ADR/EO offices awarded for excellence Published July 19, 2011 ADR office TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Two offices on Tinker have recently been recognized at the Air Force level for their excellence in solving personnel conflict issues. The Alternative Dispute Resolution office received the General Counsel Awards - Workplace Disputes in the Large Organizations, May 20 at the ADR Program Manager's Conference in Leesberg, VA. The Equal Opportunity office received the Col L. Joseph Brown Award - Equal Opportunity Program, Large Base category last month. This is the second time both offices have won their respective awards. In 2005, ADR won the inaugural award for large organizations and the EO office was awarded the Col. L. Joseph Brown award in 2008. Terry Hirons, Tinker EO director and ADR program manager said it is exceptional to have both programs win awards in the same year, but also to be recent winners of the same award as well. ADR mediation "The ADR award is a credit to Team Tinker and our exceptional collection of ADR participants," Mr. Hirons said. "From ADR staff and outstanding cadre of mediators to our stake holders, including the labor law office, personnel, EEO and AFGE Local 916, to the employees and management officials who are willing to come to the mediation table in good faith, trying to achieve a win-win resolution." ADR is the "informal option to resolve your workplace dispute." When a person files a grievance or EO complaint they have the opportunity to use the ADR program to try and resolve the complaint early on in the "informal stage," Mr. Hirons explained. If the complainant chooses to use ADR to try and resolve the dispute, a mediation session is set up to assist the complainant and respondent solve their issue. Mr. Hirons said the most common complaints their office receives are in regard to appraisals, complaints of non-sexual harassment and discipline. During the process of setting up the mediation, Mr. Hirons said an ADR specialist will ask both parties to "take a hard look" at the information about the incident to ensure the parties come to the mediation table prepared to negotiate in good faith. "We don't make any kind of determination whether it is a legitimate complaint or not," he said. "We are a neutral process and a neutral office. We are not pro-management or pro-employee. We are simply there to provide a neutral process to help them resolve their issues." Approximately 40 volunteers, totaling more than 300 years of experience, are trained as mediators to facilitate a discussion between the employee and supervisor or between two employees. Some have been with the program since 1999 and have participated in more than 150 mediations. On average, the ADR office is able to resolve more than 70 percent of all complaints when mediation is attempted . Last year, the office resolved more than 80 percent, which Mr. Hirons deemed "exceptional." Mediation allows for the dispute between complainant and respondent to be resolved quickly, Mr. Hirons said. "We call it a win-win situation," he said. If mediation is unable to resolve the complaint, parties have the option of going through a formal complaint process. Another key aspect of this award winning program is their proactive approach to conflict through training, Mr. Hirons said. At the heart of the ADR training program are precepts of interest based negotiation, which are tools that help parties develop a roadmap for successful critical conversations. This training was deployed to more than 3,300 personnel and armed them with IBN skills, conflict resolution and communication tools and ADR awareness. "What makes this job worthwhile is knowing we provide a process that helps create a healthy and more productive work environment for Tinker employees," Mr. Hirons added. EO at work Most issues between military personnel are not fitting for ADR mediation because of the legalities within the Uniform Code of Military Justice, said Capt. Michael Cesar, Tinker EO deputy director. However, if a civilian alleges charges of discrimination or sexual harassment against another person, they have the option of resolving their issue with ADR, or going the "traditional route," the captain said. The EO office helps in promoting and influencing a positive human relations climate across the installation, Captain Cesar said. EO is promoted through human relations education, complaint clarification, and acting as subject matter experts. Our team of outstanding EO specialists apply their expert skills in each of these areas and provided the foundation for the recognition bestowed upon the Tinker EO Office. The specialists are able to achieve this level of excellence despite juggling an overwhelming workload of additional duties and case files, he said. "In both programs, we push chain of command and resolving issues at the lowest level," Capt Cesar said. "We are lucky to have excellent commanders, directors, and supervisors willing to sit down with complainants to discuss their concerns. Kudos is also required for the complainant's willingness to utilize and trust in their chain of command to handle their issues." Once the EO office is contacted, the complainant will receive contact within 24-48 hours to meet with an EO counselor to discuss their concerns. Emergency situations, such as sexual harassment, will be handled if a counselor is available. For military complaints, a complainant meets with a counselor to discuss their concerns and determine if the concerns are applicable for the EO process. If a complainant's concerns do not fall under the EO purview, the counselor will help the complainant to determine the appropriate agency to address their concerns. If the complaint does fall under the EO purview, the counselor will determine if the complainant would like to file a informal or formal complaint. For civilian complaints, a complainant meets with a counselor, and if the complainant alleges a complaint of discrimination or sexual harassment by providing a claim and a basis, the complaint has to be processed in the informal stage prior to any formal processing. "We try and go out to all the squadrons on Tinker and be proactive rather than reactive," Captain Cesar said. "This is done primarily through unit climate assessments and out and about visits where the goal is to identify potential problem areas or issues before they rise to the level of a complaint and ensure employees are free of a hostile work environment. "The classroom also provides an opportunity to be proactive in the battle against discrimination," he continued. "In 2010 we conducted 122 courses for more than 4,000 trainees, imparting knowledge about discrimination, discrimination policies and the EO process. As we go out and educate, it will more than likely raise complaint levels. We do not look at the number of complaints as an indicator of how we are doing but instead the number we are able to handle through informal channels." Training includes a 2 1/2 hour class for all new civilian employees, and first duty station military members as well as refresher training for all other newly assigned military members. The EO office also conducts sensitivity training and refresher training for single or groups of individuals by request, Captain Cesar said.