The Public Service Commission (PSC) on Wednesday, November 9 hosted a Roundtable on managing intra and interpersonal relations for a harmonious and conducive workplace in the public service space.

The Roundtable that was held at UNISA Main Campus 4th Floor Kgorong Building in Pretoria observed that most of the grievances referred for its consideration relate to unfair treatment emanating from strained relations or an inability to interact with people of different personalities, which if unresolved, may negatively impact the work environment, making it toxic and unconducive for employees.

The Roundtable was in an effort to address this and to contribute towards improved sound labour relations. The theme of the conference was “Managing Intra- and Inter-personal Relations for a Harmonious and Conducive Workplace.”

The Roundtable was aimed at assisting departments in empowering public servants with self-awareness, self-management, interpersonal relations, and mediation as an alternative mechanism of resolving conflict.

The following sub-themes were discussed:

  • Intrapersonal relations: understanding self and my impact in the workplace.
  • Managing interpersonal relations in the workplace.
  • Toxic work environment: causes and how to minimise/deal with them – what is my role?
  • Use of mediation in grievance resolution.