Conducting an Employee Counseling Meeting

Most managers are not trained in the strategy of conducting an employee counseling meeting. Typically, managers don’t get a lot of training when they’re first hired/promoted. Because of this, they tend to make several common mistakes. 

Some of these mistakes include: 

• Not asking for training
• Not being prepared for an employee counseling meeting
• Not having all the facts of the incident 

Not being prepared is a major pitfall. You need to be prepared with at least enough information to be able to address your concerns with the employee. 

There may be times when you’re having a preliminary meeting with the employee to gather facts versus going into the meeting already having the counseling documentation in-hand. That’s why you need to be flexible. 

If you feel you need additional information, then you don’t want to go into the counseling meeting with the documentation already written. 

Here are some tips to help you effectively conduct an employee counseling meeting: 

• Don’t let too much time go by between when the incident occurs and when you meet with the employee.
  
  
• Don’t forget your reference materials.
  
  
• Focus on improvement and development, not just corrective action or discipline.
  
  
• The purpose of the counseling meeting is to be educational, such as reviewing a policy or going over a job description.
  
  
• Review all the facts prior to the meeting.
  
  
• Be specific in your documentation, as opposed to general. Details will give the employee a better understanding of his/her deficiencies.
  
  
• Stick to the facts during the meeting.
  
  
• Do not take sides. It’s important to remain neutral.
  
  
• Listen to what the employee has to say by practicing active listening. Part of active listening is listening in order to reiterate and/or paraphrase statements made by the employee.
  
  
• Get clarification when/if you need it.
  
  
• Give feedback during the meeting. Also, don’t hesitate to bring up what an employee is doing well. Obviously, the point of the counseling meeting is to focus on areas that need improvement, but at the same time, if the person is doing really well in another area, it’s a good idea to acknowledge it.
  
  
• Communicate your expectations going forward. Make sure the employee walks away from the meeting with an understanding of what’s expected of him/her.
  
  
• Clearly explain what improvements need to be made.
  
  
• Clearly explain the ramifications of improvements not being made.
  
  
• Make sure to discuss the timeframe for making the improvements.
  
  
• Focus on getting the employee to make a commitment to improving.
  
  
• Make the employee feel empowered.
  
  
• Be fair and respectful.
  
  
• Ask the employee for his/her opinion on how the changes can be made.
  
  
• Maintain confidentiality. Confidentiality is critical. 

Once you have an employee counseling system in place, it’s critical that you be consistent with regard to how you deliver counseling and how you conduct a counseling meeting.

Most managers are not trained in the strategy of conducting an employee counseling meeting.