JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
The official Alternate Dispute Resolution Plan for Joint Base Andrews, Md., was put together by the 11th Wing Equal Opportunity office and signed by 11th WG leadership on June 9, 2016.
The plan gives the EO office and the base an approved, hard copy, and signed off program to use for workplace disputes when help is requested.
“ADR is a means of resolving all workplace disputes, to include equal opportunity complaints, at the lowest level,” said Tonya Abrams, 11th Wing Equal Opportunity specialist and ADR functional area liaison manager. “This allows all aggrieved individuals to work in an environment free from personal, social and institutional barriers while strengthening effective communication.”
ADR is not mandatory in order to resolve disputes, but when requested, it allows disputes to be resolved quickly and at the lowest possible level, without having to go through a formal complaint process that might take a long time and cost large amounts of money.
“For every formal complaint that we have, we start out at $25,000,” Abrams said. “We’re talking about man hours, investigations, specialists and everyone involved in the investigation. That doesn’t include the settlement process that involves the possibility of paying compensatory damages, attorney fees, restored leave or back pay. All that resorts to dollars and cents. If we resolve it at the informal stages using ADR, we don’t have to worry about that.”
According to Master Sgt. Jermey Lawley, 11th Wing Equal Opportunity specialist and ADR mediator, the average time of a formal dispute could take one to two years, where an ADR process averages 44 days. In the 2014 fiscal year, the Air Force reported that it saved approximately $6.1 million.
“Many of our complaints are simple communication issues,” said Master Sgt. Jermey Lawley, 11th Wing Equal Opportunity specialist. “With this process you are able to resolve complaints before they become formal.”
Last quarter, the 11th WG EO office resolved 50% of their complaints using the ADR program; finding resolutions to people problems and saving roughly $48,000 for the U.S. Air Force.
“The key to really resolving any issue is to make sure people get their emotions out in an open environment where they know they won’t be judged, and the ADR program offers that,” said Staff Sgt. Kasaun Goss, 11th Security Support Squadron member shadowing EO and considering cross training.
Along with confidentiality, the ADR program offers neutrality, flexibility and timeliness to an individual’s personal disputes.
“The goal is to get everyone communicating effectively so the mission is not only met, but it can be exceeded,” Abrams said.
Through the ADR program, disputes are generally processed and resolved more quickly, creative resolutions are reached, a third-party neutral is present to help, and a mutually satisfactory outcome is possible.
For more information on the U.S. Air Force ADR program you can visit www.adr.af.mil