Duke Launches Revised Policy for Dispute Resolution

Effective Sept. 15, Duke will revise its Dispute Resolution Policy and Procedures. The new procedures will encourage an environment of teamwork, reinforce expected behaviors and promote leadership involvement.

The changes in the dispute resolution process create more opportunities to resolve issues informally at the department level, including a review and recommendation by the department head before initiating formal steps. In the event that the dispute cannot be resolved at the department level, the parties will now have the option to work with a trained individual to serve as a mediator.

Disputes that cannot be resolved at the local level will go before a new Dispute Review Panel made up of a diverse group of trained individuals from across Duke. Three individuals from this group will be selected for the panel to review the dispute and offer a recommendation. Disputes regarding certain issues such as involuntary termination that cannot be resolved through these steps may go forward as they do currently to an arbitration hearing conducted by the American Arbitrators Association.