For employers, HR and people leaders
Addressing workplace conflict early
A disagreement keeps returning. Conversations are becoming strained. People who need to work together are starting to avoid each other.
If you are an employer, HR professional or people leader, you may be trying to work out whether the situation needs outside support, and what that support should look like.
I offer conflict coaching and mediation to help people understand what is happening, consider their options and explore practical ways forward.
My background across law, organisational development and investigations helps me understand both the people and process dimensions of workplace conflict.
Talk through the situationWhy early support matters
Unresolved workplace conflict takes time and attention. It can affect working relationships, decision-making and people’s ability to get on with their work.
Seeking support early can help prevent issues becoming more entrenched or formal than they need to be.
An exploratory conversation can help establish what you are trying to address and whether my services may be suitable.
We can begin with the situation as it is now: what has been happening, what has already been tried and what you would like to be different.
When one person needs space to think
Conflict coaching offers one-to-one support for an employee or leader to reflect on a difficult situation and their own response.
It can help them consider options, develop conflict skills and prepare for a conversation. The choices remain with the individual. Where an organisation arranges coaching, the goals and arrangements for privacy and any feedback need to be clear from the outset.
Conflict coachingWhen people need help to talk together
Mediation provides a structured, supported conversation for the people involved. I support people to get to the heart of what is happening – what matters to them, why it matters, and what they need to move forward.
The aim is to make room for different perspectives and explore practical ways of moving forward.
MediationChoose the process to fit the concern
Coaching and mediation serve different purposes from an investigation. Where a serious concern or complaint needs an independent assessment of what happened, investigation may need to be considered.
The starting point is the nature of the concern and what is needed, rather than assuming every situation should follow the same process.
Workplace investigationsA clear starting point
Alongside working with individual concerns, I help organisations identify patterns and underlying workplace factors that may be contributing to conflict, so responses can address not only what has happened, but what needs to change.
My background includes ten years at the Department of Conservation, most recently leading its Speak Up function. I bring that experience of supporting staff and leaders to work across public and private sector organisations.
If you are unsure what support to ask for, get in touch for a free exploratory conversation.
Talk through the situation