations they have experienced, which may have been handled differently and what could have been done.
• Bystander Apathy – Using an extreme real-life example, this session examines why we sometimes fail to act.
• Practice Sessions – Here we have an opportunity to put the learning into practice and for participants to receive feedback using realistic scenarios.
• What Will I Do? – Participants are asked to plan what changes to their behaviour and approach they will make because of attending the course, and are referred to their action plans.