Escalation & Restorative Practices

Purpose and when to use this playbook

This playbook helps teams handle interpersonal harm, conflict, or performance breakdowns with predictable escalation thresholds and restorative steps that preserve dignity and learning. Use it when harm has reduced trust or team function, when informal repair has failed, or when a predictable pathway is needed to decide when to escalate and when to pursue restoration.

Core principles

• Preserve safety: protect individuals from further harm and ensure any immediate safety or legal obligations are met.
• Prioritize repair: focus on restoring relationships and function where appropriate rather than defaulting to punishment.
• Be predictable: use clear triggers, roles, and timeframes so people know what to expect.
• Document and learn: capture outcomes and learning so the team improves over time.

At-a-glance process

1. Identify trigger and initial assessment (informal response possible)
2. Attempt early restorative conversation (peer-led or manager-led)
3. If unresolved or risk persists, escalate along defined pathway
4. Run restorative circle or formal restorative process where appropriate
5. Agree and sign accountability agreement
6. Monitor progress and review; escalate further only if agreements are broken or safety/legal concerns arise

Trigger definitions (examples)

• Minor interpersonal friction: one-off rudeness, miscommunication, minor missed deadlines—usually handled informally.
• Moderate harm: repeated disrespect, exclusionary behavior, pattern of missed commitments—warrants a structured restorative conversation.
• Serious harm: harassment, discrimination, threats, safety risk, or possible legal/HR breach—immediate escalation to HR/People + concurrent restorative or disciplinary process as appropriate.

Escalation pathway (roles and timeboxes)

Decision guide: restorative vs disciplinary

• Choose restorative when the harmed party wants repair, the perpetrator accepts responsibility or is willing to engage, and there are no overriding legal/safety reasons to stop.
• Choose disciplinary processes when safety or regulatory compliance is at risk, when harm is criminal or a clear policy breach, or when the harmed party requests formal action that prevents informal restoration.

Restorative circle agenda (90 minutes — adaptable)

1. Welcome & purpose (5 min) Facilitator explains goals, confidentiality, and process.
2. Check-in (10 min) Short round for each participant to name how they are showing up.
3. Story & impact (20–30 min) The harmed person shares what happened and its effect. Others listen without interruption.
4. Clarifying questions (10 min) Non-judgmental questions to understand facts and feelings.
5. Responsibility & response (15–20 min) The person who caused harm speaks to what happened, accepts responsibility, and says what they are willing to do to repair harm.
6. Co-create agreement (15 min) Participants collaborate on specific, measurable actions the responsible person will take; define timelines and support needed.
7. Close & next steps (5 min) Review the agreement, confirm monitoring, and set follow-up check-ins.

Accountability agreement template

Use this template as a written agreement after a restorative circle. Keep a signed copy with People/Team records. (Adapt language to your culture and legal requirements.)

Monitoring plan (example)

Monitoring turns promises into sustained change. Keep monitoring simple and measurable.

• Measures to track: adherence to agreed actions, recurrence of the harmful behavior, team climate indicators (anonymized pulse), and objective performance indicators if relevant.
• Check-in cadence: brief manager/facilitator check at 2 weeks, in-depth review at 1 month, and a 3-month retrospective with the team or People partner.
• Documentation: keep short notes after each check-in (what changed, evidence, next steps). Store in the agreed team or People recordkeeping system.
• Escalation triggers: missed deadlines from the agreement, repeated harm reports, new safety concerns — trigger organizational review with People/HR.

Quick checklist for facilitators

• Confirm voluntary participation and informed consent before a restorative circle.
• Assess safety/legal concerns first; pause restorative steps if necessary.
• Prepare the harmed person—offer support and explain the process.
• Prepare the person who caused harm—encourage reflection and readiness to repair.
• Document outcomes and the monitoring plan; schedule follow-ups before closing the circle.

Notes on tailoring

This playbook should be adapted to local policy, union rules, regulatory obligations, and cultural norms. Treat these templates as starting points and involve People/Legal when in doubt.