Republic of Botswana
Government portal
Workplace Counseling
01/08/11
Counseling is vital in the workplace.
Workplace Counseling
 The mental well-being of em­ployees is often over looked by most organizations. In this regard,it must be noted that the concept of counseling helps employees to identify difficulties and problems caused by thoughts, feelings, and emotions which in turn encourage them to respond and make progress towards posi­tive resolution of issues.
In this context, it may be said that a counselor is an individual who provides a supportive service to clients, in the workplace and as­sists in the alleviation of symptoms of stress and anxiety. Thus it can be said that stress and anxiety in the workplace can be caused by a huge workload, increased respon­sibilities, and personal stress.

In an interview, Ms. Akanyang Marudu a Social Worker I, at the De­partment of Social Services availed that “we live in a high speed kind of life with complexities of the modern world and its social ills, we are easily hurt and when hurt, out thinking processes shut down.”

Therefore, individuals act with­out thinking and by so doing, the consequences often cause further distress which frustrates our emo­tional health by behaving in a rigid stereotyped way. In this context The People’s Ministry has estab­lished a wellness committee which aims to provide a support system for employees to receive counseling.

Furthermore, Ms. Marudu noted that it is imperative for organizations and employees to recognize counseling as a process that as­sists the resolution of social and personal issues thus creating con­ducive social functioning in the workplace. The Department of Social Services provides counseling for a variety of issues which include; depression, marital dis­putes, misunderstandings with colleagues, and mismanagement of finances but to name a few.

Ms. Marudu went on to mention that “employees are urged to al­ways see professional counselors when they encounter challenges in their daily lives.”This was said with regard to being a better na­tion by 2016.

In the same breath Ms. Marudu also explained Social Workers are present in various localities and jurisdictions and as such employ­ees are implored to seek help from them for the achievement of a ho­listic approach in terms of issue resolution.

It can thus be said that, counseling plays a major role in improving job satisfaction amongst employ­ees and as such facilitates a con­ducive working environment for employees to work in.

 

Print
Close