AceCounseling
Counseling is a two way discussion that takes place between a counselor and an employee, where the counselor helps the employee inspect and understand ones problems and look at the various options available to him/her which will assist them in taking their own decisions. Employee counseling assists and supports employees to face and manage the various challenges (personal or professional) that they may be gong through. These challenges will at some point impact or influence their performance at work and result in increased stress levels. Counseling is guiding, reassuring, advising and helping the employee to resolve their problems whenever the need arises.
- Problem with Relationships.
- Personality issues.
- Enables client HR teams to build very specific remedial action plans across the entire employee life cycle.
- Improving Morale.
Counseling sessions are carried through the phone at a time and place that's comfortable and convenient to the employee and while the frequency and duration will vary, the average session normally lasts between 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
Why is Counseling necessary?
Through Employee Counseling, an organisation is assisting and supporting its employees deal with a work related or a personal problem, which would otherwise have had a direct impact on the employees' performance. An organization can earn a definite competitive edge through workplace/employee counseling as it is a very powerful method for improving performance, productivity, and also in retaining employees. This therefore has a very positive impact on organizational productivity. The objective of the counselor is to bring about a positive change in the behavior of the employee and to help him/her overcome the various problems that they may be having. Counseling aims to improve the employees' psychological health and make them feel comfortable about themselves, their colleagues and their surroundings. This will therefore assist them in meeting the demands of their personal life and career.
Counseling plays a vital role in helping the employees perform at their optimum and feel both excited and enthusiastic about their work. It helps to reduce absenteeism, attrition and helps improve employee satisfaction levels. The Counselors work with the employees and together build tangible actions to address the problems that the employee is facing at the work place.
- Personal and Family related.
- Performance related.
Several employees tend to carry the baggage of personal problems to their workplaces, which in turn affects their performance adversely. The counselor will strike a comfort level with the employees and, through the counseling will help to resolve their problems and bring them back to work fresh enthusiastic and charged up.
Examples:- Bereavement
- Love and relationship related
- Financial Difficulties
- Interpersonal family relationships
- Work life balance
This counseling typically happens when the employee expresses anxiety over his/her inability to perform effectively which is resulting in declining performance, being constantly stressed out and being unhappy with his work environment. Under such circumstances the counseling session will cover all cover all the aspects related to the employee performance like the targets, employee's KRA's, problems and challenges being faced, employee goals, inter-personal relationships at the workplace, etc.
Examples:- Career satisfaction
- Crisis management
- Productivity & Performance
- Workplace conflict resolution
- Organizational change / development
- Supervisory concerns
AceNgage Methodology
Stage 1 - WorkshopAceNgage counselors will participate in a workshop to understand the current policies and practices of the organisation. It is vital that the counselor has a thorough understanding of the organisation and the various processes in place, as this would aid the counseling session.
Stage 2 - Communication
In order to make the initiative successful it is very essential that there is a crisp communication plan in place. The organisation will have to take effort to create awareness across the organisation .The awareness (highlighting the advantages) could be created through briefing sessions, intranet , posters and the notice board.
Stage 3 - Method
- 1. The counseling session can either be initiated by the Organisation or the Employee. The initiation is done by sending a mail to tellMeMore@acengage.com.
- 2. The counselor will call and schedule a session with the employee at a preferred time, within 24 hrs of receiving the initiation.
- 3. The counselor will conduct a telephonic counseling session at the agreed time and will schedule a follow up call if required
Stage 4 - Reporting
Summary reports will be sent on a monthly basis. While employee details will be kept strictly confidential, the reports will include / highlight any repetitive issues that required to be addressed by the organization.
Advantages of Telephonic Counseling over Face-to-Face Counseling
Face-to-Face Counseling
Confidentiality will not be maintained as employees know that their colleague has visited a counselor in some cases leading to embarrassment to the employee.
Lower participation rate.
Physical bias based on appearance , age etc may occur.
Counseling is normally done during work hours, in the office premises.
Challenges in maintaining consistency when the company is spread across multiple locations.
Telephonic Counseling
Confidentiality is maintained as only the Counselor and the employee are aware of the discussion.
Higher participation rate.
No physical bias and a greater sense of anonymity.
Counseling can be done at a time and place convenient to the employee.
No geographical boundaries or challenges.
Salient features of AceCounseling
- Counseling done by trained behavioral / clinical psychologists
- Counseling sessions are done over the phone
- Counseling sessions are done at a time preferred by the employee
- A two-way process and tangible action plans that are drawn out and mutually agreed upon
- Helps identify any underlying issues
- Improves employees Satisfaction, Performance & Productivity
The counselors possess excellent communication skills. They are objective and their assessment of the situation is unbiased. They listen very intently based on which they will counsel the employee.
When conducted in the organisation it becomes common knowledge that an employee has visited a psychologist. To avoid this embarrassment several employees tend to avoid meeting the psychologists. Conducting the sessions over the phone ensures that the employee privacy and confidentiality is maintained. It also helps remove any physical bias.
These sessions are scheduled based on a convenient time suggested by the employee, the employee can choose to have the session when is absolutely comfortable and open to the discussion. The discussion tends to be uninterrupted and free flowing.
The methodology ensures that the discussion is a 2 way process and all actions are mutually agreed upon. The counselor will assist the employee to ensure that the employee is able to carry out these action plans effectively. A follow up session may be conducted with the employee.
While employee information is kept confidential, feedback will be given to the Company if there are any serious issues that need immediate attention. These issues normally get reported as part of the Red Flag report that will be generated.
Having an Employee counseling facility available helps the organisation obtain increasing profits as the employees are able to overcome the performance impacting challenges. It also contributes to the organizational well-being and makes the company be distinguished as a "Company to work with".
