When two people can't work together anymore - and the whole team knows it.
A structured, coaching-led process that resolves the conflict rather than relocating it.
Workplace mediation
The problem
When you bring together talented people from all walks of life, throw them into an environment they otherwise wouldn't be together, and ask them to work closely, that is bound to surface some tensions and conflict.
Most conflict in the workplace is normal friction that can be managed and everyone moves on. But some conflicts become bigger than Ben-Hur if they're not caught early & tackled head on.
You know the ones - the conflicts that:
turn the office into factions
diminish trust in leadership
drive passive-aggressive or avoidant behaviour
generate gossip and backchanneling (the meeting after the meeting)
consume your tume, and your HR team's time, week after week
plummet the team's performance
Left alone, this could turn into a formal complaint, a WorkSafe claim, or, at best, create a dysfunctional team and your good people leave. And the option most organisations reach for next is to wait (i.e. avoid the problem), restructure around the problem (i.e. avoid the problem), or move someone sideways or upwards (i.e. avoid the problem).
None of that resolves the conflict - it just relocates it!
What clients say
We are grateful and very lucky to have your expertise working with our clients in our small town, you have done wonders with this mediation. My client had a chat with me yesterday afternoon. She said she felt like she was able to get everything off her chest, things she probably wouldn't have shared without you there, and she seemed to be in a really positive headspace moving forward. We will be reaching out again if we have another client needing your support/expertise.
Referring support worker
Youth homelessness organisation
I found Mary to be very caring and gentle with her words, but firm when needed. It worked well with making me think about my actions or words. At no point did I feel uncomfortable with opening up with her, I felt it was a safe place and Mary had genuine care and compassion for us. It's a lot to talk about and take in, but she made it seem easy to do.
Mediation participant, business owner
Mary, I always breathed a sigh of relief when I saw you were the conciliator in my case. As counsel, your calm and balanced approach made all the difference for everyone in that room!
Barrister, Victorian Bar
The Grace + Justice approach
We book a 15-minute obligation-free discovery call, you tell me what's going on, I send you a proposal with my recommended approach. If mediation is not the right fit for your conflict, I will tell you upfront.
Why this works
A three-part process, delivered end-to-end:
Individual conflict coaching. One hour with each participant, separately. This is a core part of the process. Before bringing two people into a mediation, it is far more effective to prepare each of them individually.
This allows them to be heard, to understand their own responses to the conflict, and to identify what they most need from a resolution - away from the pressure of the other person being in the room.
Participants who arrive at mediation already clear on their own needs and interests, and steadier in how they engage, are far more likely to reach an agreement that holds.
Facilitated mediation. A half-day mediation, with the option to extend if the parties are close and need more time, or if the conflict is complex.
Where to from here. A call with you to close the loop: what's been agreed, what needs to happen to make it stick, and any recommended further steps.
What happens when you enquire
Nobody is brought into the room unprepared. Both parties walk in clear on their own needs and interests, and steadier in how they engage.
I facilitate the conversation from a place of deep understanding of the issues in dispute, because I've spent time with the parties understanding their needs and interests that are beneath their positions.
The model is built on experience, not theory. I designed it after chairing 1500+ mediations and seeing what happens when parties came into the room defensive, entrenched in positions, braced for attack, and unclear about what they need out of a resolution.
Grace and Justice Pty Ltd © 2025
0426 535 176
P.O. Box 3089
Doncaster East
VIC 3109