The holiday season has passed, and the new year now stretches before us with its promise of fresh starts and ambitious goals. However, for many employers, January can also be a time of challenges. Employees may be returning to work lacking enthusiasm, and the pressure to hit ambitious growth targets can feel overwhelming, therefore making it difficult for the business to hit the ground running.

This article explores the art of having difficult conversations over the holiday season, providing practical tips on how to handle them confidently. It emphasises the importance of such conversations in addressing conflicts, fostering personal growth, improving relationships, and enhancing group dynamics.

I have worked as a mediator in South Africa (SA) for 35 years and in the United Kingdom (UK) for 20 of those years. Over this period, the use of mediation in civil and commercial disputes in the UK grew from approximately 2,500 mediations in 2003 to approximately 17,000 mediations in 2022. Why is this?

Conflict Dynamics was established in 1996 in the optimistic post-apartheid years to provide pragmatic skills development services, initially to the CCMA, and then to employers and employees. These services were mainly in relation to training in the fields of industrial relations and mediation.

In the fast-paced environment of the modern workplace, effective communication is paramount. However, not all workplace conversations are easy and smooth. In this article, we will explore the art of having difficult conversations in the workplace and provide practical tips on how to handle them confidently.

The collective bargaining season, often referred to as ‘strike season’ because of the high incidence of strike action which accompanies it, is once again upon us.