“I found the calling I never knew I had”

Marie Coombes CMgr FCMI had a lightbulb moment a decade ago when she was working in HR at Royal Mail and was asked to deal with a grievance. “After receiving the evidence, I thought: you know what? I just want to get these two people in a room and have a conversation.” 

It gave Marie an insight into how powerful a conversation can be. “I’ve always been really interested in what makes people tick and why they behave the way they do, so I found the calling I never knew I had.” 

Three months later, Royal Mail advertised several in-house mediator roles and she was appointed. She has never looked back. 

• More from Marie: four steps to resolve hybrid workplace conflict (beware late-night messages)

Conflict as a constructive force

In 2019, after 17 years with the organisation, Marie decided to go it alone. She launched her own consultancy, We Restore Calm, which offers conflict prevention and resolution services along with associated training, and the Mental Health First Aid England courses. As well as providing two-party and multi-party mediation, Marie works at a strategic level with organisations that are experiencing problems with their internal relationships, including bullying and harassment, absence and engagement issues.