I often say to colleagues that confidentiality in mediation is a bit of a myth. I don’t mean we should stop offering it. I mean that the way we usually describe it promises clients something we can’t actually deliver. Here is the kind of situation I have in mind. A client makes a complaint about […]
Confidentiality in Mediation: Are We Promising Something That Doesn’t Exist? Read More »
Prepared by The Conflict Management Academy, August 2026 Why finance is one of the biggest employers of dispute resolution skills in Australia If you have studied finance, you may not realise that the financial services industry is legally required to run dispute resolution systems, and that it employs thousands of people to do so. Two
You are setting up a workplace mediation. The referrer, often someone from HR, says they want a copy of any written agreement the parties reach. It sounds like a routine request, but it changes the process in ways the referrer may not have thought through, and how you respond shapes both the parties’ experience and
When the Referrer Wants a Copy of the Agreement Read More »
Most jobs come with two descriptions. The one that gets written down is about outcomes: deliver this analysis, manage this caseload, draft these contracts, service these clients, hit these targets. That description ends up in the position description, the contract, the performance review. The other one isn’t written anywhere. Be approachable in the kitchen. Read
The Job Description and the Unwritten One Read More »
The setup most of us know Most workplace conflict coaching referrals follow a familiar pattern. An HR manager or other employer representative contacts you. They have two employees who can’t work together, and they want something to change. They arrange coaching, possibly with mediation to follow. They pay the invoice. And then, at some point,
Who Are You Reporting To? Confidentiality in Employer-Referred Conflict Coaching Read More »
My friend Sabine, a senior leader in a corporate organisation, recently told me about a moment that a female colleague of hers had experienced at work, a moment that many women in leadership will recognise. Her colleague, a top leader at another corporate organisation, had been developing a board presentation when two male colleagues, both
Interest in workplace mediation has grown sharply in recent years. It is not surprising that some larger organisations are looking to develop this capability in-house. What is less often discussed is how much harder it is to do well than it looks. There is a quiet contradiction at the heart of in-house mediation. The qualities
The Inside Job: What No One Tells You About Being an In-House Mediator Read More »
A colleague recently asked me whether I was familiar with any research on the risks associated with mediating with a heavily pregnant woman. The woman in question was in conflict with her ex-partner, the father of her unborn child, and my colleague wanted to know whether there were particular considerations they should be thinking about.
Should Pregnant Women Be Excluded from Mediation? Questions We Need to Ask Read More »
In my work on neurodiversity and conflict, there are some interesting intersections that come up frequently. There’s one phenomenon I want to make sure you understand, because it comes up constantly in conflict situations. It’s called rejection sensitivity, or sometimes rejection sensitive dysphoria. We all feel rejection Let’s start with what’s universal. We all have
Rejection Sensitivity and Conflict Read More »
If you’re new to mediation, you’ve probably mastered the basics of facilitating dialogue between two parties. But what happens when a third person enters the room? Whether it’s three colleagues in a workplace dispute, a supervisor and two team members, or any other multi-party configuration, these situations require a different approach and careful strategic thinking.
Navigating Multi-Party Mediation Read More »