Performance Counselling

Performance Counselling
Supportive process conducted by managers to help working through personal problems or organizational changes

Helps people exceed expectations and meet standards It is the managerial responsibility to provide counseling without ignoring problems

 It helps to reduce problems such as

Personal problems Performance problem Organizational consequence

Difference between feedback and counselling

With difference in organizational culture, it varies from country to country.

 It will involve the following steps:

Inform in advance the time and place, with sufficient notice so that prior preparations can be made
Keep a brief record of the meetingthis could be a diary note.

SEQUENTIAL OUTLOOK
ACTION PLANNING

RAPPORT BUILDING

EXPLORATION

Attending

Exploring ProblemIdentification Diagnosis

Searching
Decision making

Listening
Acceptance

Supporting

when to counsel ?
Shifting from informal comments to a more formal approach By intervening at an early stage you can often prevent a problem escalating Encourage free flow of information and open, two-way communication is the norm

who should give the counselling?

it is your responsibility as a manager to provide counselling to your staff affected by factors outside the workplace, for example if a person has a problem with drugs or alcohol, refer the person to a staff counsellor or counsellor from an employee assistance program (EAP).

Contd.. to give a person critical feedback about their performance you can contact the EAP to obtain advice on how to best frame the discussion

In some cases it may be appropriate to involve a professionally qualified counsellor outside your agency. A referral should be arranged only with the persons consent.

where should you counsel ?

people should be praised in public and criticized in private the discussion should ideally be held in a place which is private and free from distractions a more neutral meeting place away from the immediate work area may be preferable

if counselling doesnt achieve the expected outcome?

Re-arranging the persons duties Movement to an area where a persons skills may be better utilized Procedures for dealing with underperformance Misconduct procedures

counselling and misconduct

For minor issues - raise the issue informally.

Drawing a persons attention to the problem may be all that is required. more serious issue then arrange a more formal discussion.

 if there is still no improvement make the person aware of the consequences and legislative force behind the misconduct
If the persons conduct still does not improve it may be necessary to consult your agencys human resources area regarding formal misconduct action These procedures do not apply to an episode of serious misconduct where you must take immediate action.