8/10/2005 3:33:43 PM
E-memo topic
|  | The Importance of Employee Counseling
 In healthy working environments, a difference exists between employee counseling and employee evaluation. It’s not fair that a person receive a negative evaluation in his permanent file if he has never been informed that his behavior is unacceptable.
Employee counseling can be formal or informal, but it’s much more effective if it’s separate from a formal evaluation. This means managers should take time to offer “mid-course corrections” as they see their employees making errors. Letting mistakes or procedural errors go unmentioned creates tension—either consciously or subconsciously—within a manager, and the ripple-effect of this is rarely good.
It’s better to put problems on the table for open evaluation, so long as an employee knows the manager wants the employee to succeed. (Managers, take note: You have to communicate to employees your desire for their success, too.)
Counseling should include what an employee did wrong, what the correct procedure is, and use an open dialog to make sure the employee understands what is expected.
If an employee continues to make the same error or errors that fall into a similar category, it may be that the employee needs more formalized training.
With few exceptions, it’s also unfair to write up employees for committing errors if they are unaware of what is expected. Better to hold an informal counseling session and address the matter discreetly. If mistakes are serious, employees can be informed that subsequent violations may lead to formal documentation.
The objective is to develop employees, not tear them down or punish them without due process.
(NOTE: The above was released as an Ememo on August 10, 2005. To read Dan Bobinski's full article on this topic, click here)
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