Managers, human resource professionals, and union officers recognize and dislike a stressed workplace. You have good workers, good supervisors, provide good wages and benefits, but the unit is not functioning because of breakdowns in important relationships. In the severe case, virtually no work is getting done; but there is a constant drumbeat of complaints and disciplines. In a unionized workplace, there may be a storm of grievances; in any workplace, there is a high risk of expensive, unfounded complaints to regulatory agencies: to OSHA, to The State Human Rights Commission, to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to any agency which will lend an ear.

We specialize in workplaces where production is virtually at a standstill because of anger, hostility, and disagreement – where talented people aren’t functioning at their jobs because of inability to work together. Sometimes, the supervisors are caught up in the recriminations and hostility; they are either isolated from their staff or caught up in one side of a deep division. Frequently, we are the last resort. Other solutions have been tried and have failed. These may include intervention by the organization’s human resources team, a facilitated retreat or team-building endeavor, or similar attempt.