Concept
Use mediation when the relationship needs a neutral process, not another referee
A mediator owns the process, not the verdict.
When it fits
- Direct discussion is stuck but the parties may still be able to reach their own agreement with structured impartial help.
When to avoid it
- Mediation is not appropriate for every dispute. Follow local policy and specialist advice for serious allegations, rights, coercion or safety concerns.
The idea
Consider mediation when the main problem is a working relationship or communication breakdown and both sides can participate voluntarily. Expect the mediator to remain impartial and help the parties find a workable agreement rather than decide who wins.
An example
Two colleagues who must keep working together use a neutral mediator after repeated direct conversations produce the same impasse.
Check your result
You can state what mediation can decide, what it cannot decide and whether participation is voluntary.
Keep this limit in mind
- Mediation is not appropriate for every dispute. Follow local policy and specialist advice for serious allegations, rights, coercion or safety concerns.
Connected ideas
AlternativeLet the other account exist before you rebut it
Evidence and sources
Acas describes mediation as an impartial, voluntary and confidential process aimed at helping the parties reach their own future-focused solution rather than deciding who was right in the past.
Mediation is not suitable or available for every dispute and is not a substitute for required formal procedures.
What mediation is and how it can help · What mediation is; how mediation can help
Acas mediator guidance describes hearing participants separately, allowing each account without interruption in a joint meeting, summarising areas of agreement and disagreement, and checking that any agreement is workable and recorded.
This is a mediation process example, not a claim that every difficult conversation requires these stages.
How Acas mediators work · Separate meeting; Joint meeting; If you reach an agreement