Mediation for workplace disagreements

Working alongside someone you disagree with is tiring. It can affect the mood of a whole team. A private conversation with a neutral person can help colleagues find a way to work well again.

A private, neutral space

Mediation happens away from the usual desk and meeting room. What you say stays between the people in the conversation, unless you agree otherwise. That can make it easier to speak plainly. There is no audience and no record kept for others to read.

Ruth or Tomas doesn’t take sides and doesn’t judge who is right. We are there to help each of you be heard and to help you both understand the other. Nobody is told what to do.

People often expect to be told off or judged. That isn’t how it works. The conversation is about understanding, and about finding what could help.

What the conversation covers

Workplace disagreements usually have real detail in them, such as unclear roles, missed messages or different working styles. Each person gets time to say what has been hard from where they sit. Often the same issue looks quite different from two desks. Hearing that can soften things more than you might expect.

After that, we help you look at what would make work smoother. That might be how you share tasks, how you pass on updates or how you raise concerns with each other. The ideas come from you, since you know the job best. We keep the focus on the work rather than on personalities.

Some people hope to repair a working relationship, and others simply want a workable way to carry on. Either goal is a fair place to start. We will help you shape it either way.

Taking it back to work

Before you finish, you can decide what, if anything, to write down. Some pairs agree a few practical steps and check in after a few weeks. Others just leave with a better feel for how to talk to each other. There is no pressure to give a big promise.

It helps to think about what you would like to share with a manager, if anything. That choice is yours to make together. We can talk it through with you first. Some people prefer to keep the conversation entirely private, and that is a fair choice.

We don’t give legal advice or advise on workplace rules. If you have questions like that, a suitable adviser is the right person to ask.

A calm, private talk can be a good place to begin.