Restorative Practices: what are they and why are they important for workplace conflict?

Restorative Practices are a shift in perspective

It might sound like ‘restorative’ is the new buzzword in HR. However, restorative isn’t actually a tool, it’s a shift. 

It’s a shift in thinking, a shift in systems, a shift in culture, but most importantly a shift in perspective. 

In a typical workplace, when conflict arises, focus is placed on policy, processes, and definitions. The shift in perspective to restorative practices lies in being able to place the individuals at the heart of the conflict by making sure their voices are heard and their needs and perspectives are taken into account.  

Employees deserve better.

Sure, having solid policies and processes in place are important, but they serve best as a guide. They aren’t designed to repair conflict in a sustainable way. They manage a bureaucratic procedure. 

Current strategies are often interpreted as either doing nothing, investigating (and then doing nothing and/or severing relationships in the process, even when the allegations are upheld) or, at times, even perpetuating “cancel culture”. The conversation around bullying, harassment, and discrimination in the workplace has never been louder. It’s clear that current practices that sit within hierarchy and bureaucracy perpetuate these toxic workplace behaviours. 

Employees want and deserve to work within a safe and positive community. 

The solution: Restorative Practices

Why do we spend so much time trying to prove who’s in the right and who’s in the wrong? And why does our work finish once the investigation has determined an outcome - when the processes have oftentimes caused even more harm than the conflict in the first place?

What’s the alternative? 

Restorative Practices are a relational way of repairing and preventing harm. They arose out of a restorative justice framework, and so give those directly involved in a situation the choice of how to respond to their situation with the support they need to do so. Those involved not only include those harmed but also those responsible for the harm. The approach empowers people to take control of their situation to create solutions that work for them and their community. 

Restorative Practices inherently recognise that managing conflict is NOT a one-size-fits-all approach.

In this perspective, we first seek to listen, and ask those most impacted: 

• “What’s important about what’s happened?” 

• “How have you and others been affected?”

• “What do you need now to see things put right?”

These guiding questions ensure that we are placing the needs of individuals first, helping to guide any next steps. 

Founded on the values of Relationship, Respect, Responsibility, and Repair, Restorative Practices develop social and communication skills and enable conflicts to be resolved peaceably in a way that promotes mutual understanding and restored mana and dignity for all involved. A restorative approach seeks to reduce rather than compound harm.  

Relationships and conflict belong to the people experiencing them, they don’t belong to HR. Restorative practices help us to prioritise those people’s humanity - not their place in a process.

Understanding the HR landscape, Restorative Services knows that we can create more connected, thriving communities when we focus on supporting individuals to actually repair harm done and prevent it from happening again. 

It’s what employees deserve. It’s how employees are retained. And it’s how employers become part of the change towards a safer and more sustainable workplace. 

Do you need more information? Contact us!