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Counselling and disciplinary procedures

Counselling skills are skills that you must learn and practise in order to improve them. You must also be aware of your limitations when counselling employees. You cannot solve all their life problems but you should be able to assist them with difficulties they may be having at work.

How do I conduct an effective counselling session?

Counselling at work is to help people identify the causes of work-related problems, such as poor performance.

You should not feel that you must identify and solve the causes of personal problems such as depression, alcoholism or marital problems for an employee. If personal problems do become apparent, it is important that you refer the employee to the appropriate experts.

The following checklist should assist you:

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What if counselling doesn't solve the problem?

Do not expect improvement immediately or after one counselling session. Your employee will need an adjustment period and probably some time to steadily improve.

You must also be committed to the counselling process and reward and recognise your employee's efforts to improve. As you should with all your employees!

If the counselling doesn't solve the problem, you may have to formally discipline your employee.

To do this, you must have a disciplinary procedure in place and every employee should be familiar with this system and understand the steps involved.

If you are facing a situation where an employee may be dismissed, it is essential that you can document and subtantiate your actions.

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Discipline Procedure

A sample disciplinary system follows:

Sample Disciplinary procedure

1. Employees who are performing unsatisfactorily will be counselled so they understand the standards expected of them. They will be offered assistance and guidance in achieving the expected standards.
   
   
2. Confidential records of any counselling undertaken will be made. The employee will be shown and given a copy of the written records and will have an opportunity to comment on its contents.

   This can be done either in writing or orally. The record will only be placed on the employee's personal file when the employee has been given the opportunity of responding to the record and add any notations regarding the contents of the record.

3. Employees whose performance or behaviour is unsatisfactory will be given adequate time to demonstrate a willingness to improve. If at the end of this period the employee shows no willingness to improve in the opinion of the employer, a final warning in writing will be issued to the employee.
   
   

   This notice will inform the employee in writing that disciplinary action up to and including dismissal may be taken if the employee does not cease the unsatisfactory performance or behaviour immediately.

4. The employer also has the right to summarily dismiss an employee for serious and wilful misconduct.
   
   
5. At every stage of the disciplinary process, the employee has the right to have another employee or union representative present as a witness.

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How many warnings should an employee be given before disciplinary action occurs?

There is no hard and fast rule. You should give your employee a number of chances to improve their behaviour or conduct. But you should not issue a large number of warnings as this could give the impression that his or her conduct is not really serious and will not merit dismissal.

In general, three warnings would be considered adequate. It is suggested you make sure that your employee realises the number of warnings to be given will not be open-ended.