Restorative Practices in the Workplace

Source: (2002) Paper presented at “Dreaming of a New Reality,” the Third International Conference on Conferencing,
Circles and other Restorative Practices, August 8-10, 2002, Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This presentation provides a practical insight into the use of restorative practices in workplaces. It will show how restorative practices, when located within a sound relational framework, have the capacity to change the way workplaces deal with those tensions which potentially, undermine mutual trust and cooperation. Given that we spend so much of our time at work, we need to be conscious of what builds effective workplace relationships. Modeling restorative practices in all our workplace interactions – informally or formally – will make a positive contribution to relationships because their emphasis is directed at satifying the principles of fair process. Individuals are then likely to feel valued, and contribute in constructive and responsive ways. For supervisors and managers, restorative approaches around tensions and workplace difficulties can provide the sort of modelling which engenders trust and commitment. It also provides ways of identifying and resolving early, those difficulties which historically have the potential to escalate. Author’s abstract