A plain-English guide to workplace mediation in Australia: who it is for, how the process actually works, and why it often produces better outcomes than escalation.
Written to be read in one sitting, and to answer the questions people usually save up for the first phone call.
Written for employers, HR professionals, managers and employees alike.
Seven situations it suits, and when a formal process should come first.
Initial enquiry, individual sessions, the joint session, agreement and follow-up, and how to prepare.
Voluntary, confidential, and separate from investigations and disciplinary processes.
The cost of unresolved conflict, and why agreements people shape themselves hold.
Neutrality, confidentiality, practicality, respect, honesty and quality.
The nine services across family, workplace and later life.
Consent, what your employer learns, formal complaints, teams, cost and support people.
In person or online, wherever your organisation is based.
How to book, and what happens on that first call.
Workplace mediation suits employers, HR professionals, employees and teams dealing with conflict that normal channels have not resolved. It works for early intervention and for situations where a formal process has already been tried. The guide is for you if any of these sound familiar.
Want the service itself rather than the guide? See our Workplace Mediation service.
Fay is a Director of Alternative Mediations. She runs mediation sessions online anywhere in Australia, at your workplace, or at the practice's rooms in Canberra, in English, Dari, Farsi, Tajiki and Hazaragi. She wrote this guide so that employers, HR professionals and employees know what to expect before they call.
“People who have played a real part in shaping an agreement are, understandably, more committed to actually following through on it. That commitment is often what keeps a workplace agreement holding up months later.” From Working It Through
Yes. Mediation is voluntary for everyone involved. If one person genuinely does not want to take part, mediation is unlikely to help in that form, and we would talk through what other options might be appropriate instead.
Mediation is a confidential process. It runs separately from any formal investigation, disciplinary or HR process, and what is discussed in sessions is not automatically reported back to management. Confidentiality has a small number of limits that we always explain before anything begins, for example where there is a risk of harm to someone or where disclosure is required by law.
No. Mediation is a separate, voluntary process. Where a genuine investigation or disciplinary matter is already underway, or clearly needed, mediation does not replace it. It can run before, alongside or instead of a formal process, depending on what fits your situation.
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You do not need to read the guide first. Call us for a confidential conversation about your situation, with no pressure and no obligation.