Employee Counselling 06

Employee Counselling Employee Counselling

Counselling
Discussion of a problem with an employee, to help the employee
cope. The employee may be provided with advice and reassurance as
part of the communication process.
Employee & amily !ssistance "rograms
Comprehensive company programs that see# to help employees
overcome personal and wor#$related problems
Employee Discipline Employee Discipline
%anagement action to encourage compliance with the organi&ation's
standards
"reventive Discipline
!ction ta#en prior to any infraction to encourage employees to follow
the rules
Corrective Discipline
!ction that follows a rule infraction and see#s to discourage further
infractions
Due "rocess
Established rules and procedures for disciplinary actions are followed
and employees have an opportunity to respond to the charges
"rogressive Discipline
! type of discipline whereby there are stronger penalties for repeated
o(ences e.g. verbal reprimand, written reprimand
Positive Discipline Positive Discipline
"ositive discipline ta#es a problem$solving approach to resolve the
performance or behaviour issue)
ocus on the speci*c problem, rather than the employee's attitude or
personality
+ain agreement that a performance problem e,ists and that the
employee is responsible
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Employee Counselling 06
Ta#e a problem$solving approach
Document commitments made
ollow$up
DOs and DONTs of Counseling Your Employee

DO
Collect and review
information efore t!e
career counseling
session"
#ive t!e employee
notice of t!e meeting$
specifying time and
place"
Tell t!e employee !ow
long t!e meeting will
last"
#ive t!e employee a
statement aout t!e
purpose of t!e meeting"
Prepare %uestions and
su&ects for t!e meeting
t!at s!ould e covered"
#reet t!e employee in a
friendly$ un!urried
manner"
'ave a c!air ready and
in a position w!ere t!e
employee faces t!e
supervisor wit!out
DON(T
)earc! for or attempt
to review information
during t!e meeting"
Call t!e employee on a
moments notice and
e*pect a productive
meeting"
+ruptly end t!e
meeting wit!out notice"
,eave t!e employee
wondering w!at !e or
s!e may !ave done
wrong"
-ait until t!e employee
arrives to decide w!at
s!ould e
accomplis!ed"
#ive t!e impressions
t!at t!ere is a ig rus!
to get t!is over wit!"
'ave t!e employee sit
on t!e opposite side of
your des. wit! piles of
paper etween t!e two
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Employee Counselling 06
ostacles"
'ave t!e secretary !old
all calls and .eep
visitors from
interrupting t!e
meeting"
'elp t!e employee tell
!is or !er story y eing
accepting$ y eing
interested$ and y
letting t!e employee
tal."
#ive t!e employee a
c!ance to pause and
re/ect"
+s. %uestions t!at are
open0ended and t!at
call for discussions or
e*pectation"
Close t!e meeting
tactfully$ set a time for a
follow0up if needed$ and
t!an. t!e employee"
of you"
,et your attention
wander to ot!er people
or matters in t!e o1ce"
Prod t!e employee
along$ get t!e details
wanted$ and t!en tal.
aout your own
e*periences"
Tal. rapidly$ 2lling in all
voids"
+s. %uestions t!at are
answered wit! %uic.
3yes3 or 3no"3
'urry t!e employee
out$ s!owing lac. of
interest and giving a
vague promise of a
follow0up"
Counseling is a process through which one person helps another by
purposeful conversation in an understanding atmosphere. It seeks to
establish a helping relationship in which the one counseled can
express their thoughts and feelings in such a way as to clarify their
own situation, come to terms with some new experience, see their
difculty more objectively, and so face their problem with less anxiety
and tension. Its basic purpose is to assist the individual to make their
own decision from among the choices available to them. -.ritish
!ssociation for Counselling, /ugby 01213
4upervisors use controls to help employees achieve ob5ectives. !n
employee6s problem performance is often related to non$5ob factors.
7et, personal problems generally get worse, not better without
professional help. The supervisor is in the best position to spot and
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Employee Counselling 06
handle problems when they arise. 8e or she can use counseling to
provide relief for the troubled employee. Counseling is a behavioral
control techni9ue used by the supervisor to solve performance
problems. !s a counselor, the supervisor is a helper, discusses the
employee6s personal problems that are a(ecting his or her 5ob
performance, aiming to resolve them. 4upervisory counseling is
guidance of the employee6s behavior.
!n employee should be counseled when he or she has personal
problems that a(ect 5ob performance. 4upervisors should recogni&e
early signs. 4igns of a troubled employee include)
: 4udden change of behavior
: "reoccupation
: ;rritability
: ;ncreased accidents
: ;ncreased fatigue
: E,cessive drin#ing
: /educed production
: <aste
: Di=culty in absorbing training
: 4ubstance abuse
;n the role of the counselor, the supervisor listens, limits, and refers.
The supervisor uses active listening and re>ective listening s#ills. .y
listening the supervisor helps the employee to feel valued and
understood.
The employee is encouraged to tal# and e,plore and to understand
more about how he or she feels and why. The employee can consider
options and e,amine alternatives and may be able to choose a solution
to his or her problems. The supervisor can help the employee develop
clear ob5ectives? to form speci*c action plans and to do, with support
what needs to be done. The supervisor helps employees help
themselves. ;n counseling, the supervisor limits comments to the
employee6s 5ob performance, since the supervisor is not an e,pert in
the problem area. The supervisor refers or gives information to the
employee. ;nforming mainly passes along data and information.
Counseling techni9ues range from directive to non$directive,
depending on the situation. Non0directive counseling re>ects what
is said and felt. or e,ample, a supervisor using the non$directive
approach would say, @7ou feel frustrated because you don6t meet /ob6s
approval.@ Directive counseling tells and advises. or e,ample, a
supervisor using the directive approach would say, @; want you to
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Employee Counselling 06
concentrate on your wor# and not worry about what the other
employees do.@ ;nteractive counseling combines them.
T!e Counseling Process
Step 1" Descrie t!e c!anged e!avior" Aet the employee #now
that the organi&ation is concerned with wor# performance. The
supervisor maintains wor# standards by being consistent in dealing
with troubled employees. E,plain in very speci*c terms what the
employee needs to do in order to perform up to the organi&ation6s
e,pectations. Don6t morali&e. /estrict the confrontation to 5ob
performance.
Step 2" #et employee comments on t!e c!anged e!avior and
t!e reason for it" Con*ne any negative comments to the employee6s
5ob performance. Don6t diagnose? you are not an e,pert. Aisten and
protect con*dentiality.
Step 3" +gree on a solution" Emphasi&e con*dentiality. Don6t be
swayed or misled by emotional please, sympathy tactics, or @hard$luc#@
stories. E,plain that going for help does not e,clude the employee from
standard disciplinary procedures and that it does not open the door for
special privileges.
Step 4. )ummari4e and get a commitment to c!ange" 4ee#
commitment from the employee to meet wor# standards and to get
help, if necessary, with the problem.
Step 5" 5ollow up. Bnce the problem is resolved and a productive
relationship is established, follow up is needed.
)ustance +use
4ome problem performance stems from substance abuse. ;n handling
alcohol or drug abuse situations, the supervisor must avoid inferences
and stic# to actual clues. 8e or she avoids giving advice. The
supervisor gives support and information, if needed, and ma#es clear
that rehabilitation is the employee6s responsibility.
Career #uidance
Career counseling is a common supervisory activity. ;n addition to 5ob
#nowledge and s#ills, employees need to be punctual, diligent,
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Employee Counselling 06
responsible, and receptive to supervision. 4upervisors have an
opportunity to help employees understand that developing these
behaviors can improve their future success. Development is
preparing employees for future 5obs. .ringing out the best in
employees is the most powerful and most available resource for
supervisors to do more with less. Employee development produces
@win$win@ agreements between supervisor and employee.
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