Content area
Full Text
Increasingly, employers and employees face workplace disputes involving alleged wrongful termination, sexual harassment, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability. To resolve these disputes in a fair, private, and cost-effective manner, more companies are turning to mediation, arbitration, and the full range of out-of-court settlement procedures by incorporating those procedures into their employment contracts, personnel manuals, and employee handbooks.
The Growth of ADR
Nearly 500 large corporations, representing approximately 5 million employees worldwide, have implemented alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs that require the administrative services of the American Arbitration Association (AAA), and that number is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years. During the past five years, the AAA has witnessed a surge in the number of employment ADR case filings: 1,973 in 1999, up from 575 in 1994. The AAA has a roster of "client proven" mediators with significant experience and high success rates, with 85-90% of disputes reaching settlement.
An Effective Option
A recent survey of Fortune 1000 general counsel...