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Workplace Restorative Practices
Conflict at work leaves a mark that a policy memo can’t erase. Workplace restorative practices create a structured, facilitated space for people to talk honestly about what happened, understand how others were affected, and work together on what needs to happen moving forward. Bringing those experiences into the conversation can help people address what might otherwise remain unresolved and continue affecting how they communicate and work together.
At PPS, our Peacebuilders facilitate restorative circles and dialogue that give people a structured way to address unresolved concerns, understand the impact of what happened, and begin rebuilding how they communicate and work together.
Trusted by Leading Organizations
When workplace conflict has affected trust, communication, or people’s ability to work together, organizations need more than a generic approach. They need experienced practitioners who understand both the human dynamics of conflict and the realities of the workplace.
Founded by Dr. Jeremy Pollack, PPS brings together conflict psychology and years of real-world peacebuilding experience. Our experts are regularly featured in Forbes, NBC, CBS, Fox, and Business Insider.
What Are Workplace Restorative Practices?
Restorative practices grew out of restorative justice, an approach that focuses on understanding what happened, who was affected, and what may be needed to address the impact. Instead of treating resolution solely as a matter of determining fault or imposing consequences, restorative justice also asks how people were affected, what responsibility looks like, and what can be done in response to what happened. Restorative practices bring those same principles into other settings by creating opportunities for the people involved to have a voice in the conversation and participate in determining how to move forward.
In the workplace, that means creating a structured process where people can speak openly about their experience, hear how others experienced the situation, and better understand the impact the conflict has had on the people and relationships around them. With the guidance of a trained facilitator, restorative conversations can help bring unresolved concerns into the open and give people an opportunity to take responsibility for their part in what happened and what comes next.
Restorative practices aren’t meant to decide who is right or wrong. The purpose is to create the conditions for greater understanding, meaningful accountability, and clearer conversations about what needs to happen next.
Why Restorative Practices Can Help
Policies, procedures, and disciplinary processes serve an important purpose, but they don’t always address everything people experience during and after a workplace conflict. Even when the formal process is complete, people may still have unanswered questions, lingering frustration or hurt, or concerns about what happened and how it may affect their relationships at work.
The effects can be especially difficult when a conflict results in disciplinary action or someone leaving the organization. Resolving the formal issue doesn’t necessarily address the effect it has had on everyone else. As our research on workplace conflict statistics shows, unresolved conflict can carry real costs for organizations, affecting communication, morale, productivity, and employee retention, and in some situations contributing to further conflict or escalation.
Restorative practices create space for those experiences to be acknowledged and discussed alongside an organization’s existing policies and procedures rather than replacing them. They address a different part of the conflict by giving the people affected an opportunity to better understand one another’s experiences, take responsibility where appropriate, and have a voice in how they work together going forward.
How Our Restorative Practices Work
We treat conflict as a normal part of working with other people. Our approach draws on transformative, interest-based conflict resolution, helping people look beyond positions and reactions to better understand the needs, interests, and emotions influencing the conflict.
Depending on what your team has experienced and what needs to be addressed, our Peacebuilders may use restorative circles, facilitated dialogue, or a combination of approaches. The process gives people a structured opportunity to talk openly about what happened and how they were affected, while also hearing perspectives they may not have fully understood before. Where appropriate, it can also create opportunities for people to acknowledge their part in what happened and take responsibility for what comes next.
Restorative Circles at Work
Restorative circles bring together people who have been directly or indirectly affected by a conflict, which may include members of the broader team. In a structured, facilitated setting, participants have an opportunity to share their own experience while also hearing how the situation was experienced by others.
Our Peacebuilders guide the conversation in a way that gives each person a voice and helps the group explore what has happened between them, what may still need to be addressed, and what could support a more constructive working relationship.
Facilitated Dialogue at Work
Facilitated dialogue brings together a smaller number of people who need to work through a difficult interaction, strained working relationship, or ongoing conflict. A neutral PPS facilitator helps create the structure for a direct, honest conversation where people can share their perspectives, hear how the situation has been experienced by others, and work through the issues between them.
As the conversation develops, the facilitator helps people identify where understanding may have broken down, clarify concerns that have been difficult to address, and explore how they want to communicate and work together from there.
Flexible Delivery for Your Team
Restorative circles and facilitated dialogue can be offered on-site at your workplace or live virtually over Zoom or Microsoft Teams, making both options accessible for in-person, distributed, and hybrid teams. The number of participants depends on the situation and the type of process, from focused dialogue between a small number of people to restorative circles involving a broader group.
When additional support is needed, this work can also be combined with conflict coaching or organizational systems design to address individual challenges, recurring conflict patterns, or broader organizational dynamics.
What Restorative Practices Help Your Team Do
Restorative practices give people a structured way to address unresolved tension, concerns, and strained working relationships after a conflict.
- Be heard and understand others. Share perspectives, hear how others experienced the situation, and better understand its impact.
- Take responsibility for their part. Acknowledge contributions to what happened, where appropriate, and consider what could be done differently.
- Find a better way to work together. Address unresolved concerns, clarify expectations, and discuss what needs to change in the working relationship.
- Address tension earlier. Clarify what needs to happen next. Discuss expectations, responsibilities, and changes that may help people work together more effectively after the conflict.
How to Bring Restorative Practices to Your Workplace
It starts with a conversation. From there, our three-step process gives you a clear understanding of how PPS can support your organization and what to expect.
Start With Your Free Consultation
Start with a free consultation focused on understanding what’s happening in your organization, who has been affected, and what you hope to accomplish through the restorative process. Together, we’ll talk through the situation and determine the right restorative support for your team.
Review Your Customized Proposal
Using what we learn during Discovery, a Program Director develops a customized proposal outlining the recommended approach, scope, format, and timeline for your organization. We’ll walk you through the proposal so you know exactly what the process will involve.
Begin The Restorative Process
Once you’re ready to move forward, your Peacebuilder begins the restorative process with the people involved. They create the structure for the conversations that need to happen and support the work from preparation through facilitation. Follow-up support can be included as needed.
When the issues extend beyond a specific conflict, culture optimization can help your organization address broader patterns and workplace dynamics that may also need attention.
Frequently Asked Questions
Workplace restorative practices are structured, facilitated processes that give people affected by a conflict an opportunity to talk about what happened, understand how others experienced the situation, and address unresolved concerns. Rather than focusing only on rules or consequences, restorative practices also create space for understanding, responsibility, and constructive dialogue. At PPS, this work commonly takes the form of restorative circles and facilitated dialogue.
Restorative justice is an approach to conflict that focuses on understanding what happened, how people were affected, what responsibility looks like, and what can be done in response. In the workplace, restorative practices apply these principles through structured conversations that give the people affected a voice in addressing the impact of the conflict and determining how to move forward. Pollack Peacebuilding Systems provides this work nationwide through our Peacebuilders, on-site or live virtually.
Traditional HR or disciplinary processes may focus on policies, findings, responsibilities, and organizational action. Restorative practices address a different part of the conflict by creating a facilitated space for people to discuss what happened, understand its impact, and consider responsibility and what needs to happen next. The approaches can complement one another, with restorative practices addressing concerns and working relationships that may remain after a formal process is complete.
The 5 Rs of restorative practice are commonly described as relationship, respect, responsibility, repair, and reintegration. Together, they emphasize understanding how people and relationships have been affected, taking responsibility, and determining what can support a more constructive working relationship. In the workplace, these principles can inform restorative circles and facilitated dialogue.
The goals of restorative practices in the workplace are to give people affected by conflict a voice, deepen understanding of what happened and its impact, encourage accountability, and address concerns that may still be affecting working relationships. The process also gives people an opportunity to clarify what needs to change in how they communicate and work together.
Restorative circles bring together people who have been directly or indirectly affected by a workplace conflict, which may include members of the broader team. A PPS Peacebuilder facilitates the conversation, giving participants an opportunity to share their perspectives, hear how others experienced the situation, and explore what may still need to be addressed. The structure helps give each person a voice while supporting an honest, constructive conversation about what has happened and what comes next.
Yes. PPS offers restorative practices on-site at your workplace or live virtually over Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Virtual delivery allows distributed and hybrid teams to participate in the same structured, facilitated process from wherever they work.
Restorative conversations are used to address the aftermath of a specific conflict, a breach of trust, or ongoing tension on a team. They can also bring concerns into the open before they escalate or become more difficult to address. Our Peacebuilders determine the right format for the situation, using restorative circles, facilitated dialogue, or a combination of approaches based on who needs to be involved and what needs attention.
Bring Restorative Practices to Your Team
When a workplace conflict is technically over, but the effects are still being felt, people may need an opportunity to address what remains unresolved. PPS can help create the structure for those conversations, giving the people affected a chance to be heard, understand one another more clearly, and talk honestly about what needs to happen next.
We begin with a conversation to understand what happened, who has been affected, and whether a restorative process is the right approach for your team.
When a specific dispute calls for focused mediation rather than a broader restorative process, explore our online workplace mediation services.
Start with a free consultation to talk through what’s happening in your organization and how PPS can support your team today.
