Confidential
Sensitive issues stay private. Mediation is held without prejudice, so there is no formal record unless both parties agree one.
Sort it without picking sides
Workplace mediation that mends working relationships
Workplace disagreements are inevitable. Left unresolved, they drain morale and productivity and can harden into a formal grievance or a WRC claim. PurpleTree's accredited mediators help Irish employers resolve disputes quickly and confidentially, repairing the working relationship rather than just recording who was at fault.
Settle it before the legal bills start.
Mediation Resolves Conflict Without the Cost of a Formal Process
When two people on a team stop working well together, the instinct is often to launch a formal process. But a grievance or disciplinary procedure is built to determine fault, not to rebuild a relationship, and it frequently leaves both sides more entrenched than before.
Workplace mediation takes the opposite approach. A neutral mediator helps the parties hear each other, find common ground, and agree how they will work together going forward.
It is one of the most effective and least expensive tools an Irish employer has, and it is often the difference between a resolved issue and a claim. Read our overview of the biggest HR challenges facing Irish SMEs for where conflict usually starts.
Faster and lower cost
Resolution in days rather than the months a WRC hearing or grievance appeal can take, and a fraction of the cost.
Relationship-focused
The goal is a working relationship that holds, not a winner and a loser. People stay, and the team recovers.
Durable outcomes
Solutions the parties design themselves are far more likely to last than an outcome imposed on them from above.
See exactly what to expect on the day.
How Workplace Mediation Works
Workplace mediation is a voluntary, structured process in which a neutral mediator facilitates a conversation between the parties in conflict. Unlike a formal procedure under the WRC Code of Practice on Grievance and Disciplinary Procedures, mediation is not about blame, evidence or sanction. It is about communication and a workable settlement that both people can live with.
Our impartial mediators guide the process in a safe, structured environment. Everything is held on a without-prejudice basis, so what is said in the room is not later used in a WRC claim or court case. The mediator does not impose a decision. The parties craft their own agreement, which is exactly why it tends to hold.
- Voluntary: both parties take part by choice, never by compulsion
- Confidential and without prejudice from start to finish
- Neutral mediator who facilitates rather than judges
- A written agreement only if both parties want one
Know when it fits and when it doesn't.
When Is Mediation the Right Approach?
Mediation is the right tool when the problem is a relationship rather than an act of misconduct. Where there is a clear allegation that has to be investigated and determined, a formal route is needed instead, and we advise on that too. Our consultants typically recommend mediation for the situations below, and will tell you plainly when a matter has moved beyond what mediation can fix. Tension left to fester is a common root of constructive dismissal claims, so acting early matters.
- Interpersonal clashes and personality conflicts
- Communication breakdowns within a team
- Manager and employee disputes
- Disagreements over roles, workload or work practices
- Tension arising from restructuring or organisational change
- Rebuilding relationships after a grievance or investigation has concluded
The everyday friction that pulls teams apart.
The Disputes Mediation Resolves Before They Escalate
Most expensive employment disputes started as something small that nobody addressed. Mediation is the early intervention that stops a manageable friction becoming a formal complaint, a sick-leave absence, or a WRC file. PurpleTree mediators handle the full range of workplace conflict, and where a matter genuinely needs a formal route instead, our HR investigations and WRC representation teams take it from there.
Interpersonal and team conflict
Personality clashes and communication breakdowns that drain a team, addressed before anyone reaches for a formal grievance.
Informal bullying and dignity-at-work issues
The Code of Practice on bullying at work encourages informal resolution first. Mediation is that step, well before a formal complaint.
Manager and report friction
Friction in a reporting line that is hurting performance, reset through structured conversation rather than escalation.
Tension from change and restructuring
Conflict that surfaces during reorganisation, new reporting lines or a TUPE transfer, resolved before it spreads.
Relationship repair after a process
Restoring a workable relationship once a grievance or investigation has concluded, so people can actually keep working together.
Grievances headed off before the WRC
Disputes resolved internally and confidentially, so they never become a public WRC adjudication with the parties named.
Looked after from first call to follow-up.
Our Mediation Process
PurpleTree follows a clear, structured process so both parties know what to expect and the mediation has the best chance of a lasting outcome. We arrange sessions to minimise disruption to your business and keep the employer informed at each stage without breaching the confidentiality the process depends on.
- Initial consultationWe meet with you, the employer, to understand the conflict, the history and the outcome you need.
- Individual meetingsThe mediator holds a confidential meeting with each party to understand their perspective and prepare them.
- Joint mediation sessionA facilitated meeting where both parties communicate directly and work toward a solution they both accept.
- Written agreementIf the matter resolves, the agreed actions are set out in a short written agreement that both parties sign.
- Follow-upWe check in afterwards to confirm the agreement is holding and the working relationship is improving.
An even-handed third party in the room.
Accredited Mediators, Based in Longford
PurpleTree is an Irish HR consultancy based in Longford, serving employers across the country. Our mediators are experienced and accredited, with a balanced, practical and compassionate approach grounded in Irish workplace culture and Irish employment law, not a UK playbook adapted after the fact. We create a safe space for honest conversation, and we are realistic with you about what mediation can and cannot achieve.
We scope each mediation to the situation in front of us and agree the fee in writing before we begin, so there is no open-ended hourly billing. For employers on an outsourced HR retainer, mediation support is often covered within your agreed level of support. Agreements reached in mediation can be stored securely on the HR:Duo platform alongside the rest of your records. See how we price ongoing HR support before you book.
- Experienced, accredited mediators with deep knowledge of Irish workplaces
- Flexible scheduling that minimises disruption to your team
- Confidential, impartial and solution-focused throughout
- Scope and fee agreed in writing, with no open-ended hourly billing
The sooner you step in, the better.
The Value of Acting Early
Addressing conflict the moment it surfaces is far cheaper than letting it fester. Early mediation stops a minor disagreement hardening into a formal grievance, a stress-related absence, a resignation, or a legal claim, and it saves the management time and emotional energy those battles consume. Handled well, conflict can even strengthen a team: people who work through a difficulty together often communicate better afterwards. Choosing mediation also signals to your workforce that you are committed to a fair, respectful workplace, which is itself one of the best protections an employer has.
- Stops minor issues becoming major problems and formal claims
- Saves management time and reduces stress on the whole team
- Cuts the absence, turnover and legal cost unresolved conflict creates
- Demonstrates a visible commitment to fair, respectful resolution
Tensions disrupting your team?
Unresolved conflict rarely fixes itself, and it gets more expensive the longer it runs. Talk to PurpleTree about confidential workplace mediation and we will help your people find common ground before it becomes a formal grievance. For employers on an outsourced HR retainer, mediation support is often already covered within your monthly support.
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Common questions from employers
Workplace mediation is a voluntary, confidential conversation facilitated by a neutral mediator who helps two people in conflict reach their own agreement. A grievance procedure is a formal process under the WRC Code of Practice, where a manager investigates a complaint and decides an outcome that can then be appealed. Mediation does not find anyone at fault and is not written into anyone's record. It looks forward and rebuilds the working relationship, which a formal grievance rarely does.
Yes. Mediation is held in private and conducted on a without-prejudice basis, which means what is discussed is not normally admissible in a later WRC claim or court case. The mediator keeps the content of the discussions confidential, and only an agreed written outcome is shared with the employer if both parties consent. That privacy is exactly what lets people speak openly and reach a settlement they would never put on a formal record.
No. Mediation only works because it is voluntary, so you can offer it and strongly encourage it, but you cannot compel an employee to take part. An unwilling participant rarely produces a durable outcome. If mediation is declined or does not resolve the matter, the formal grievance, investigation or disciplinary route remains open to you, and we advise on that path as well.
Mediation suits relationship conflict where nobody needs to be found at fault: personality clashes, communication breakdowns, team tension, or friction between a manager and a report. A formal investigation or disciplinary process is needed where there is an allegation of misconduct or a potential breach of policy that has to be determined. The two often work together. The Code of Practice on bullying at work encourages informal resolution, including mediation, as a first step before any formal complaint is escalated.
Not automatically. The mediator imposes nothing. If the parties reach agreement, it is usually recorded in a short written agreement that both sign. That is a private agreement between the two people, not a WRC determination or a court order, and its strength comes from the fact that both parties shaped it and committed to it. Agreements reached at PurpleTree mediations can be stored securely on the HR:Duo platform alongside the rest of your records.
Many workplace mediations are resolved in a single day or across a small number of sessions, following separate preparatory meetings with each party. More complex or multi-party disputes take longer. We give you a realistic sense of the likely shape and timescale after the initial consultation, before any sessions are arranged, so there are no surprises.
No. The Workplace Relations Commission runs its own mediation service for complaints already lodged with the Commission, conducted by a WRC mediation officer. PurpleTree's workplace mediation is a private service you can use at any stage, including well before any WRC complaint exists, to resolve conflict inside your own business. Used early, private mediation often prevents a dispute ever reaching the WRC at all.
We scope each mediation to the situation, which means the number of parties, the complexity and the likely number of sessions, and we agree the fee with you in writing before we begin, so there is no open-ended hourly billing. For employers on an outsourced HR retainer, mediation support is often covered within the agreed level of support; otherwise it is quoted as a standalone piece of work. See how we price HR support.