Workplace Mediation

Restore working relationships with our mediation service

Conflict in the workplace is common and can occur at all levels.

Our one-day workplace mediation service is a quick, cost-effective, and private method of resolving disputes: saving the stresses and costs of formal action, minimising absenteeism, and conforming to current best practice. It focuses on all parties getting what they want from their working relationships with others, and on moving forwards amicably with a mutual agreement.

We can also provide workplace mediation for teams in dispute (where there are four or more parties involved) in a process that can spread over multiple days.

Workplace mediation is used to address:

And benefits include:

How does it work?

1. Referring a case

A completed referral form, providing us with details of the dispute and of the parties, and a signed booking form all are that is needed to book in the case.

2. Before the mediation

The case manager will liaise with the referrer to organise the logistics, including timings, contact information, and online links (if required).

3. Individual meetings

The mediator will meet with each party individually to discuss the dispute to date. These private sessions will last for approximately 1½ hours each.

4. Joint meeting

Getting parties together for half a day allows for a comprehensive airing of views, as well as a discussion with a view to building an agreement.

5. The agreement

The agreement is a joint plan of action decided upon by the participants. The mediator can write it up as a good faith agreement to give to both parties.

6. Feeding back

If there is a third-party referrer, UK Mediation will provide them with a Mediation Summary on the next working day (subject to parties’ consent).

7. Follow-up

The case manager will follow up the situation after an agreed period by contacting the parties confidentially to see if the agreement is working.

Workplace mediation FAQs

We understand that you may have some queries about how workplace mediation works.

We’ve answered some of the most Frequently Asked Questions below.

Does workplace mediation work?

Simply put, yes.

We have been doing this for 23 years now and have seen a sharp rise in the number of organisations investing in mediation services to resolve workplace disputes.

The vast majority of cases end with some sort of future-focused agreement being written up, and the feedback we receive from parties speaks for itself.

How long does workplace mediation take?

For two- or three-party disputes, we would recommend a full day's workplace mediation service running from 9:30-4:30.

For team or group disputes, multiple days and perhaps multiple mediators (depending on numbers) will be required.

Can workplace mediation be done online?

Successful mediation cases can indeed be delivered online. Even now, we continue to deliver a small percentage of our workplace mediation cases online. Feedback has been excellent and we continue to see superb results for the parties.

However, if given the choice between the two (online or face-to-face), we would still recommend having the workplace mediation face-to-face. We find that that the physical human element can be extremely valuable and getting people together in a room often yields the most benefits.

Is workplace mediation confidential?

Yes, we ask parties to sign a Liability and Confidentiality Agreement on the day of the mediation to make sure that whatever is said does not leave the room.

In addition, all notes related to the case are disposed of upon completion.

Is workplace mediation voluntary?

Yes, people cannot be made to take part in mediation.

If parties are coerced or forced to take part on the day, we find that this often hinders the result of the mediation and makes it less likely to arrive at a successful conclusion.

Our relational model of mediation...

Here at UK Mediation, we treat workplace conflict as a failure of dialogue and as a breakdown in a working relationship.

Our relational model, re:talk, aims to restore dialogue, repair relationships, and rebuild teams, while re:connect allows us to achieve the same objectives through online mediation.

Find out more

What our clients say

"I was really pleased with the quick and efficient service that we received from UK Mediation. With their knowledge and expertise, we were able to defuse a situation with an amicable outcome that left the parties happy."
Lauren Rowe Addison Lee
"UK Mediation were very easy to work with: they organised a session quickly, were clear about what they could achieve, and were able to engage both parties in the mediation on the day requested. This helped them work towards a suitable resolution."
Mel Stubbs Alzheimer's Society
"UK Mediation has provided mediation services as part of the Council’s approach to resolving workplace conflict. This has been very successful and I would recommend them to other organisations wanting to do the same."
Karen Childs Bassetlaw District Council
"We've been using the services of UK Mediation for about 8 years now and it's been really effective. It has had a positive impact on our employee relations and the success rate has been very, very high."
Samantha Birkett Liverpool John Moores University

Get a quote

Want to find out more or get a quote from us?

We're a friendly bunch at UK Mediation and we're always happy to talk about our mediation services.

Please get in touch!

Start now...

See mediation in action!

In this free 45-minute webinar, we see a dispute between two colleagues who share an office and who have very different working styles.

Our Founder, Dr Mike Talbot, then takes you through our seven-stage mediation process and looks at how it can be applied to a workplace dispute.

Watch the webinar
Video Thumbnail Play

Speak to an expert

We’re a friendly bunch here at UK Mediation and we’re always happy to discuss your situation and offer impartial advice.

admin@ukmediation.net 0800 772 0778
Registered address: Unit 4H, Goods Wharf, Goods Road, Belper, Derbyshire DE56 1UU Site By: Alt