Neutral workplace and business mediation
When people can't work it out, bring in someone who isn't on anyone's side.
Owners, HR teams and business partners call us when a working relationship has stalled. We help you choose the right process, then a specialist matched to your situation runs it. Fixed prices, on this page.
A 45-minute triage call
With Shiv MartinNationally accredited mediator and conciliator
Shiv hears what's happening and helps you choose the right process. Afterwards, you get a short email of next-step recommendations.
$290ex GST
Request a call- Prices on the page
- No lock-in contracts
- By video, anywhere in Australia
- Powered by the Shiv Martin Group
Why the name
Conflict isn't a bad word.
It's a sign that something needs attention, and that somebody cares enough to raise it. In business and public service, conflict is inevitable. Left alone, it gets expensive. Managed well, it leads to stronger teams, smarter leaders and a business that grows.
- Stronger teams
- People who can disagree safely raise problems while they're still small.
- Smarter leaders
- Leaders who can hold a hard conversation make better decisions, and make them sooner.
- Business growth
- Less time lost to silence, sick leave and good people leaving. More time on the work.
Sound familiar?
Most conflict doesn't start with a blow-up. It starts with something small that everyone works around.
By the time it reaches you, it's rarely about the original issue. It's about the silence since, the meaning people have made of it, and who they think is on whose side.
Owners without HRThe owner stuck in the middle
Some of your people won't work together, and every disagreement seems to land on your desk. You're too close to it to be the neutral one.
How we help owners
HR and People teamsThe team that stopped talking
Nothing dramatic happened. People just stopped raising things, and the work is paying for it. It's hard to be neutral about your own people.
How we help HR teams
Business partnersThe partners who can't agree
You built it together. Now you can't agree on what happens next, and everyone around you can feel it.
How we help partners
Free tool, two minutes
Not every matter needs mediation.
Some need HR guidance first. Some need an investigation. Some need a clearer policy, or a decision someone has been putting off. Choosing the right process is half the work, so we built a quick way to start.
- Mediation
- For people who need to keep working together, or to part well.
- HR guidance
- For owners and managers who need to act fairly but aren't sure how.
- Investigation
- For when the facts of a formal complaint need to be established. Quoted after scoping.
- Coaching
- For leaders who need support to lead a team through it themselves.
- Policy review
- For conflict that keeps coming back, whoever is involved.
Who is involved?
How it works
Calm, clear and in the right order.
Good process creates safety. People rarely need a perfect process; they need one they can understand, trust and take part in with dignity. Here's ours.
$290, 45 minutes
Triage call
Shiv hears what's happening, asks the questions that matter and helps you choose the right process. Afterwards you get a short email of next-step recommendations, whatever you decide.
Before anything is booked
Matched, and checked for conflicts
We match your matter to the panel member whose experience fits it, and confirm nobody on our side has advised anyone involved.
One person at a time
Separate conversations first
The mediator speaks with each person on their own before any joint session, so nobody walks in blind and everyone knows how the day will run.
Half or full day
The mediation
A structured, confidential session, with private breaks whenever people need them. Most happen by video, anywhere in Australia.
Outcome note
Agreed points, in writing
What's been agreed is written down clearly, so everyone leaves knowing what happens next.
Pricing
Prices on the page. No lock-in.
Most mediators ask you to call for a quote. We'd rather you knew before you called. You pay for the work you book, and if the triage call shows you don't need us, we'll say so.
Triage call
Start here$290
45 minutes, ex GST
- A call with Shiv Martin, accredited mediator
- Help choosing the right process
- A short email of next-step recommendations
- No obligation to book further work
Half-day mediation
$2,900
3.5-hour session, ex GST
- Two participants, more by quote
- Preparation with each person beforehand
- A structured, confidential session
- A short outcome note
Full-day mediation
$4,900
7-hour session, ex GST
- Complex or multi-issue matters
- Business partner disputes
- Preparation with each person
- A short outcome note
Conflict coaching for leaders
$1,290
4 one-hour sessions and a plan, ex GST
- An expert leadership coach
- Four one-hour sessions
- Up to two hours of support between sessions
- A written coaching plan
HR guidance and policy review
$290
an hour, ex GST
- Complaints, grievances and next steps
- Grievance and conflict policy review
- Scoped by the hour, then a fixed price
- Supports your psychosocial duty
Workplace investigation
Quoted
after scoping, ex GST
- An experienced workplace investigator
- An estimate after scoping, revisited if it changes
- Procedural fairness for everyone
- A written report of findings
All prices exclude GST. More than two people involved? We quote, because complexity varies. As a guide, allow about $700 for each extra participant. No retainers and no lock-in contracts.
Full pricing and what's includedWhy neutral matters
Your adviser can't be your mediator. That's the point.
A mediator has to be impartial and free of conflicts of interest. So if an HR consultant, a lawyer or a helpline has already advised one side, they can't then mediate the same dispute. We're the neutral they can send it to, and we hold ourselves to the same rule: if we've advised one side, someone else mediates.
For owners and HR teams
Someone with no stake in the outcome, no history with anyone involved and no reason to take a side. People tend to say more, and agree to more, when they believe that.
For advisers
Refer a matter and keep the relationship. We run the mediation and share only what everyone involved agrees we can share.
Refer a matterOur panel
A panel, not one person.
Everyone on our panel is an independent expert, not an employee working to one point of view. You get truly independent expertise, and the range of a whole practice in one place: mediators, conciliators, an investigator, a leadership coach and governance specialists. So we don't fit your problem to our service. We recommend the service that fits your problem. Conflict Services is powered by the Shiv Martin Group.
Get matched on a triage call
Founder, triage and mediation
Shiv Martin
Nationally accredited mediator and conciliator
Lead investigator
Kieran Plasto
Workplace investigator, registered psychologist and accredited mediator
Business partners
Richard Gifford
Mediator and conflict strategist
Workplace mediation
Justin Toohey
Mediator and conciliator
Workplace mediation
Dr Serge Loode
Mediator, educator and conciliator
Commercial disputes
John Southalan
Commercial mediator and academic
Leadership coaching
Maree Gardner
Executive and leadership coach
Policy and process
Adam Boyce
Dispute resolution specialist
Cross-cultural and governance
Cobie Britt
Governance, complaints and capacity-building specialist
Free guide
The first 48 hours
What to do, and what to avoid, when your people stop talking.
- The three things to say in the first conversation, and the one thing not to promise
- What to write down while it's fresh, and why it matters later
- How to tell a personality clash from a complaint that needs a formal process
- When to bring in someone neutral, and how to raise it without making things worse
Questions
What people ask before they call.
Is this legal advice?
No. We don't give legal advice and we're not a law firm. If your situation needs a lawyer, we'll say so on the triage call, and we're happy to work alongside yours.
What if the other person won't take part?
Mediation is voluntary, so nobody can be made to attend. A triage call often helps here: we can talk through how to invite them, and what else you can do if they say no.
Is it confidential?
Yes. What's said in mediation stays in the room, within the usual limits, such as a serious risk to someone's safety. We explain those limits to everyone before we start.
Do you work in person?
Most of our work happens by video, anywhere in Australia, with private breakout rooms when people need them. If an in-person session would genuinely help, ask us.
We already have an EAP or an HR provider.
Good. Many EAPs and HR advisers can't mediate a matter they've advised on, so they need somewhere neutral to send it. We're happy to be that.
What happens after the mediation?
You receive a short outcome note setting out what was agreed. If something needs following up, such as a policy change, we can help with that too.
How much does it cost?
A triage call is $290. A half-day mediation is $2,900 and a full day is $4,900. HR guidance and policy review are $290 an hour. All prices exclude GST.
Request a triage call
Start in the middle.
Calm, clear and early is usually better than perfect and too late. $290 ex GST for 45 minutes, and a short email of next-step recommendations afterwards. No obligation to book further work.
- 1Send a request with a few lines about your situation.
- 2We reply within two business days, check suitability and agree on a time and payment arrangements.
- 3You speak with Shiv for 45 minutes, then receive a short email with next-step recommendations.