When we hear the word counseling, or if we know of someone undergoing counseling, we usually think about negative consequences. But in reality, counseling is just a talking therapy that involves a trained therapist listening to you and finding ways to deal with emotional issues.
Consequently, development counseling in Human resource management helps applicant tracking regarding an applicant’s performance and growth.
What Does Development Counselling Mean?
Developmental counseling is one of the many forms of shared counseling; two persons are involved in two-way communication. Usually, they are composed of HR supervisors and their target employees. The HR supervisor acts as the listener to the employee to identify the employees’ strengths and weaknesses. If they find any specific issues concerning the employees’ performance, they determine the root cause through constant communication, and eventually, they will create an appropriate action plan to address the performance-related issues that the employee is going through.
When doing developmental counseling, the reason for a counseling session must be well-defined upfront. In this case, the leaders should not confuse an employee’s issues and objectively approach the process.
Besides, the one conducting the counseling should pay special attention to the one being counseled and focus on the relationships that need to be developed. Always remember that each employee is unique with a distinct set of values, beliefs, and attitudes. All of these should be taken into account before proceeding with a counseling session to be productive.
Keep in mind that the goal of counseling is to establish open, two-way communication using spoken language, non-verbal actions, gestures, and body language. Sometimes, a non-verbal story can help the employee open up to particular issues that they may not be very comfortable talking about.
To counsel effectively, you must possess some basic techniques that your employees’ expectations; maintaining eye contact without staring helps show sincere interest. A relaxed and comfortable posture helps put the individual at ease. Using verbal nods and verbal expressions can encourage the employee to talk more freely. You can also plan how your questions will be asked to help the employee think of the situation more deeply. But most importantly, you should remain objective during the entire session and do not let your own personal biases get in the way of your counseling.
There Are Four Stages In Development Counselling
1. Identify The Need
Before deciding that there is a need for Developmental Counseling, it is always important to make sure that there is an actual need to conduct one. Various employee assessment tests can be facilitated to pinpoint troubled employees that might need counseling help. An absenteeism record can also help determine if an employee is somehow losing their drive to go to work every day.
2. Ask For Consent
Even if you have successfully identified an employee who might need some guidance through development counseling, it is still vital to secure their consent into doing the counseling. They are expected to share personal information with you during the session they may or may not be willing to talk about.
3. Prepare For The Session
Any counseling should take place in a private area that can allow the employee to be at ease with their counselor. Upon securing the employee’s consent to do the counseling, you must select a suitable place and time free of distractions.
Yous Should also notify the employee in advance to allow him or her to prepare for the session adequately. You should organize and review all pertinent information and plan how you will conduct the counseling session before proceeding.
4. Conduct Of The Counseling
As mentioned earlier, you should be transparent about the purpose of the counseling. Not only does it build trust and relationship with the employee, but it also prepares him or her for what is to come. You must be able to discuss and explain the issues at hand while allowing the employee to do most of the talking. Once the main point is identified, guide the employee in assessing their problems without being personal, maintaining an objective approach, and leading her into understanding the next steps that he could take to resolve the issues and improve his or her performance. Do not forget to summarize the points at the close of your session.
Follow Up
The counseling process shouldn’t end with the counseling session. Continue to support the employee through any available resources to you and the employee. Remember that the most important thing to remember is that counseling is a continual process, directed as much toward identifying and cultivating the potential within a counselee as it is toward reviewing performance. With the proper approach, it can be a powerful tool to achieve a company’s goal of developing employees to reach their maximum potential and perform better in their respective job positions.
