COUNSELLING REVIEWER

THE NEED FOR COUNSELLING:

 The unprecedented change in the human condition. – Peter Drucker
o Substantial and rapidly growing number of people have choices.
o they will have to manage themselves, and society is totally unprepared for it”.
 For Employers:
o are interested in the productivity and performance of their staff.
o They are in business to produce:
o They have tight deadlines to be met and few staff members with which to meet them.
 For employees who are unhappy, anxious, or stressed:
o They will not be able to perform well on their jobs.
o Their productivity and performance will go down.
o Their interpersonal relations both at home and on the job may suffer more even when they
ordinarily do not have interpersonal relations’ issues.

WHY COUNSEL TROUBLESOME PEOPLE?

1. To turn around employee’s performance. Otherwise:
a. Lost productivity- a poor performer produces only about 1/3 the work of average workers.
b. Lost time- poor performers take up a disproportionate amount of supervisory time, as much as
50%. This means there isn’t much time left for the rest of the staff, including time to
coach them.
c. Lost business- problem performers aren’t likely to extend themselves to get or keep an
account or to handle difficult customers tactfully.
d. Lost talent- many of your best workers will lose respect for you because you spend more time
with your less productive worker. Therefore, your best workers will job hunt and your
poor performers will stay.
e. Lost self-esteem- as you focus on your problem performer’s work, you may become frustrated,
angry and burnt out. In time you will lose your confidence. This could affect your
performance and other’s perception of you.

RULES TO COUNSELLING:
1. The goal is to remedy poor performance, not to demean the person. Annoyance is directed to work and
not at the person.
2. It is based on a genuine desire to see the individual do better.
3. It seeks to achieve agreement with the problem performer and help you build together an action plan to
turn the employee’s performance around.

DEFINITION OF COUNSELLING:
 Ongoing process for development.
o means of addressing specific performance problem.
 Also considered as an element of coaching.
o The process of learning about an individual’s personal problem and helping the employee
resolve it.

PRACTICES IN COMMUNICATION PROCESS:

1. Communicate openly, directly, and honestly.
2. Practice active listening
3. Probe and question – can be honed through practice
 NOTE: Good Counselling is Good Communication process

IMPORTANCE OF THE THREE PRACTICES

 Enables you to make clear to a problem performer that he or she is accountable for a certain level of
performance.
 That you are not receiving that level of performance.
 That you expect that certain level of improvement.
 When you practice all three skills at once, you:
o You create a supportive environment in which a problem performer feels free to open up to you
and discuss what is behind his or her misbehavior or performance deficiencies.
o You can both define areas for improvement and agree on an action plan for achieving that
improvement.
PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS THAT DEMAND COUNSELLING AND POSSIBLE
SOURCES:
Performance problems that demand counseling: Can be traced to the following:
 Continuing poor work quality or quantity.  skills deficiencies.
 Frequent missed deadlines.  repetitive or dull jobs.
 Disorganization.  post downsizing depression or grief.
 Habitual tardiness or absenteeism.  burnout
 Frequent and lengthy disappearance from the  Frustration about being asked to do the
workstation. impossible without the proper
 Lack of initiative or lack of interest at work. equipment,
 Lack of cooperation and even insubordination  Funds or time to get the assignment done.
 Making disparaging remarks about the  Attitude problem rooted in a conflict with
company, boss, or work to others yourself, with peer, or corporate
within and worse, outside the policies and procedures.
organization, like customers.  Personal problems:
 Refusal to follow instructions. o Financial difficulties
 Minimum output, maximum complaints about o Marital problems
department policies or procedures. o Lovelife concerns
 Sulkiness or uncooperativeness. o Chronically ill child or parent
o Emotional problems
o Substance abuse

TWO COUNSELING TRACKS:

1. Performance problems
a. Not necessarily a deliberate act by the employee.
b. Can be corrected with either training or positive reinforcement.
c. Steps:
i. Verbal counseling - Sit down meetings with employee/s over a period of time.
- Can be formal or informal.
- must be documented.
- Goals:
a. Win the employee’s agreement that there is a need for change.
b. Identify the cause of the problem.
c. Agree on the specific actions that the employee will take to improve his or
her performance.
d. Follow up regularly with the employee to ensure that he or she is reaching
the goals you both have set.
e. Recognize the employee’s accomplishments to reinforce continued
correct behavior
ii. A written warning - Action taken if the counseling sessions manifest negative results
presented in a written memo.
- upon the employee’s receipt of the memo, you and the employee would meet
again to review the employee’s plans to improve his or her performance.
- the memo is understood by the employee that a continuation of the problem
could mean separation from the company.
iii. Demotion or transfer – lateral transfer
- demotion or transfer is not a cop-out in instances when employee’s performance
isn’t his or her fault.
2. Rule violations and other misconduct
a. Rule violations are a more serious issue than job performance shortcomings
b. Steps:
i. Issue a verbal warning - used only when misconduct is minor or it is the employee’s
first offense.
ii. Issue a written warning - done if the employee repeats the violation thru a memo form
to be placed in the employee’s 201 file.
iii. Reprimand the employee. - to be given by a higher authority other than you stating that
another repeat of violation will merit suspension or termination depending on the
nature of the offense.
iv. Suspend the employee - action is taken in the event of repeated misconduct or a
serious offense.
v. Terminate the employee - action is taken if the problem continues
 1. Types of Discharges:
a. Firing – for-cause dismissal (employee theft, release of proprietary
information, gross insubordination)
b. Termination – employee’s poor performance failure to fulfill the
expectations
c. Layoff – permanent elimination of a job as a result of workforce
reduction, departmental consolidation or plant closing.

PROGRESSIVE DISCIPLINE
 Formal discipline processes are a primary responsibility of the HR department.
 The processes should be analogous to a hot stove
o It provides a warning (feels hot)
o It is consistent (burns every time)
o It is immediate (burns now)
o It is impersonal (burns all alike)

DUE PROCESS:
 fairness of the procedures an organization uses to impose sanctions on employees
 Steps (similar with rule violations above):
o Unofficial spoken warning
o Official written warning
o (hearing)
o 2nd warning
o Suspension
o Termination

POSSIBLE GROUNDS FOR TERMINATION:

 Poor Performance  Low productivity
 Absenteeism and excessive tardiness  Redundancy of position
 End of the program  Reorganization
 Grave misconduct  Retrenchment
 Theft  Intoxication/ drug use
 Dishonesty  Falsification of records (fraud)
 Negligence  Sexual harassment
 Insubordination  Economic downturn
 Abandonment of work (AWOL)  High demand of salary
 Moonlighting  Closing of shop

SITUATIONS THAT CREATE PROBLEM PERFORMERS

 Stress- Comes from the demands of the workplace or outside the workplace.
 Unclear priorities- When managers fail to make clear with the employee on the job which tasks take
precedence.
 Poor time or task management- Some employees are more skilled at organizing their work than
others.
 Oversupervision or undersupervision
a. For creative workers, over supervision can make employees feel thwarted, unable to pursue his
or her ideas without first clearing them with his or her boss.
b. If the problem is under supervision, the employee may not know how to get done what he or she
has to finish.
 Interpersonal conflicts
 Breach of promise
 Personal problems

HOW TO COUNSEL EMPLOYEES WITH ATTITUDE PROBLEMS

1. Document the behavior of the person with attitude problem.
2. Narrow the issue to the specific problem or concern.
3. Note in writing the specific verbal and physical behaviors and actions that have triggered counseling.
4. Indicate the frequency of behavior.
5. Report the impact.
6. Meet with the employee to discuss the situation.
7. Hear out the employee.
8. Be clear that you want the behavior to stop OR Explain the kind of behavior you want instead.