Shane gives us insight into his career as an Industrial Relations Officer in the Workplace Relations Commission.
Please tell us a little bit about your role.
My job primarily involves chairing conciliation conferences and mediation cases between parties who are in dispute over workplace issues and assisting both parties in reaching a mutual agreement. In conciliation cases, this can involve meeting trade unions and employers separately to understand their current positions, and also chairing a joint meeting where both parties have the opportunity to share their positions with each other, identify their concerns, potentially ask questions of each other, and discuss potential solutions. My role often involves steering discussions to ensure they are productive and moving towards resolution, as well as asking questions of both parties with a view towards identifying creative solutions that may lead to an agreement.
When facilitating mediation cases, this part of the role involves understanding the nature of the employment or equality complaint held by the Complainant, and the Respondent’s position on it. Again, my role is geared towards moving both parties towards an agreement. This is most often achieved by empathising with the parties to ensure that they both feel heard and understood in an impartial setting, and communicating the concerns of both parties, to the point where there is a middle ground that both parties can commit to in an agreement.
What were your reasons for applying for your role?
I had been in my previous role for three years and I was ready to utilise the skills and experiences I had acquired in that role, and previous roles, in a new setting. In addition to being ready for a new challenge, I was intrigued by the role description of an Industrial Relations Officer as it was quite different from my previous roles on a day-to-day basis, particularly in terms of the travel element of the role. I was fortunate in that I had experience working between trade unions and employer representative groups previously where there were high levels of conflict. Therefore, I was also keen to apply for this role as I felt I had the skills, knowledge, and make up required to perform highly in this role.
What do you value most about your job?
There are many elements of this job that I really enjoy. First and foremost is the positive feeling that comes from being able to assist parties in dispute to reach an agreement and to resolve an issue. Usually, when an issue is referred to the WRC it has been in dispute for a significant period and has not been easily resolved. Therefore, having played a part in resolving an issue that has an impact on potentially large numbers of employees is incredibly rewarding. It may require a lot of effort and longer working hours at times, but that feeds into the satisfaction that comes from knowing you played a part in resolving an issue for others.
I also enjoy the feeling of ensuring that all users of our services feel heard and respected when they come to the WRC. Not all cases are resolved in conciliation or mediation, but it often provides a chance for people to feel that they had a fair process and were given the opportunity to speak about how an issue has been affecting them, particularly in mediation, which they may not have spoken about to anyone else before coming into the WRC.
I greatly enjoy the autonomy that comes with the role in terms of travelling to different regions around the country. With that autonomy however comes a high level of trust and responsibility which I also enjoy. I enjoy feeling like an ambassador for the service each time I interact with parties, trying to portray the service as a whole in the best possible light so that when my colleagues deal with service users in future, there is a positive perception of the high quality of the service we provide.
What are some of the benefits and supports available to you?
There are many great benefits and supports available. There are many benefits that come from dealing directly with parties in dispute as this can greatly sharpen your skills in a fast-paced environment, particularly communication, decision-making, and interpersonal skills.
There are benefits that come from travelling and getting to see other parts of the country that you may not otherwise have a reason to visit. The workplace often changes based on where cases and conferences are being held which adds to the variety of the role.
There are also many great supports in the role. Upon entering this role, there is a clear learning plan in terms of shadowing more experienced colleagues and learning directly about the nature of the work we perform. All mediators complete a recognised mediation programme, which equips you with the skills required to perform the role of a mediator to a high standard.
There is also great support offered by fellow Industrial Relations Officers in terms of advice being offered from people who perform the same role and can relate directly to any queries you may have in the course of your work.
What opportunities has this role provided for you?
This role has provided me with the opportunity to improve a variety of skills in a very fast-paced environment. This is based on the high number of cases that an Industrial Relations Officer chairs, where you are constantly learning from each case and using what you have learned to improve your future performance.
It has provided me with the opportunity to meet a wide range of individuals from all walks of life, developing relationships, and understanding a variety of perspectives and approaches to issues which I have found very interesting.
There are also opportunities provided due to the travel involved in this role in terms of getting to see different regions, including remote areas, of the country.
What has surprised you since starting this role?
I think what has surprised me the most since starting this role is the enormous volume of issues in dispute between employers and employees which are referred to the WRC. Given the confidential nature of these disputes, the wider public often has no idea these cases are taking place, unless they are very high profile and have caught the attention of the national media. However, a huge amount of cases are resolved at the WRC before ever escalating to the point where they require industrial action and where service users can be greatly affected. When I first joined I was amazed by this because from the outside it seems that there is only a handful of cases in dispute at any one time but there is a whole network of people working to ensure industrial harmony behind the scenes at all times.
What aspect of the role do you particularly enjoy?
There are lots of really enjoyable elements of the role, particularly the diversity of the role. While the weekly diary may look similar in terms of chairing conciliation conferences or mediation cases, no two events are ever the same, even if the issue in dispute is the same. When dealing with people there is a level of unpredictability and uncertainty which makes the role very interesting.
As previously mentioned, I greatly enjoy the feeling of helping parties to reach an agreement, and helping to make individuals feel heard and to feel like they had a place to go to have their grievance heard in a fair and impartial manner.
I enjoy the travel element of the role which can break up the monotony of being based in the same location every day.
Would you recommend a career in the public sector and why?
Yes, I would absolutely recommend a career in the public sector for many reasons. There is a great variety of roles available and it is relatively easy to move between roles, which is in part how I ended up in this role. I also acquired some very valuable skills required for this role in my previous role in the public sector which highlights the knock-on effect that a role in the public sector can have.
There are many benefits and schemes that are available to public sector workers, particularly in relation to allowances, public service agreements, and flexible working patterns on a weekly or annual basis to accommodate an individual’s own personal circumstances.
There is also a great satisfaction that comes from working in the public sector in terms of the work performed, particularly in this role where you can make a tangible difference in a person’s life by helping to resolve an issue that may have been having a profoundly negative impact on them and their physical and mental health.
Anything else you would like to share?
This is a fantastic role for anyone looking for a challenge. It is very fast-paced which provides an opportunity to improve a wide variety of skills. It provides the opportunity to meet a highly diverse group of individuals.
The travel arrangements help make this a fantastic role in terms of the diversity it offers. It is a unique role and one where a commitment to serving others will result in getting the most out of the role.