Employee Counseling: Functions and Types

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Khan Sarfaraz Ali

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Employee counseling is holding a discussion with an employee of a problem that usually has
emotional content in order to help the employee cope with it better. Counseling seeks to improve
employee mental health and well-being. Counseling is an exchange of ideas and feelings
between two people. It helps employee to cope with problem, it should improve organizational
performance because the employee becomes more cooperative. Emphasis on counseling also
helps the organization become more human and considerate of people’s problems. Functions of
Counseling are as below:

Advice Telling a person what you think should be done; coaching.

Reassurance Giving a person courage and confidence to face a problem.
Communication Providing information and understanding
Release of emotional tension Helping a person feel more free of frustrations and stress.
Clarified thinking Encouraging more coherent, rational and mature thought.
Reorientation Encouraging an internal change in goals, values and mental
models.

Types of Employee Counseling

Employee counseling are categorized into three types on the basis of their nature. They are -
a) Directive Counseling: Directive Counseling is the process of listening to an
employee’s problem, deciding with the employee what should be done and then telling and
motivating the employee to do it. This is a traditional approach of counseling.
b) Nondirective or client-centered Counseling: This type of counseling is at the opposite
end of the continuum. It is the process of skillfully listening to and encouraging a counselee to
explain troublesome problems, understand them and determine appropriate solutions.
c) Participative counseling: Participative counseling is a mutual counselor-counselee
relationship that establishes a cooperative exchange of ideas to help solve a counselee’s
problems. It is a modern approach of counseling.

Reference:
1. Khan Sarfaraz Ali and Dr.Nasima Khatun. A Handbook on HR Solution (2009).

(ISBN: 978-984-33-0505-3). Dhaka.

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Employee counseling helps to deal with stress, grievance, conflict, psychological difficulties or any unexpected situation caused
by an employee so that s/he can cope with those situations.

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Associate Management Counselor, Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM)
sarfarazbim@gmail.com / 01817528067