The document discusses counseling as an alternative approach to discipline in the workplace. It provides 3 key points: 1) Counseling aims to solve performance problems by exploring why issues have arisen, encouraging employees to accept responsibility, and jointly finding solutions rather than taking a punitive approach. 2) Effective counseling involves preparing for sessions, exploring problems and feelings, challenging gaps in performance, discussing solutions, and agreeing on future actions. 3) Counseling skills like active listening, creating trust, and focusing on solutions help change employee behavior more successfully than discipline alone. When used properly, counseling can reconcile relationships and improve performance.

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The Difficult Conversation
Effective Discipline
MTL Course Topics
The Difficult Conversation
EFFECTIVE DISCIPLINE

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The Difficult Conversation
Effective Discipline
MTL Course Topics
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The Difficult Conversation
Effective Discipline
MTL Course Topics
ARE YOU READY?
OK, LET’S START!

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Effective Discipline
MTL Course Topics
INTRODUCTION
The counselling approach to discipline is a way of dealing
with performance problems which avoids the potentially
hostile approach of punitive action. The aim of counselling is
to solve the problem of sub-performance by looking at why
problems have arisen, encouraging employees to accept
responsibility and then jointly exploring solutions. Because
of its commitment to changing behaviour, counselling stands
a much better chance of improving performance than
punitive discipline does.

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WHAT IS COUNSELLING?
The British Association of Counselling gives this definition of
counselling:
"People become engaged in counselling when a person,
occupying regularly or temporarily the role of counsellor,
offers or agrees to offer, time, attention and respect to
another person. The task of counselling is to give the client
an opportunity to explore, discover and clarify ways of living
more resourcefully and towards greater well-being.“
To use the counselling approach in place of discipline at
work, the manager needs to be aware of the advantages of
counselling over discipline; needs to know when it can work
and when it can't; and needs to acquire the skills to manage
a workplace counselling session.

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COUNSELLING & DISCIPLINE
Although counselling can be an integral part of the
disciplinary process, it is distinctly different from traditional
forms of discipline.
1. Counselling as part of an organisation's policy is a
relatively new way of dealing with people problems. It
may encounter resistance by traditionalists.
2. Counselling is usually a first-stage bud-nipping option
3. Counselling should be informal in tone and intention,
although details, facts and outcomes should be
recorded
4. Counselling should be conducted by managers
committed to person-centred management
5. Counselling does not aim to turn managers into full-
time counsellors, but rather aims to adopt valuable
skills, assumptions and structures from full-time
counselling for use in managing people problems.

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WHAT COUNSELLING IS NOT
There are many prejudicial myths surrounding the use of
counselling in the workplace and the wider world. Many
people regard it as a soft option. This is to misunderstand
well-practised counselling.
In skilled cases, counselling is...
1. not a cosy chat
(it actually confronts people with their sub-standard
performance)
2. not a soft option
(it actually forces people to take tough commitments)
3. not discipline in disguise
(its aim is not correction, but problem-solving)
4. not aimless talk
(it should follow a structured plan)
5. not getting off scot-free
(if there is no change, counselling can lead to other forms of
discipline).

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WHEN COUNSELLING WORKS
Counselling is rarely an option for serious breaches of
discipline or for recidivistic behaviour. Its tone and purpose
would be quite inappropriate in cases of alleged serious
misconduct.
Counselling is appropriate, however, when...
1. breaches of discipline are minor
2. breaches of discipline are on the first and unexpected
occasions
3. the breach of discipline is attitudinal
4. there is an identifiable reason for the breach of
discipline
5. employees accept their problem and want help to
change.
Counselling should not be seen as an either/or option in
competition with other forms of punitive discipline. It can
exist alongside these other options and thus increase the
strategies a manager can call on.

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COUNSELLING SITUATIONS
Counselling is the only realistic option when dealing with
minor performance problems at work.
Typical situations include the following...
1. problems of failure to comply with normal terms and
conditions, such as lateness and absence, suggest that
causes may be practical ones, relationships or personal
motivation. These are problems which need resolved,
not punished.
2. problems of otherwise satisfactory workers whose
performance suddenly or gradually tails off. These are
likely to have an underlying cause.
3. problems of people undergoing life or work changes
which may only be transitionary. These include people
in training, people learning new methods or working
with new teams and people undergoing life changes
such as those experiencing marital problems.

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A COUNSELLING SESSION
Counselling cannot be conducted without sitting down with
employees face-to-face. Each session needs to be prepared,
run and followed up with important features at each stage.
1. Preparation: in the preparatory work before a
counselling session, you need to contact the employee,
establish the right climate and set an agreed contract.
2. Session: the counselling session itself needs a clear
structure for you to follow; a style that is open and
trusting; and the use of a range of counselling skills.
3. Follow-up: the follow-up to a counselling session needs
an agreement on results, a reinforcement of what
action has been agreed and a review of how successful
and appropriate the session was.

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THE FIVE STAGES OF COUNSELLING
The five classic stages of a counselling session can serve as a
model for every interview you give as long as you remain
flexible. You should not move from one stage to the next
without summarising your discussions and getting
agreement.
Stage 1: Contracting, which seeks to agree the aims, tone
and structure of the session
Stage 2: Exploring, which discusses the facts of the case and
raises issues such as how the employee feels
Stage 3: Challenging, which looks at the central problem of
the gap between the employee's performance or conduct
and required performance or conduct
Stage 4: Solutions, which discusses the employee's ideas of
how he or she can change
Stage 5: Agreement about future action; close of the
session.

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CONTRACTING
The contracting stage of a counselling session takes place
before the session starts or in the first few minutes.
In this time, you need to address matters on which you need
agreement, such as the aims of the session, the timing and
the outcomes, as well as setting a supportive tone.
Some of the issues you can seek to clarify in the contracting
stage include...
1. the employee's commitment to the use of the
counselling approach and its implications for them
2. the need for solutions not recriminations
3. your role as listener, helper and supporter not as talker,
critic and judge
4. the need for outcomes but not for pre-planned
outcomes
5. the need to look ahead more than to look back.

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EXPLORING
The stage of Exploring is the first stage of counselling proper
and follows the contracting stage. Your role in Exploring is to
establish that there is a gap between actual performance
and desired performance and then to encourage the
employee to explore the problem in their own way.
Employees will only talk freely if they feel it is safe to do so.
This means that you must build trust and let them know
that a counselling session is not about blame and
punishment. During the exploration stage, you should listen
actively for awareness on the employee's part that there is a
performance gap and acceptance that it is their
responsibility to take action to close the gap.
A crucial part of the exploring stage is to discuss the
employee's feelings. Knowing how someone feels about a
problem is a key to how likely a solution is.

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SOLUTIONS
An acceptable solution in a counselling session is one which
meets the following requirements...
1. looks, sounds and feels right
2. is not imposed by management but emerges as a result
of the employee's awareness and acceptance of his or
her responsibilities
3. puts the onus for action firmly on the employee
4. costs little to implement
5. is consistent with the principles of previous solutions for
similar problems
6. has the backing, if need be, from the rest of the team
7. can be implemented, even in part, straightaway.

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COUNSELLING SKILLS
The skills of a counselling session are those of person-
centred management. This means recognising that effective
change in others grows out of focusing on what they want,
not on what you want.
These skills include:
1. Building trust, rapport and understanding
2. A safe climate, a gentle interviewing tone and a relaxing
environment.
3. Assertive and challenging points about maintaining
standards.
4. Patient exploration of issues: active listening, sensible
questions, open body language.
5. A clear purpose to the counselling session.
6. Action based on creative and win-win solutions to
problems

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STAGE LISTENING
Of all the skills needed to conduct a counselling session,
active, empathic and concentrated listening is the most
important. At each stage of the counselling session, you
need to be listening for different things.
1. Listen at stage 1, contracting, for how they feel about
the session, if they are defensive, hostile or worried
2. Listen at stage 2 for whether they accept the rule or
standard and agree that a rule or standard has been
breached
3. Listen at stage 3, exploring, for their reasons for the
performance gap
4. Listen at stage 4, solutions, for their commitment to
action to put things right
5. Listen at stage 5, ending, for their willingness to take
immediate and sustained action to move ahead.

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RECONCILING
Disciplinary processes are by their very nature divisive
whereas counselling processes are healing.
1. Where discipline creates suspicion, counselling creates
trust.
2. Where discipline assumes people work better if
threatened, counselling assumes people work better if
supported.
3. Where discipline encourages accusation and counter-
accusation, counselling explores what we can do.
4. Where discipline leads to imposed solutions on
resentful employees, counselling leads to owned
solutions by aware employees.
5. Where discipline destroys relationships, counselling
builds them.

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JOE AND MARY ON COUNSELLING
Joe, a new supervisor, is chatting to Mary who is
experienced at using the counselling approach.
Joe: Why do you use counselling, Mary?
Mary: Well, counselling is more likely to lead to
the employee closing the performance gap by
themselves than a warning not to do it again
would.
Joe: How do you prepare for counselling?
Mary: I pay a lot of attention to creating the
right atmosphere. I tell myself that I'm not there
to punish them, to criticise, to moan or to talk
down to them, but to help them.
I know they're nervous when they come in so I
try and relax them and get them to trust me.
Joe: What's the first thing you do?
Mary: Outline what I want from the session -
which is to work out how to solve the
employee's problem.
Joe: Then what?
Mary: Well, once we've agreed that we both
want to solve the problem, I explain what the
standard or rule in the company is and where
they appear to be falling short. I have to be
assertive that the standard or rule isn't going to
be changed just to suit them and that it's an
important standard or rule.
Joe: What follows that?
Mary: I let them talk about the problem, making
sure they stay on track. If you keep them on
track, they eventually recognise what they need
to do.
Joe: Any tips?
Mary: Silences can help. So can what I call "you"
questions such as "How do you think we can
resolve this?"
Joe: How does the session conclude?
Mary: With a clarification of the steps they're
going to take and a repeat of my help and
support.

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THAT’S
IT!
WELL DONE!

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Effective Discipline
MTL Course Topics
THANK YOU
This has been a Slide Topic from Manage Train Learn