Mediation allows all parties in conflict to express their primary needs clearly, to discover ways to satisfy these and reach fair and workable final agreements. It is voluntary and confidential, where all parties agree to the mediator’s authority to facilitate the discussion and the agreements that follow.

Mediation is an effective (and low cost) way of resolving workplace conflicts and dealing effectively with complaints. Most mediations result in agreements between the parties; these are shared with relevant managers so that full support can be given after the mediation is finalised.

Mediations generally take 1 day and involve the following main steps:

• Pre-mediation preparation includes discussions with the referring manager and the people involved.
• Mediation between the people involved
• The creation of agreements
• The sharing of agreements with managers and others who are supporting them. 

For more information, download our mediation fact sheet