Mediation service launched to solve lockdown feuds

Feuds between family members who have been taking care of isolated older relatives, issues between locked-down flatmates and arguments with colleagues which may have been made worse while living under lockdown will all be dealt with by a new online mediation service launched to deal with the fallout of the Coronavirus pandemic.

People struggling to get on with others during lockdown can turn to the new mediation service.

The Scotland-wide service, under the umbrella of Scottish Mediation, has been launched to support individuals or organisations to resolve conflicts that have arisen or been made worse as a result of the social distancing and lockdown regulations.

Disputes with an employer over returning to work during the pandemic – such as if a family member is shielding and an employee feels uncomfortable about returning to a physical workplace - can also be dealt with by the service, while separated parents struggling to share childcare under lockdown can also seek help through the scheme.

Graham Boyack, director of Scottish Mediation, said he had been inspired to launch the service after seeing a tweet about a similarorganisation in British Columbia, Canada.

He said: “This is a challenging time for everyone and the isolation and stress of living in close quarters can cause, or increase, conflict for families, friends, and roommates, and can create challenges for work teams, charities and businesses, and more.

“As with any disagreement or dispute if we aren’t able to have a conversation about it and if it remains unresolved the frustration that can create ongoing problems for those involved that can end up being greater than the original reason why there was a disagreement. That can often have impacts on mental health and wellbeing so it is good if people are able to speak about what’s happening.”

Provided by a group of professional volunteer mediators, the service is free to individuals and organisations with up to five employees.Organisations with more than five employees will be charged at £300 for up to one day’s mediation. The scheme is expected to run until at least the end of August.

All mediation services will be carried out on video call platforms such as Zoom, unlike the organisation’s usual face-to-face meetings – but Boyack says that the technology has actually been an advantage in many cases. Mediators can offer pre-session advice to clients, such as ensuring that their call background is neutral and does not give away personal details.

He said: “The great advantage of this scheme is that we can do it anywhere in Scotland. Usually, if we have a mediator in Glasgow who isfree and a client in Dumfries and Galloway, that wouldn’t necessarily work, whereas now, it’s not a problem. We have occasionally used video calls in the past, such as if someone lives on a very remote island, but this is allowing us to be a lot more flexible.”

He added: “We have already done a few calls on Zoom and I have started to learn to pick up on the non-audible cues on video that I would if I saw someone face to face.”

Alison Ebbitt, a Glasgow-based volunteer mediator, said the ability to use “waiting rooms” on Zoom calls allowed mediators to have private conversations with one party, while the other does not feel as excluded as if they were asked to wait outside of a room in real life.

She said: “We can use tools like waiting rooms, also people sometimes do not feel comfortable meeting face-to-face with someone who they are in a dispute with. This makes that kind of situation easier.”

She added: “Mediators are able to help create the space for that conversation in a way which allows the parties to use creative ways of resolving disagreements and in some instances to repair relationships too.

“In terms of what might be a suitable dispute for mediation we will be able to speak to you about your dispute and advise on each instance. As a general guide, the sorts of disputes include those around family matters including care of older relatives, flatmates/housemates, landlord/tenant, cooperative or social housing, workplace concerns related to working from home or shared workspaces and those involving neighbours. It is possible that some issues may have existed before and were being managed successfully but the additional pressures have pushed them into conflict.”

Scottish Mediation has launched the service with the support of Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund.

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