Workplace Mediation and Conflict Resolution

Conflict between staff takes a toll on individuals, teams and the whole business. While it is normal for some level of conflict when people work together, sometimes conflict persists leaving staff stressed and unable to work together effectively. Mediation provides a bridge for rebuilding trust, communication and co-operation.

How Does Mediation Help?

Rebuilding relationships after conflict can be a challenge. Sometimes despite your best efforts, a conflict may have undermined trust to such an extent that it is very difficult to manage and repair the situation in-house. The input of a mediator can make a real difference especially if the people involved need the an independent perspective. The mediator, as an impartial professional, is able to build rapport and trust using this to re-build trust between the parties.

Mediation allows participants to develop their own agreed way forward, through a process that manages discussion of sensitive issues in a respectful way and gives everyone a voice. There is a positive focus on the future working relationship, which helps people to move beyond patterns of blame towards improved ways for communicating and handling differences in the future.

What Types of Situations Can Mediation Address?

Mediation is an important tool for helping people to work together in a respectful way. You can address issues where there has been one-off conflict and also long-standing stress. Situations that can be addressed include:

• Resolving conflict
• Breakdown in communication
• Clash of personal styles
• Facilitating an apology
• Addressing problematic behaviours
• Recovery from situations of alleged bullying or harrassment

Mediation often involves only two parties. In situations where there are more people involved, the process can include all key participants.  Mediation can be effective at times of crisis but it is also very effective as a preventative approach at early stages of conflict or communication difficulty.

A way forward

The process of conflict resolution and building goodwill relies on an effort by everybody. Each person is invited to reflect on the impact of their own communication and behaviour. The mediator will provide information, tips and strategies to help with making communication and agreements work.  This has a number of elements, including:

Communication

o Guidelines to make communication easier
o How to raise issues and give feedback

Conflict Resolution

o Self awareness and avoiding conflict escalation
o Strategies to manage stress and high emotions

Negotiation & Decision making

o Maintaining a focus on the issues
o Building understanding and common ground

The Mediation Process

The mediator first talks with the workplace contact to clarify expectations and to understand how mediation fits in with any organisation policies or other strategies that have been taken. Suggestions are made by the mediator on how to move forward. The mediator is not an investigator and it is important to distinguish mediation from any investigation process that may be applicable.

The mediator will then meet with each person individually, usually face to face. This allows the mediator to understand each person’s situation and to begin to provide coaching and support on how to resolve the situation.

A joint meeting between the parties will then be facilitated by the mediator (this can be on the same day as the individual pre-mediation meetings). Parties have the confidence that all discussions in mediation are confidential.

The agreed outcomes will be written up by the mediator and the agreements will provide clear guidelines for the future.

There can be follow up mediation sessions if required in order to continue to improve communication. The mediator will also give feedback to the organisation on other strategies to prevent conflict.

We also offer coaching, workplace training and team facilitation in order to build skills and awareness of your individual staff and teams.

Mediations can be conducted on-site or in our consulting rooms in Prahran.

This information is also available in a PDF Download:

Workplace Mediation & Conflict Resolution

You can also see our articles with practical strategies for workplace communication and conflict resolution:

* Positive Assertiveness Tips

* Building Common Ground in Conflict