Kathryn Schear

Kathryn Schear has a M.A. in Conflict Resolution and has mediated over 500 cases of alleged discrimination for the EEOC involving Title VII, ADEA and ADA issues including sexual harassment, disparate treatment, reasonable accommodation, retaliation, gender, race, and national origin.  She has mediated over 350 cases where either one or both parties were represented by Counsel and is skilled in resolving both union and non-union disputes. 

Kathryn is a senior mediator and alternative dispute resolution professional with over seventeen years experience successfully resolving complex workplace disputes in the private sector, city and state government where she has reached a mutually acceptable resolution in cases involving allegations of employment discrimination. 

She has worked with Fortune 500 companies, large nationally recognized universities, non-profits, and city and state government entities.  Kathryn Schear is the owner of Work it Out Dispute Resolution Services, which offers employers and employees a pragmatic results-oriented approach to resolving internal employee conflicts by utilizing mediation before the issues lead to EEOC or EEO charges. 

Kathryn’s extensive experience resolving EEOC charges provides employees with an evaluation of the validity of potential claims.  Her ability to diffuse tense and hostile situations with humor and empathy coupled with her expertise in developing rapport quickly with a diverse clientele and strong ability to think outside the box to develop creative solutions make her equipped to handle all kinds of workplace disputes.

Work it Out is has found that many disputes can’t be addressed in-house because it can be hard to be a prophet in your own land.  Kathryn offers organizations a contracted outside perspective to resolve disputes that are simmering and can efficiently diffuse a situation – leaving the conflict much better than she found it.   Work it Out can help organizations mediate disputes when people are sabotaging, turning off, leaving prematurely, or for those individuals that may be negatively impacting the organization and need an experienced mediator to negotiate a separation package.

An attorney at a leading San Francisco law firm, who has participated in a number of mediations with Kathryn, said:

 “What I appreciate most about Kathryn’s sensibilities as a mediator is her creativity.  In one  particular mediation the employee alleged a  claim of religious discrimination and Kathryn  suggested the settlement that the laid off Muslim employee could spend an hour talking to  the company CEO about what it felt like to be the only Muslim in the company.  This was  cathartic for the former employee, and very  helpful to the company on an ongoing basis.   Most mediators would not have even considered an approach like that.”

You can read a San Francisco Chronicle interview with Kathryn Schear in "Resolving Workplace Conflict."