Employee coaching and employee counselling
Employee coaching and counselling are techniques that employers use to improve the performance of employees. Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they usually have different meanings. Employee coaching involves interaction between a supervisor and an employee with the aim of solving organizational problems (McLeod, 2010). The employee usually reports to the supervisor on a daily basis and the supervisor corrects any errors that the employee may have made in line of work. Coaching is carried out without any prior background of the employee’s performance. On the other hand, employee counselling is usually done against the backdrop of reports on the underperformance of an employee. Counselling takes place when the performance of an employee declines.
Both coaching and counselling aim at achieving employee productivity. They both involve a senior person in the organization, usually a coach and a counselor respectively, who sit down with the employee on one-on-one to discuss employee problems and the circumstances that lead to underperformance (Werner, 2009). However, the differences between coaching and counselling lies in the context. Whereas coaching may be a routine exercise between coaches and their subordinates, counselling is an occasional exercise that takes place when there is a serious need. Unlike coaching, counselling may involve an employee revealing other outside factors hindering his performance.
Like Farjado, I believe that using these approaches in their respective context help in achieving best results. Organizational heads should rely on the two terminologies to realize an integrated performance index. Some employees have social problems that affect their productivity in the workplaces. I believe that such employees should be assisted to overcome these challenges through effective counselling sessions. I had an opportunity to coach a junior employee in my place of work. I discovered that coaching provides an opportunity for both the supervisor and the employee to learn from each other and broaden their horizons.
References
McLeod, J. (2010). The effectiveness of workplace counselling: A systematic review.
Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, 10(4), 238-248.
Werner, J. M. (2009). Human Resource Development, 5th Edition. Mason OH: South-Western
Cengage Learning.
