For some businesses and families, holidays are filled with expectation, fun and joy. They are times to gather, reminisce about the past seasons and years, make merry, honor and celebrate old traditions, establish new ones, share dreams, aspirations, and goals, and bond. For others, holidays can, but need not, be filled with anxiety, depression, dread, stress, tension, uneasiness and a sense of foreboding. They can, but need not, be times when employers, employees and family members whose relationships have strained or fractured feel fear, frayed nerves, and uncertainty. These dynamics become magnified in relationships where there is dependence or power imbalance. Examples include, but are not limited to, employer-employees, parents and minor children, parents and grandparents, parents and stepparents.
The year, 2024, brought with it major cultural, climate, economic, moral, political, religious, social, and technological changes in the United States. Many professional and familial relationships were tested and strained over issues such as betrayal of trust, misunderstanding, and differences in cultural, business, professional, personal, political, religious, social opinions and moral values.
As the end of the year approaches and businesses, families and neighbors prepare to usher in the holiday season, there is a unique opportunity to embrace the season’s challenges and opportunities by taking bold steps and making good faith efforts to engage in difficult, uncomfortable and necessary conversations that have the potential of achieving any of the following outcomes: repairing, restoring, dissolving, redefining, transforming and reorganizing strained or fractured relationships in a less traumatic way and charting a new path forward this holiday season and beyond. Each of the above-mentioned outcomes may seem idealistic and unattainable. However, each of them is attainable with the right mind set.
Mediation is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process that offers parties whose relationships are strained or fractured a confidential, non-judgmental and safe space to make good faith efforts to communicate candidly and work together to achieve creative, lasting and mutually satisfactory solutions without spending a fortune and a lot of time fighting in court.
The end of this year is a special opportunity to set the right tone and ambiance in your workplace, family and neighborhood this holiday season. To schedule your mediation session, contact Law Office of Eshigo P. Okasili, LLC at eshigo@okasililawfirm.com or (301) 760-2066.