Ambode charges civil servants to sharpen human relations skills

Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode  on Thursday charged civil servants to sharpen their vital interpersonal human relations skills and values needed to properly and fully serve the government and people of the state.

Ambode, who spoke at a two-day training workshop in Ikeja, Lagos, Southwest Nigeria, said sharpening such skills would result in motivated and productive workforce, improve employee retention and build healthy relationship as well as mutual support among co-workers.

The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Establishments and Training, Dr. Benson Oke said the quality and character of human relations at a workplace impacted how an employee viewed his or her job and interacted with co-workers, saying that employee motivation was important in maintaining and increasing productivity.

According to him, an employee, who is interested in his work and is concerned about the well-being of his co-workers tended to be more productive, stressing that “this productivity is good for business since more work is done in less time.”

Ambode added that managements’ attitude, the general feel at a workplace and social groups formed, among others, had direct impact on the employee’s performance, saying that when co-workers could not relate with one another, friction and uneasiness would become apparent.

The governor said this was not good for business as it negatively affected how workers communicate with one another.

“Being able to connect with one another will build mutual support among co-workers. When they feel as though they are working together, they would be more likely to fix problems on their own. Rather than making mistakes, they would ask for help or advice from one another, promoting positive attitudes.

“Without good workplace relationships, employees would remain stagnant and business would not flourish,” Ambode explained.