Employee Counseling

What is Counseling? Counseling is 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

A good mental health means that people feel comfortable about themselves, feel right about other people, and able to meet the demands of life.

Contd… Counseling is an exchange of ideas &

feelings between two people, a counselor & a counselee, so it is an act of communication.

Since it helps employee cope with problems, it should improve organizational performance.

It may be performed by both professional & non-professionals.

Need for counseling The need for

counseling arises from variety of employee problems, including stress.

The Manager’s Counseling Role Excluding reorientation, the counseling

functions usually can be performed successfully by managers.

Managers must not conclude that all their counseling responsibilities have been transferred to the counseling department.

A manager should not spend all day looking for emotional content when a rational answer will solve the problem.

Types of Counseling Directive Counseling

advice giving function Nondirective Counseling

skillful listening is required feelings need to be accepted

Participative Counseling cooperative exchange of ideas by counselor &

counselee to solve a counselee’s problem