Apologies are hard to give. In the employment context, many view apologizing as a sign of weakness or, worse, a sign of admission of wrong. I submit that when done the right way it is actually a sign of a culturally resilient organization.
Workplace culture isn't just a product of what happens in the conference rooms, the Zoom rooms, and at the water cooler. It encompasses everything. All interactions between coworkers throughout their journey together. And yes, it even involves how potential coworkers are treated as well.
Whether mediating, investigating, or serving as an ombudsperson trying to help resolve a dispute, one of the most important things to understand is why. By this I mean, why did the parties do/say what they did?! Understanding motivation can help understand how to ultimately resolve disputes.
When the dreaded performance evaluation time approaches, managers and employees alike tend to get nervous. Employees may worry that a less than stellar evaluation means they are not performing or that they may not get a raise or promotion. Employers worry that if they give honest evaluations they may not be liked by their employees - and not even managers want to be ostracized. So, what do you do?