Two supervisors in a small business now send every handover through the owner. Messages are defensive, routine decisions take longer and their teams are copying the behaviour. Another instruction to get along is unlikely to fix the working relationship. Mediation may help, but the employer first needs to understand the problem, choose an appropriate route and leave the participants in control of any agreement. This guide uses an illustrative handover dispute to show what that looks like in practice.
Start with the problem mediation can actually address
Acas describes mediation as an impartial, voluntary process focused on how people will work together in future. The mediator helps participants find their own solution; they do not decide who won the argument. Communication failures and damaged relationships may fit this approach. Pay entitlements, dismissal decisions and conduct findings generally need a different process.
Our recommended first step is to speak privately with each person. Ask what is happening at work, what has already been tried and what would need to change. Separate the operational problem from the personal history. In the handover example, the immediate business need might be a reliable transfer of unfinished jobs, while the relationship issue is how each supervisor responds to questions.
Do not promise that mediation will produce an apology, remove a manager or deliver a preferred finding. If that is the employer's predetermined outcome, an invitation to negotiate it is misleading. Define the purpose as exploring whether the participants can agree a sustainable way of working.
Check whether a formal investigation is needed first
GOV.UK says mediation should not be used for problems requiring formal investigation, giving discrimination and harassment as examples. Acas also recognises that mediation can help with some relationship difficulties involving misunderstandings or lack of awareness. These points require a suitability assessment, rather than treating every complaint as either automatically suitable or automatically excluded.
As a practical safeguard, check the seriousness of the allegation, any continuing risk and whether facts must be established before the business can act. Do not relabel a serious complaint as a personality clash. A request for mediation must not become pressure on someone to withdraw an allegation or accept unsafe behaviour.
Where a formal route is necessary, manage that route properly. Mediation may later help colleagues rebuild their relationship after the grievance or disciplinary process. Keep the purpose of each process clear to everyone involved.
GOV.UK: mediation and formal investigations ↗ · Acas: handling an informal bullying or discrimination complaint ↗
Make the invitation genuinely voluntary
Explain the proposal separately, including who would mediate and what participation involves. Acas confirms that people can decline and can decide after an initial meeting whether to continue. An employer should not treat refusal as proof that the person caused the dispute.
Our practical recommendation is to give people a short written explanation and a private route for questions before booking a joint session. Ask about communication needs, accessibility, breaks and concerns about meeting the other participant. Avoid an unexpected calendar invitation with both names copied in and no explanation.
In the supervisor example, one person may worry that disagreement with a longer-serving colleague will damage their position. Address that concern through the mediator's initial discussion, rather than asking the owner to persuade them to cooperate. If voluntary participation is not achievable, choose another appropriate management route.
Choose an impartial mediator and a clear brief
Acas identifies two main options: an external mediator or trained internal mediators. Smaller businesses may find an external appointment more workable because internal impartiality and availability can be difficult. Discuss the provider's contract, costs and timing before confirming the arrangement.
Check for a conflict of interest. Someone who investigated the complaint, advised one participant on their case or will decide a related disciplinary outcome may not be a credible neutral choice. Seniority alone does not establish mediation competence.
Our suggested commissioning brief records the issue to explore, participants, practical arrangements and any separate process already underway. Name an employer contact for logistics, but do not ask the mediator to report who was more convincing. Agree in advance what limited administrative information the business needs, such as whether the process can proceed and whether any agreed workplace action needs approval.
Give managers a clear route through workplace conflict.
HR + SAFETY can help assess the issue, review your procedures and plan an appropriate next step.
Discuss your employee-relations processExplain meetings and confidentiality before they begin
The Acas model usually starts with separate meetings, then a joint session. Participants agree ground rules, have space to speak and can ask for breaks. Discuss any request to bring someone with the mediator beforehand. A short account of the issue may help preparation, but mediation should not turn into a bundle-building contest.
The mediator should agree what may be shared outside the process and how. Acas says that, where no agreement is reached, what was said in mediation remains confidential and cannot be used in later procedures. Set out the confidentiality arrangements and any necessary limits clearly before participation; avoid improvised promises that nothing could ever be disclosed in any circumstances.
For the employer, the practical control is to separate logistics and authorised outcomes from private discussion. Do not request a transcript, circulate personal explanations to the team or expect participants to brief their manager on the other person's concessions. Agree how notes will be handled with the provider.
Turn a broad promise into actions people can use
Acas recommends a written record of the agreement and clarity about each person's responsibilities. Sharing is limited to participants and anyone they consent to include. The agreement is usually not legally binding; do not present an ordinary mediation record as a settlement that waives employment claims.
Our suggested test is whether a colleague could understand the action without hearing the private discussion. In the illustrative handover dispute, 'communicate better' might become: use one shared handover record, list unfinished jobs before the shift ends, raise urgent queries by telephone and reserve disputed priorities for a short weekly planning discussion.
Name an owner and review point for each action. Check whether any proposed rota, reporting-line or workload change needs management approval before promising it. Ask the participants what the employer may be told so the business can support the agreement without receiving confidential explanations. A workable agreement needs enough operational detail to survive the next busy week.
Follow up without reopening the private negotiation
Our recommendation is a short, agreed review after the new arrangement has been tested in real work. Check whether the handover happens, whether questions reach the right person and whether the workload remains manageable. Measure the agreed actions, rather than asking whether the participants now like each other.
If mediation ends without agreement, identify the appropriate next step and explain it promptly. Do not leave the complaint or operational problem in limbo. Preserve the confidentiality boundary and assess any formal issue through its own evidence and procedure.
Workplace mediation is separate from Acas early conciliation, which concerns potential tribunal claims. Acas does not supply its workplace mediators where early conciliation is underway or a tribunal claim has been made. Raising an issue internally does not change tribunal claim time limits, so do not tell anyone that an internal resolution attempt protects their deadline.
The employer's mediation checklist
Official Acas and GOV.UK guidance checked on 10 November 2026. This guide concerns workplace mediation in Great Britain. The example, commissioning brief and action checklist are practical recommendations, not prescribed legal forms; Northern Ireland has a separate employment-relations framework.
- Identify the working-relationship problem and any issue requiring formal investigation.
- Explain the proposal privately and confirm willing participation.
- Select a suitably trained, impartial mediator and check conflicts.
- Agree access needs, logistics, confidentiality and permitted reporting.
- Leave the substantive agreement to the participants.
- Record specific actions, approvals, responsibilities and a review point.
- Follow up agreed outcomes and keep any separate procedure moving.
Choose mediation for a suitable relationship problem, secure voluntary participation and appoint an impartial mediator. Keep necessary investigations separate, then support the specific actions participants agree to share.
This guide provides general information for UK employers. It is not legal advice and should not replace advice based on the facts of a specific matter.