The Long-Term Effectiveness of Mediating Workplace Conflicts

In this study, we explore the long-term effectiveness of the mediation of hierarchical workplace conflicts by comparing and analyzing participants' perceptions of short-term and long-term mediation effectiveness. Specifically, we surveyed supervisors and subordinates to determine the extent to which they perceive mediation to be effective one year after the conclusion of the process. In this study, we distinguish between mediations that result in a continuing employment relationship versus exit mediations, which occur when employees end their employment. We collected data from real workplace mediation cases in the Netherlands. Our results show a general positive relationship between short-term and long-term mediation outcomes. Supervisors and subordinates, however, perceive the long-term outcomes somewhat differently, with supervisors perceiving greater compliance with the agreement than did subordinates after one year. We found no significant difference in perceptions of long-term effectiveness between exit and nonexit mediations. In the article, we discuss the implications of our findings for mediation theory and practice.