People of TAL

1. Tell us more about your job.

As a Mediator in the local worker team in TADM, my role is to resolve conflicts and salary disputes between employees and employers. The goal is to facilitate communication and guide both disputing parties to reach a mutually agreeable settlement without the need for adjudication at the Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT). When cases cannot be resolved at mediation, the case will be referred to the ECT for adjudication.

2. Can you describe a typical day at work?

My day-to-day work entails attending to mediation sessions scheduled on that day. Besides conducting mediation sessions, I would be interacting with employees and/or employers via the phone and/or email to better understand the claims that were lodged and to offer my advice to both parties based on the Employment Act.

3. What is something surprising or unusual about your work that most people are unlikely to know?

Each case that we handle is never the same. The conflicting parties are different with varying personalities and emotional state. We will never know what to expect until we get to meet the parties face-to-face. Interestingly, there is no single approach in resolving a salary dispute. We react and respond spontaneously to best facilitate an amicable outcome based on a mutually agreeable or win-win outcome.

4. What keeps you going? What is one guiding principle you live by?

What motivates me in performing my role as a mediator is the strong sense of desire to help people resolve their conflicts and the opportunity to facilitate an amicable settlement that benefits both parties. Knowing that I have contributed (in a small way) in making someone’s lives a little better and the workplace a fairer, more progressive and more conducive for working is very rewarding and satisfying.

Personally, the guiding principle that I uphold is to treat everyone with respect, fairness, and a sense of justice.

5. Tell us how your work made a real difference in someone’s life, and why?

As a Mediator, I strive to resolve disputes in a balanced and effective way that aims to achieve a win-win outcome and reduce the animosities and stress between the conflicting parties. I believe it would have a positive impact on the mental health and well-being of the parties concerned.

In some cases, the employees were not paid salary by their employers for up to 6 months or longer. They were experiencing anxiety and stress as their livelihoods were drastically affected. After mediating the case, I was able to achieve an amicable settlement where the employer agreed to an instalment plan to pay the claimant. It is outcome like this that motivates me to continue working harder to really make a real difference in the lives of these people.

Through mediation, individual parties would get to better understand their employment rights, contractual obligations and responsibilities. It would equip them with the knowledge and skills to handle conflicts and disagreements more effectively at the workplace in the future.

By successfully mediating a case to arrive at an amicable settlement, I can prevent the disputes from escalating further into a lawsuit. This would save time and money for all parties and avoid the prospect of engaging in a costly and lengthy legal tussle. The eventual outcome would be a win-loss situation for all parties.

6. What support or help have you received from your co-workers or supervisors to carry out your work?

I have just joined TADM as a Mediator. I must say the people in TADM are very friendly, warm, fun and always willing to offer their help whenever I needed it. There is great teamwork amongst the Mediators where everyone is willing to help one another, especially when dealing with difficult and complex cases.

7. Which of the TAL values resonates the most with you?

The TAL value that best describes me is People Centredness. In the course of my work, I am always willing to listen and empathise with others while making my best effort to help resolve the dispute between two parties.