How to Council Staff

The ability of counselling staff is an vital skill of good managers, and one that is learnt during good management courses. Managers are primarily responsible for their staff. It is important to know them well. Managers should aim to understand them and to observe them for existing or potential problems.

If there is negative change in their behaviour, particularly one that has recently had their area of responsibilities changed or in their personal circumstances, there is a requirement to diagnose the situation and to solve the problem.

Changes in behaviour can show up as a shortage in patience in a normally placid staff member, the quiet moodiness of a usually gregarious person, or a sudden spate of poor time keeping in a punctual staff member.

Before the symptoms become disruptive, it is important to have a serious discussion with the staff member in order to deal with the issue which is troubling them.

Where the situation is obviously not right, and is likely to get gradually worse, the positive action to take is to hold a counselling interview in order to face up to the problem. The issue will not disappear if it is ignored.

Prepare for the meeting by trying to discover as much as possbile about the person's situation. Organise a suitable a time and place to hold the meeting and give the person a general idea of what the interview going to be about. Ensure that there are no distractions or interruptions for the period of the interview.

Ask questions during the interview to get your employee talking to you. Attendees of management courses find questioning one of the most useful subjects. Some of the answers will already know, however this does not matter. You are seeking the key to unlock and release the causes of a worsening problem, to get your staff member to open up.

Once your staff member has acknowledged that there is indeed a problem, you can start to constructively help to change the situation. Only after frank and open discussion can the root causes of the problem be agreed. This agreement is essential in order to bring about a resolution.  Without this there is a strong possibility that it the effects rather the cause are being dealt with.

Any counselling interview must end with mutual agreement. This is a positive commitment from both sides as to the nature of the problem and the fact that a course of action has been agreed in order to solve the problem. It is much better for your staff member to be encouraged to talk in this type of interview. Make suggestions and encourage them to solve their own problem. They will therefore have much more commitment towards the course of action. You should listen to your staff's suggestions for rectifynig the situation. 

Once the problem has been thoroughly aired and the course of action is agreed, your member of staff will feel much better. This is partly due to being allowed to get the problem off their chest, and also due to being able to see an end to the problem.

The required skills to coucil staff effectively can also be developed by attending any relevant professional management courses.

Return to Management Articles Index

Testimonials