Mediation Maven: November 2026 What We Learned From Talking Workplace Conflict on Good Morning, HR
Amy McDowell and I recently had the pleasure of joining Mike Coffey on Episode 275 of Good Morning, HR, and I have to say it was one of the most enjoyable conversations we have had about the work we love. The episode is titled "Resolving Workplace Conflict Before the Drama Gets Out of Hand," which is about as good a summary of our mission at Inquiring Minds as anyone could write. Amy and I have spent a combined 50-plus years as employment lawyers, much of it in-house, and we have seen far too many workplace disputes that could have been resolved with one well-structured conversation turn instead into formal complaints, resignations, or lawsuits. Having the chance to talk through that experience with an audience of HR professionals who face these situations every day was a real gift.
Mike made it easy for both of us to be ourselves during the podcast. We even got to mention our company mascot, the octopus, which we chose because it is a brilliant and creative problem solver.
What We Talked About
Mike asked the questions that HR leaders are actually wrestling with, and we covered a lot of ground. We started with why workplace conflicts escalate in the first place, which in our experience almost always comes back to managers and HR avoiding the difficult conversation and hoping the problem resolves itself. From there we talked about how a facilitated workplace conflict resolution session differs from legal mediation and arbitration, and we were careful to draw an important line: complaints involving harassment, discrimination, or other potential legal violations belong with legal counsel and, where appropriate, a formal investigation, not a facilitated conversation. We also shared that overseas employers have been using neutral facilitators for years to get ahead of employee disputes, and that U.S.-based employers have an opportunity to also use this productive tool.
We then walked through how our process actually works. It begins with separate one-on-one meetings that give each employee the chance to vent, feel genuinely heard, and recognize the impact the conflict is having on the rest of the team. When we bring the employees together, we ask a forward-looking question that turns the joint session into a brainstorming exercise rather than a relitigation of the past. We model active listening, gently redirect "always" and "never" language, and help the participants draft a written agreement containing specific, measurable behavioral commitments that they create themselves. We also discussed why voluntary participation matters, why we schedule 30-day follow-ups, how a documented reset can support progressive discipline without limiting an employer's right to manage performance, and what happens when the process ends in an impasse.
Why We Are So Excited About Workplace Conflict Resolution Sessions
After years of handling workplace disputes at the investigation and litigation stage, Amy and I know how much time, money, and goodwill is lost when a conflict is allowed to fester. By the time a matter reaches a formal complaint, positions are entrenched, relationships are damaged, and the best outcome is often limiting the harm. A facilitated conflict resolution session changes that equation. It gives employers a structured, neutral, and private way to intervene early, while the employees involved still want the working relationship to succeed. That is what we mean by a reset, and it is the reason this part of our practice energizes us more than almost anything else we do.
These sessions are especially valuable for high-performing, hard-to-replace employees whose conflict is affecting the people around them. Losing one of those employees, or watching a team divide into camps, is far more costly than a few hours of facilitated work. A well-run session also gives HR a break from serving as a full-time referee, and it produces a written agreement and follow-up plan that the employer can rely on going forward. If you are an HR professional or business leader with a conflict on your hands that has not yet risen to the level of a complaint, we would love to talk with you about whether a facilitated session is the right fit. You can learn more at iminvestigations.com.
Thank You, Mike Coffey
A very sincere thank you to Mike Coffey for inviting us onto the show and for being such a thoughtful and generous host. Mike has built Good Morning, HR into a genuinely useful resource for the HR community, with more than 275 episodes covering everything from compliance to leadership to workplace culture. His questions were sharp, practical, and clearly informed by a deep understanding of what HR teams deal with every day. He made the conversation feel easy, and we walked away energized.
Good Morning, HR is brought to you by Mike's company, Imperative, which provides premium background checks with fast and friendly service. As employment lawyers and investigators, Amy and I appreciate how much a careful, accurate background check matters at the front end of the employment relationship, and how many problems good screening can prevent down the road. In that sense, Imperative's work and ours have a lot in common, because both are about getting things right early. If your organization is evaluating background screening providers, Imperative is well worth a look.
Give It a Listen
We hope you will take a few minutes to listen to the full episode, which is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. HR professionals will be glad to know that the episode is pre-approved for half of a recertification credit for both HRCI and SHRM, and Mike's team has prepared a discussion starter PDF for HR teams who want to talk through the episode together in a team meeting. If the conversation sparks questions about a conflict in your own workplace, Amy and I would be happy to hear from you, and if you enjoy the episode, please consider rating and reviewing Good Morning, HR so that more people can find the show.
