Productivity is improved. We have also found a number of specific examples of savings achieved through the use of ADR in workplace matters. The United States Postal Service, for example, has implemented one of the leading workplace mediation programs in the country. Postal Service policy is to conduct a mediation within two weeks after a complainant requests it. The average mediation takes just four hours, and 81 percent of mediated cases are closed without a formal complaint being filed.
Satisfaction is extremely high.
Both employees and supervisors are equally satisfied with mediation. Another benefit of the Postal Service program has been that mediation appears to be creating lasting changes in the behavior of people in the workplace. With the increased communication that mediation provides, employees and supervisors seem to be learning to get along better. In fiscal year 1999, after the implementation of the ADR program, the number of complaints filed dropped by approximately 16 percent. This translates into thousands of fewer complaints per year, which represents a huge cost savings.