By Katherine Vega
DISPUTE RESOLUTION Services (DRS) is a resource available
to all staff, as well as faculty and students, that provides interpersonal
counseling services for those facing conflicts in the workplace or the
classroom.
“DRS PROVIDES private consultation, facilitation, and
mediation services to faculty, staff, and students on a wide variety of
issues,” said Kathy Irving,
Assistant Equal Opportunity Officer. They work by exploring the concerns of the
affected parties, meeting with the parties together, and ultimately helping the
students, faculty, or staff members come up with a solution to their problem.
DRS IS a proactive program that aims to help
solve problems before they grow bigger. “Its purpose is to bring parties to a
mutually agreeable resolution of differences before they escalate into formal
time-intense grievances, charges, or costly lawsuits,” said Irving.
PEOPLE CAN contact DRS in a wide range of
situations, but early intervention is encouraged. “It is suggested that as soon
as an individual believes there is unresolved conflict in the workplace, they
should contact DRS for an initial consultation,” added Irving. Common issues
that DRS mediators address are interpersonal conflicts, lack of communication,
toxic work environments, and unclear job expectations.
DRS ENSURES that all inquiries are handled on a
case-by-case basis, so there is no “typical” solution to any problem. “Because
each inquiry is different…the appropriate handling of an inquiry is best
determined only after an initial consultation,” concluded Irving.
No comments:
Post a Comment