Virtual event
How to Deal with Conflict at Work
Exclusively for public servants and policymakers
Wednesday, Apr 1, 2026
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Speakers
What to do next
- Catch up on the 10-minute highlights above or dive into the full recording
- Join the Life in Government Community
- Check out our upcoming event Communicating More Strategically at Work and Futures Thinking Fundamentals for Busy Public Servants
Resources
- Event Transcript
- Zoe Rohde's Slides
- Dr Nikolaos Barkas's Slides
- The Respectful Workplace Toolkit - A Self-Reflection Guide for Public Servants
Join the Life in Government Community
The Life in Government Community is a collaborative space designed for Apolitical members to connect with peers in the global public service and ask and answer questions on life in government.
Event Description
Unresolved tension, difficult colleagues and everyday incivility quietly drain trust, morale and performance across public service teams. This event will explore how public servants can approach challenging conversations with renewed confidence — whether you’re managing team disputes or trying to improve a strained working relationship with a colleague.
Grounded in practical frameworks and real public service experience, this event will focus on preparing for difficult conversations, turning conflict into constructive dialogue and building a positive, respectful team atmosphere through simple, everyday actions.
You’ll explore how to prepare for difficult conversations, de-escalate conflict in the moment and build more positive, productive working relationships with colleagues.
Image Credit: Unsplash
Speakers
Zoe Rohde
Implementation Manager: Strategic Team for Anti-Racism, The Scottish Government
Scotland
Dr Nikolaos Barkas
Smart Data Policy Lead, Department for Business and Trade
UK
Zoe Rohde, who has been a civil servant within the Scottish Government since 2021. She is currently the Sponsorship Lead for the Anti-Racism Observatory for Scotland (AROS), a new organisation established to support the delivery of systemic anti-racism change across the public sector. Prior to her work on anti-racism, she worked in the Digital Health and Care Directorate as a Communication and Content Manager. Before joining the Civil Service, Zoe worked within the UN System in South Africa for 12 years, as the representative for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Cape Town, with a focus on counter human trafficking and migration management. Zoe started off her career working in the Third Sector, supporting newly-arrived asylum seekers and newly-recognised refugees with their integration into life in Scotland. She is passionate and committed to human rights, equality and inclusion, and when not working spends a lot of her time as a “football mum” – supporting her son on the football pitch.
Dr Nikolaos Barkas, who brings a uniquely human‑centred perspective to public service, shaped by academic studies that included pastoral care and a decade of service as an Orthodox priest. After resigning from the priesthood, he joined the UK Civil Service, where he has spent 12 years across the Home Office, Cabinet Office and DBT. Having navigated and survived hierarchical structures in the Church, academia and government, he is drawn to improving organisational culture, inclusion and the everyday experience of public servants. His thought leadership on Apolitical covering Respectful Workplaces, Smart‑Talk for tough conversations and LGBTQ+ inclusion has gained international traction and supported more empathetic, effective public‑sector practice.
