Necessity and Process of Counseling at Workplace

Reasons or necessity for Counseling in an Organization:

Given below is a list of situations that call for counseling from a superior to his subordinate, but these are not necessarily the only situations, there may be other situations also as per the necessity:

• When an employee violates the organizations standards.
• When an employee consistently comes late or is absent.
• When an employee’s productivity has come down, or the quality of work is not up to the mark.
• When an employee’s behavior affects the productivity of others employees in a negative way.
• When an employee has conflict with the other employee, or employees and the issue is public and has its affect on productivity and the company.
• When you want to compliment an individual employee.
• When you want to assign a new task to an employee.

How to prepare for a Counseling Interview?

• You need to choose an appropriate, quiet and private location.
• Before proceeding for counseling, make sure that you are not disturbed during the counseling session.
• As a counselor it is your duty to give sufficient time to the person you are counseling and that he is not being rushed into it.

Objectives of the Counseling Interview:

• Counselor should help the person being counseled to:
• Open up and discuss his problem.
• Look out for new perspectives.
• Clarify the issues.
• Identify areas that require change.
• Set goals.
• Develop action plan to reach the goals.
• Review progress as to how far he is able to achieve his goals.

Counselor should extend complete support during the interview and also after the interview to implement the action plan and to review the progress.

Counseling Skills

• Counselor should listen carefully.
• Counselor should demonstrate empathy.
• Counselor should not make judgments.
• Counselor should understand emotions/feelings of the person being counseled.
• Counselor should question with care.
• Counselor should ask open ended questions.
• Counselor should reflect back, summarize and paraphrase so that understanding becomes easy.
• Counselor should use appropriate body language.
• Counselor should not show superiority.

Techniques of Counseling: (Based on Rogers, Carkheff and Patterson's model)

• Structure
• Listen (active and empathic)
• Be silent (when required)
• Respond
• Reflect
• Question
• Interpret

Limitations in Counseling:

• Person being counseled may not trust in his counselor (usually, his superior) or other person from the organization.
• Usually the person being counseled has suspicion, on the level of confidentiality.
• There is a possibility of constraints, from organizations side, on using its resources, time and efforts.
• It is also possible that the counselor is unskilled.

Benefits of Counseling:

• The process of counseling helps the person being counseled to understand himself.
• The process of counseling allows the individual to help himself.
• The process of counseling helps in understanding the situations more objectively.
• The process of counseling facilitates to look at the situations from a new perspective.
• The process of counseling develops positive outlook.
• The process of counseling paves way to look for alternate solutions to problems.
• The process of counseling helps in better decision making.
• The process of counseling gives scope to the person to cope with the situation and the concerned stresses.

If one follows this approach for counseling, the results will be great, and the objective of counseling would be achieved.

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Is Workplace Counseling Effective

Counseling is a process of interviewing the person, being counseled and helping him solve his problems, through sharing and guidance. With reference to work place counseling is having an open discussion, in private, (in office or organization this place is usually a cabin, where there is privacy, for both persons to open up and talk). Counseling is held at various times as per the situation and the necessity. Sometimes it may be just to compliment the employee for his work or for his good gesture or behavior. Sometimes it is regarding the issues that are affecting the productivity/quality of work of the employee. At other times it may be needed in case if the behavior of the employee is not as per the rules and regulations of the company and needs corrective action on part of the company.

Counseling is a two way process where in both the people participate and communicate. Counseling gives the other person a scope to talk about himself and express his feelings so that, he has a clear understanding of the situation and the problem, and a solution can be designed. The counselor’s most important responsibility is to listen to the other person, and be a good listener first. Some organizations have a separate counselor who is qualified and experienced to handle employee issues. It depends on the company policy or the organizations policy, if they want to have a separate counselor or they want a team leader, supervisor, or manager to handle the issues. Or in extreme case or when necessity arises they may use the services of a professional external counselor.

So, counseling has a broad meaning and scope and plays a very important role in the growth of an organization. Counseling, if given properly, helps improve the productivity of the employees.

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The Best Ways to Relax during Working Hours

Most of us believe that the best way to get out of the stressful routine and come back to normal relaxed state is a week-through vacation. Though it is also true to a great extent, but stress is a daily matter or concern, at least in the existing times, whether it is personal life or professional. Stress has become an unavoidable factor and to come out of the day-to-day existing stress, which is the better way? Yearly once vacation for a week or to look out for alternatives ways through which we can relax us on a daily basis.

It will be always better to look for alternatives for relaxation on a daily basis. Because every time you are stressed it is not possible to go for a vacation. There are several ways of relaxation depending upon people types, geographical area, working environment, people or assets around you and many others. Some people prefer listening to music; some opt to dance; or exercise. Well it all depends on the person as to find his own personal relaxation source. But there are times when you feel burnt out of energy and no more in a way to concentrate on work. Especially in today’s time, whether it’s corporate job or otherwise, working hours are extremely long and people get squeezed into their desks.

So the best ways we think to relax during working hours are:

• Take a break for ten minutes every hour.
• Sit down with closed eyes and concentrate on breathing for a period of ten minutes
• You can go for small walk in the office which loosens your mind and body pressure.
• Talk to someone who can make you laugh or with whom you open up
• Take a sip lemon soda drink with colleagues and get energized 
• Play something you find cool like a Puzzle, board game or even cycle a bit. 

      Caution: You may want to avoid computer games if you were on a desk job or computer job,  though some people also find these games relaxing

And the greatest advantage of doing these is, at the end of the day you don’t come out totally burnt out of physical and psychological energies and you can take charge of your personal life.

Live Healthy and Live Long!!

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How to Choose Your Profession?

Now a days we find lot of people taking professional courses, spending lakhs of rupees to educate themselves and to gain skill in a particular profession, but them when they are finished with the studies and jump into the practical field and start working in the profession they find it doesn’t suit them and they switch to other professions. Parents get disgusted, that after spending so much of money they are shifting to other profession, and start all over again from the scratch.

Person who has studied engineering five years or so ends up writing a bank exam and working in a bank, another one after having completed a doctor course ends up working as an IAS. This is matter where not only where money is wasted, but your precious time is also wasted. The root of the problem is when a student takes up a career, he is not aware of the practicality of the work place, or the job he is supposed to be doing after he is finished with the studies.

Studies are limited to books alone, and the practical situation is entirely different from the book. The best thing to do when you are about to choose a profession is to go and have a practical look at the, work place and the job what it feels like to work or do that job. How will be the time schedule, what will be the responsibilities, and duties associated with the job, who are the people to whom you will be accountable, and who will be accountable to you. If possible try and meet someone already in the profession, doing the job you are thinking to do.

Sit with them, talk to them about how they find the profession to be and its ups and downs, hear them, but make your own decision. Doing this will give you a practical idea, and you will be able to make right decision. This not only saves your money, but also your valuable time. It will be best to go for a counseling session with a professional, before you decide on choosing a profession. Don’t get into something because there is money in it, take a look at your capabilities, your talents, and choose a profession which you are passionate about, and want to excel in it.

Success is being able to do what you love, and get paid for it.

Ryan C. Lowe

So, go ahead dear friends and make a choice, right choice, and have a great and bright future.

All the best

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Work as Worship

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or as Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well, that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.’”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Work should not be seen as a means of earning bread, as long as you have this kind of attitude you will never give your best, and bring out the potential in you. Another common reason for us not to show our best part at work, is that, we associate ourselves to the position, too much, we consider our post or the job to be of low level, in comparison with others, and don’t think it to be necessary to give our best. We always assume and live in a fantasy world, where in we think that only those, who are in the best of positions, need to show up their talents and potential and wait for our turn for that day to come.

But, guess what if we continue to work with this kind of attitude that day is hard to come, only when you give your best at work, without keeping in mind any other thing or factors, you will prosper in your professional life. There are very few guys in this world, who are lucky enough, to be born as C. E. O,s. Rest all had and continue to have their share of all the ups and downs towards theirs journey up there.

Work gives meaning to our life, and is the major and basic factor that contributes towards our self worth. Never, ever be under the impression that you are working for someone or for some organization; you are working for your own self, to increase your, self worth, to prove your capability, and to bring out the best in you. When you give your best self to the work, you have a great sense of satisfaction, when you solve a problem at your work place and every one compliments you for your worth, how do you feel? On cloud nine!

That is all what work is about, dear friend, so put on that attitude and every day, every minute, at your work place, and give out your best. When you show that kind of attitude, at work, your ‘work becomes worship.’

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No Problems - No Progress

We all face problems in our day to day life let it be personal or professional, but some sort of problem we are have faced, at some point or the other. The general way of looking at a problem, is like a problem, but, the truth is, behind every problem, there is a scope of progress, growth and development.

When ever we face a problem, let it be, at the organizational level, or at personal level, it shows the areas, where we need to make changes and improvements, and please make sure that whenever you are trying to avoid problem, you are also missing out on the development and growth that comes along with it.

When ever you face a situation and you fell like it is problem, just try to figure out the root cause, lack of what or presence of what is causing the problem, and what steps you can take, so that the problem will not arise again. Whenever you face a problem first and foremost thing you need to do is, don’t look at it from the angle of a problem, instead, think of it as an opportunity to improvise on those areas, where you lack, may be at personal level or organizational level, and take necessary steps for improvements on those areas.

If ill health or disease is your problem, it shows that you need to pay attention to your life style and be more disciplined and committed towards good health. Every problem is a warning for us, to wake up to the realities of life. If we take it in the right sense, we will progress and grow in life. So the more the problems, in the more areas of your life and organization, the sooner you will wake up to the realities, and improve yourself for betterment.

So, dear friend, be grateful to problems, because problems, are ones that dig out and polish the best side of you. Problems educate you, make you wise as a person, help you grow, help you understand others and yourself better. The moment you understand all these aspects associated with what we think as problems, there will no more be problems, only challenges that we need to overcome, and improvements we need to make.

Replace the word ‘problem’ with ‘progress’ and see, how you progress in life.

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Make Out, Work Out and Succeed

Each one of the human being is blessed with a unique talent, some recognize it soon and put in extra efforts in those areas, and climb heights in the work they are good at. There is no human on this earth, who is good at doing nothing. Most of us don’t take enough time to know our talent, or what we are good at. Doing what gives us a feeling of ease, comfort and a sense of satisfaction or inner happiness.

For some, it is art that they are good at, and gives them happiness, for others it may be adventures, for some research is a passion while for others spiritual pursuit. As there are number of persons in the world, there are also, number of talents hidden within each and every one of us, if we focus on the things we are good at, and give in that extra effort, to polish those talents of ours, we will definitely be rewarded for it.

Working to earn bread is a different thing, but when you allow the very basic and natural talent in you to flourish, it will not only earn you bread, but will also give you immense satisfaction and contentment, because you have expressed the best of you to the world. So, dear friends, focus on the areas of your interest, and those things, which you are good at, it may be anything you can be a good at conversation, marketing, music, teaching, writing anything, and do whatever it takes to express your best self, each and every day try to improvise in your field of interest, and one day, you will see yourself at the top.

Make out what you are good at, wok out hard enough to excel in that field and succeed.

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Positive aspects of Competition

Knowing our self is important in life, but knowing others are even more important for our survival. The same applies in the field of business also. In every field, until and unless there is competition, our potential will not be exposed, and the best results will not come. Today we find there is cut throat competition in every field. And what keeps one a step higher, than the other, is the attitude and quality.

Is it, not enough, if we know the work we are doing, and are trying to be more qualitative? Definitely not, today the need to keep a track of the market trends, competition is more important than anything else. Every one is trying to be more productive and qualitative, and pursuing numerous ways to offer more and better services and products to the clients, in their respective fields. If you want to survive, it becomes a must for you to know and study them.

Knowing about competition is not a wrong thing, but a right thing to do. Who is your competitor? Well, every one who is ahead of you in productivity and quality and is setting trends is your competitor. What do you need to know about your competitor? How is he able to attract more clients than you, is it his quality or quantity of work, or the way he is dealing with clients, his way of approach, any thing that you can learn from him to make yourself better.

Only when you study the market trends, and competitors, you will be able to know our standard of work. When we know where we stand, we can take steps for improvement. Most important aspect to be considered is what are your strengths and weaknesses, when compared to your competitor. Definitely not everyone has everything; there may be some important quality that differentiates you from him. May in some aspect you are better than him. May be you have time advantage, place advantage, it can be anything. You need to do a careful study and when you know your positive traits; you can take advantage of them.

It is only because of competition, and a positive competitive spirit, we are able to get more and more better and qualitative products and services. Only when competition is there, we will try to better our knowledge, improve our standard of work, and do everything possible to improve our organization and ourselves. So competitive spirit and competition is necessary in every field and because of it every one improves and benefits.

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