In today’s fast-paced and stressful world, it is not easy for all employees to maintain a work-life balance. Employees are struggling with a variety of social, physical, and psychological problems.

Almost all organizations have employees who are struggling with workplace challenges, work-related stress, performance issues, and personal problems. 

Many times employees are not able to express their sufferings to anyone. Due to workload and other personal responsibilities, they may not be able to get enough time for themselves.

These kinds of issues significantly impact employee behavior and work performance resulting in declined productivity levels, increased absence, and problems with coworkers. 

Now the question that arises here is, how organizations can help their employees stay psychologically healthy, establish a work-life balance, and improve their performance at work. The most effective and proven solution is employee counselling or the employee assistance program.

You may have heard about employee counselling. Many people are not aware of the true meaning of counseling and its incredible paybacks making them unsure about getting its benefits.

As a Life coach, I have been serving several organizations as their workplace counselor so I can help you better understand it. In this blog, I am going to talk all about employee counselling and the need for employee counselling. 

So, let’s jump into it.

Understanding Workplace Counselling

Counselling is the process that takes place as a one-to-one relationship between the employee and professional corporate counselor. It is a kind of professional support and guidance offered in order to resolve any kind of personal, professional, or psychological issues of the employee.

Counselling aims to help employees to find solutions to their anxieties and workplace challenges. The term counselling is defined as the process that involves discussion of personal, professional, emotional, or psychological issues with a counselor. 

Workplace counselling is offered to employees of an organization through the employee assistance program providing a safe place for discussing their struggles and any workplace issues. During the counselling sessions, the focus of the counselor is on problem-solving aspects.

Employee counselors look into employee behavior and help them implement suitable solutions to their problems and develop operative ways to cope with challenges.

Check out: Way to Overcome Workplace Challenges Faced by Employees

The Need For Employee Counselling

Employee counselling is a therapy for all employees because everybody has to deal with various stressors every day. So we need to learn effective ways to handle those stressors. Some problems do not need clinical treatment but we only need to express our heart confidentially without the fear of judgment.

I have seen some employees getting considerable outcomes from just one counselling session yearly. While some employees may need more sessions depending on their personality and particular needs. 

As an entrepreneur, I understand how difficult it is to manage an entire organization efficiently. With so many responsibilities it becomes very grueling to pay attention to employee behavior and their relationship with each other.

Managers can not look after each employee in their organization. However, they can organize employee assistance programs to resolve problems with coworkers and ensure the well-being of their employees.

Being a corporate counselor I have counseled several workplaces from startups to well-established organizations. I worked with many employees in order to address workplace challenges, handle them and find efficient solutions. I can proudly say that I helped many organizations reach new heights of success through employee counselling programs. 

Significance of Employee Counselling

Most employees experience the workload, and stress of completing tasks, meeting deadlines, competing for promotions and increments, relationships with coworkers, and many other workplace challenges in their everyday life.

Counselling helps employees deal with these challenges and offers new ways to handle them. An experienced counselor can help organizations recognize the causes of poor employee performance. 

I remember one of my clients who was a CBI officer and he visited me for counseling. He was facing work-related stress because of his high-performance-demanding job. He was suffering from sleep issues, muscle tension, lower appetite, and frequent headaches because of workplace stress.

He was not able to accomplish his extremely demanding job. He was trying to recognize the thought patterns and unrealistic expectations that were contributing to his stress. 

Once I started his counseling I came to know that he is also excessively focused on his minor mistakes at work and ignoring the positive feedback and praise he got at the workplace. He was practicing meditation and breathing techniques to combat stress.

After a few counseling sessions, he successfully developed a more realistic approach and acknowledged his commendable performance at work. Soon he was able to create a work-life balance. 

Employee counselling is a vital element for any organization. It can be utilized for employee development, better communication, and performance.

Employers can offer a safe and comfortable work environment to their employees through corporate counselling. It is not only beneficial for the well-being of employees but also for productivity and organizational success. 

Benefits of Employee Counselling

Employees are the pillars of strength for any organization. Their well-being should be taken care of by the managers and CEOs. Believe it or not, Employee assistance programs are extremely beneficial for companies and businesses. I have seen companies growing and reaching new heights of success because they take care of their employees and their well-being. 

Let me help you understand the incredible benefits of employee counselling through an example. A few years back a 30-year-old working girl came to my office for counselling.

As we started the conversation, she told me that her senior coworkers were constantly bullying her, making it uncomfortable to work there. She was working in a torturous environment at the workplace. As a result, she was experiencing anxiety and skipping the office in order to avoid that.

Being a life coach and a workplace counselor, I was well aware of her situation. Once I commenced her counselling sessions, I made her realize that she can’t let anybody ruin her career. She does not need to accept this type of behavior from her coworker. I made her realize that problems with coworkers are normal at the workplace but she should learn to deal with them without ruining her career. 

After 2-3 counselling sessions I helped her gain her self-confidence back. I advised her to talk to her boss regarding the workplace challenges she was facing. Then she went to her boss and spoke about what went wrong in the office. The result was, she managed her problem well and created a better working environment for herself. Moreover, she was even more confident and better equipped to deal with her coworkers. 

My point to share this example is, If the authoritative people of that company have provided employees with employee counselling services, that girl may have not suffered. Counselling services for employees are most beneficial for companies. An experienced counselor bridges the gap between employees and managers enabling efficient communication. 

It is the responsibility of employers to provide a comfortable and positive environment at the workplace. It improves employee behavior and enhances employee performance through better development opportunities. Counseling provides them with emotional and psychological support improving communication and development. It boosts productivity at the workplace which directly benefits the organization. 

In 2012, a study was done to determine the effectiveness of workplace counselling and employee counselling services. Over 28000 employees participated in that study. After counselling 70 percent of people experienced considerable improvement in their behavior, dealing with workplace issues, performance, and productivity. The result of that study was, employee counselling services play a powerful role in creating a healthy work environment. 

Let’s have a look at the most prominent advantages of counseling services

Better performance and workplace productivity

Employees face burnout and extreme stress due to workload and other work-related problems. Counselling services for employees provide a positive and reliable environment by working out their anxieties and stressors. 

Better-quality organization culture

Employee counselling programs make employees feel that their managers truly care about their mental health and well-being. It fosters a safe culture in the workplace. 

Amplified job satisfaction

When employees are well-taken care of and are in a good state physically and mentally, they eventually perform better. Employees feel content with the respective jobs that keep them with the organization. More fulfilled employees lead to more productivity at work making the work environment a better place consisting of happier employees. 

Counselling helps employees with their professional and personal lives making their workplace a better space. It helps benefit organizations in the aspect of reducing absenteeism, healthcare cost, and other expenses and retaining good and loyal employees. 

Benefits of Employee Counselling for Employees

• Laid-back access to certified and experienced counselors.
• A safe and unbiased space to speak out hearts and discuss their workplace problems. 
• Help employees better comprehend themselves and their issues. 
• Cultivating and implementing coping skills.
• Acquiring operative solutions to problems.
• Developing a different perspective and positive outlook towards problems.

Employee counselling benefits for employers and organizations

• Better employee performance leads to increased productivity. 
• Reduced employee absenteeism.
• Increased employee loyalty towards the organization.
• Establish a good reputation for an organization that cares for its employees.
• Productive ways to deal with employee behavior and sensitive situations. 

Counselors at Workplace to Strengthen Organizational Performance

Earlier, counselling was not a common thing. But now numerous organizations are hiring licensed and trained corporate counselors to work with their employees. Employee counselling directly benefits both employees as well as employers as mentioned above.

Research has demonstrated that there is a strong connection between the psychological well-being of employees and productivity at work. When companies organize employee assistance programs including counselling services for their employees, it’s a win-win situation. 

Employee counselling services have appeared as the modern tool to grab and retain excellent employees and boost the quality and productivity of the workforce. In today’s era, no organization is stress-free or has stress-free employees. Employees can be stressed due to various professional and personal reasons leading to poor performance and productivity at the workplace.

Thankfully, now many organizations have realized the significance of having a stress free and motivated workforce. Such organizations have incorporated counselling services into their companies as a part of their work culture. Employers are providing counselling services to their employees in order to establish a healthy work culture and the complete well-being of employees. 

Final Words

Numerous employees are going through various work-related problems such as completing targets, daily workload, deadlines, relationships with coworkers and clients, lack of time, many responsibilities, and much more.

Employee counselling helps employees efficiently deal with these kinds of problems and offer a different attitude towards these common issues. Counselling help determines work-related issues and the reasons behind poor employee performance. 

Counselling services intensify employee performance and work satisfaction. Counselling not only supports employee well-being but also shows how much the organization cares about its employees.