Here's a hypothetical. A team lead hears that two members of her group are barely speaking. One of them has told her, in a halting way, that the other's comments and behaviour have made work feel unsafe. The team lead likes them both. She suggests they sit down with someone neutral, clear the air and get back to normal before the busy season. She means it kindly, and in plenty of workplace situations it would be the right instinct. The trouble is that the same words land differently depending on what's being described. Mediation can be helpful in some disagreements. It's a far more complicated offer when one person has reported harassment, because that person may not be asking for a better relationship at all. They may be asking someone with authority to find out what happened. Disagreement and harassment aren't the same thing The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety is clear that conflict is ordinary.
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