Respectful Workplace Mediation

What is Respectful Workplace Mediation?

Respectful workplace mediation can be valuable either before or after a formal investigation into harassment or bullying. Whether or not behaviour is determined to be harassment, frequently the parties must continue to work together. Respectful workplace mediation ensures that this working relationship will be effective both for the individuals and for the organization.

If conducted prior to an investigation, creating mutual understanding and forgiveness leading to a practical plan to avoid future problems or incidents can allow employees the opportunity to both save face and truly express regret without the threat of a formal sanction.

If conducted after an investigation, whether or not there was a finding that harassment occurred, it can lead to rebuilding an effective working relationship between the parties involved and a plan to ensure that no future incidents occur.

 

What happens in Mediation

Step 1

Mediator meets with each family member separately (parents together, where appropriate) to:

  • learn each person’s perspective and what they want to change
  • help them understand the conflict and potentially their role in it
  • prepare them for the group meeting 

Step 2

Parties meet together and take turns naming topics to be resolved and then together they:

  1. explore what is important to each person regarding the topic/issue so everyone understands
  2. problem-solve based on their (now) shared understanding of one another’s needs/goals
  3. agree on a solution that works for everyone (written as an “Agreement”)

Benefits of Mediation

Mediation not only solves specific challenges/disputes, but helps the parties learn communication and problem-solving tools to work together (instead of against one another) in the future.

The Mediator Ensures Parties:

  • have an equal chance to express their ideas/feelings about the events/topics being explored
  • feel truly heard, know that their experience of the events is truly understood by the other
  • express themselves in a sharing (rather than argumentative) way
  • find mutually agreeable solutions/protocols to ensure that the problems don’t recur in the future
  • learn and practice communication and collaborative problem-solving skills to resolve future conflicts on their own

 

Get in touch to learn more

“Very much appreciated the straight-forward, grounded, practical approach of Keiron.  Very useful/helpful to help find ‘middle ground’ and possible workable solutions. The sessions were helpful in that they opened up some communication between us and other (better) ways of reacting.”

Resources for Respectful Workplaces

Check out our wide range of resources to help you resolve conflict and improve relationships in your workplace.

Respectful Workplace Resources
Respectful Workplace Workshops