Speaker 1: Hello, my name is Sylvia Bacchelli. Please call me Sylvia. I am a certified mediator in the state of Florida and I am a member of the Florida Council on Workplace Mediation and you are? I am Kala Patel. Okay, and you? Jacob Passilla. Is it okay if I call you Kala? Sure. Is it okay if I call you Jacob? Yes. Perfect. First, welcome to the Dispute Resolution Center. I commend you both for choosing to work out a solution to your issues together. I have been mediating cases for the center for three years now. I am confident that this process will be helpful in guiding both of you through your concerns. As a mediator, I'm going to walk us through a process that will ask each of you to help me understand what brought you here today and then see whether we can come up with a resolution that meets your needs. I am not here to make decisions for you or offer you legal advice. My job today is to help the two of you come up with a solution that works for you both. In that role, I will make an effort to be neutral and impartial. This means that I will not favor either one of you or praise any particular solution that is proposed. If you have any concerns about how the process is going or what I'm doing, please do not hesitate in asking me so we can discuss it. You have each been sent a copy of the Agreement to Mediate and Subpoena Waiver Forms. Are there any questions? No, I don't. I would like to draw your attention to the Confidentiality Clause and remind you the only reason I would break confidentiality is if one of you threatened harm to yourself or others. I also want to inform you that in the event we do not resolve your dispute here and this case proceeds to court, I cannot be subpoenaed by either side. I will be taking notes throughout the course of this mediation just to organize my thoughts. However, I will be destroying these notes after this session. At some point, I may find it necessary to meet with you individually. If this were to happen, what is said in those meetings is also confidential, unless you choose to share it with the other person. I have reserved this room until 5 p.m. Today. Are there any time constraints? No, I'm available. Good, then if you need a break, let me know. Bathrooms are just across the hall. Before we get started, I would like to go over a few ground rules. I expect that you will respect each other and value each other's opinions. I also expect that you will actively listen to each other and speak honestly. Lastly, I have found it easier to hear only one person speaks at a time. I promise to make sure each of you will have an opportunity to voice your concerns throughout this session. So do either of you have any additional ground rules to add? Cata, let's begin with you. Yes, just one. I would like not to be interrupted, so I don't have to repeat myself. Okay, we'll definitely add that into the list. How about you, Jacob? I would like for all parties to maintain a moderate tone of voice. Okay, we'll add that also. Are you both willing to follow these guidelines? Yes. Yes. Okay, great. Lastly, do you guys have any other questions before we get started with today's session? No? Okay. So let's begin with Jacob, since he called the Human Resources Department first. If that's okay with you, Cata? It is. So Jacob, what has brought you here today?