Mediation Provision: frequently asked questions

Yes. Mediation is confidential. Notes taken during the mediation day are destroyed.

If a written agreement is reached during the joint meeting, the agreement is also confidential. The participants decide together whether the contents of the agreement should be shared with anyone else, for example a line manager.

No. Mediation is voluntary. It will only take place if all parties are willing to engage in the process. Indeed, the effectiveness of mediation relies on all parties being committed to the process.

You can also withdraw from mediation at any point.

Mediation can be used as an alternative to a formal procedure, or alongside a formal process where this is appropriate and agreed by the parties. If mediation does not resolve the issue, your HR Partner can advise you on the options available under the relevant LSE procedure.

No details of what is discussed in mediation will be shared with your manager unless this is agreed by the participants. Your manager may need to support practical arrangements, such as allowing time to attend mediation meetings, but they should not seek details of confidential discussions or influence the outcome.

The participants decide the outcome. The mediator does not impose a solution or tell participants what they should agree. If an agreement is reached, the participants decide together whether it should be shared with anyone else.

The mediators provide impartial and non-judgemental support to everyone involved. Their role is to create a safe, constructive and confidential space where participants can talk through the issues and explore whether they can agree a way forward.

The mediators do not take sides, assign blame, provide advice, make decisions or decide who is right or wrong. Their role is to support the conversation, not to determine the outcome.

Individual meetings may take place online or in person, depending on the circumstances and availability. The joint mediation meeting takes place in person on campus. In many cases, mediation is arranged on a hybrid basis, with individual meetings online and the joint meeting taking place face-to-face.

Mediation is voluntary, so it cannot go ahead unless everyone involved is willing to take part. If one person does not want to participate, your HR Partner can advise on other options that may be available in the circumstances.

It depends on the nature of your relationship with them. When mediation is being arranged, the Mediator coordinator will check for conflicts of interest that could affect, or be perceived to affect, their neutrality. This could include, for example, working in the same team, line management links, frequent collaboration, involvement in a related workplace matter, or a strong personal connection.

External mediation may be considered where internal mediation is not appropriate due to conflict of interest or specific circumstances of the case.

If you think mediation may help, you should speak to your line manager or, if you are the line manager, to the HR Partner in the first instance.

Where mediation is agreed as a possible way forward, a Mediation Referral Request Form should be completed by the line manager and sent to the Mediation Coordinator in the HR Policy team.

If you still have questions about the mediation process, you can contact Kat Bargiel, the Mediator Coordinator by emailing k.bargiel@lse.ac.uk.

If you are not sure if your circumstances are suitable for mediation and would like some advice, please contact your HR Partner.