Staff counselling for key personnel within the company
By no means is every difficult employee a candidate for dismissal – often these are key personnel whose behaviour, management style or ability to work with others within the company is causing problems.
Holstein Consult offers targeted employee counselling on behalf of senior management: for employees who are important to the company but are not performing as effectively as required in their current role.
The aim is to bring about lasting improvements in behaviour, collaboration and effectiveness – taking into account the individual, their role and the organisation.
We provide support in the following areas:
- problematic behaviour despite a high level of professional competence
- Conflicts with colleagues, teams or other departments
- difficulties in managing one’s own staff
- a lack of cooperation at interfaces
- Recurring complaints or escalations
What employee counselling means at Holstein Consult
At Holstein Consult, employee counselling does not refer to general advice for staff, but rather to targeted counselling for individual employees, commissioned by the company or its management.
The focus is on employees who:
- hold a key role within the company,
- are difficult to replace, either in terms of their specialist skills or within the organisation,
- but who cause problems through their behaviour, communication or collaboration.
The aim of employee counselling is not merely to provide short-term relief, but to bring about a noticeable improvement in effectiveness in their role – for the benefit of the individual concerned, management and the company.
Important distinction
Employee counselling is:
- not therapy
- not general social counselling
- not purely mediation between two parties
- not standard coaching without a specific remit
It is context-specific, business-relevant advice with a clear focus on role, responsibility, collaboration and impact within the organisation.
When staff counselling is appropriate
Employee counselling is particularly useful if you notice that a key person in the company, whilst competent in their specialist field, is experiencing difficulties with collaboration or leadership effectiveness.
Typical situations include, for example:
- an employee with strong professional skills repeatedly treats colleagues or their own staff inappropriately
- a key person does not collaborate well with other departments
- there are regular conflicts, complaints or escalations
- an employee is obstructing collaboration or the flow of information at interfaces
- Leadership responsibility is formally assumed but not effectively exercised in practice
- A person’s behaviour is detrimental to the team atmosphere, motivation or performance
- Management has already held discussions without achieving any lasting change
- Termination would be problematic from a professional or financial perspective, but the current situation is unsustainable
Often, these situations initially appear to be purely a ‘personality issue’. In practice, however, several factors frequently interplay: personal patterns, unclear role expectations, leadership frameworks and organisational conditions. This is precisely where Holstein Consult comes in.
Who the employee counselling service is suitable for
This service is aimed at companies and managers who work with key staff members in challenging situations and are seeking a sustainable solution.
Typical clients
- Managing directors / owners, where key individuals influence the company’s success
- Division and department heads, where collaboration or leadership effectiveness is not working
- HR / personnel managers, when a targeted development measure is required
- Managers who need support in dealing with difficult but key staff members
Typical beneficiaries of the consultancy
- Highly skilled specialists with problematic interpersonal skills
- High-performing staff experiencing conflicts within their team or at interfaces
- Managers experiencing difficulties with staff management and communication
- Long-serving employees who are highly valued but whose behaviour has become entrenched
- Key individuals during periods of change with a heightened potential for friction
"Sometimes you need someone who is neither a colleague nor a line manager."
Typical topics covered in employee counselling
The content depends on the specific case. Typically, it involves a combination of behavioural, role-related and teamwork issues.
Role, responsibility and impact
- Clarifying one’s own role within the organisation
- Understanding expectations regarding behaviour and collaboration
- Reflecting on one’s own impact on others
- Taking responsibility for leadership behaviour or behaviour at the interface between departments
Communication and interacting with others
- Respectful and clear communication in day-to-day working life
- Dealing with criticism, resistance and feedback
- Communication skills in conflict situations
- Recognising misunderstandings and patterns of escalation
Collaboration with teams and departments
- Strengthening the ability to collaborate at interfaces
- Improving the flow of information and coordination
- Reducing friction
- Promote collaboration rather than isolation
Leadership behaviour (when the person is in a leadership role)
- Dealing with staff and team dynamics
- Clear expectations and fair treatment
- Feedback and conflict resolution discussions
- Balance between performance, leadership and respect
Behavioural patterns and adaptability
- Recognising recurring patterns
- Understanding the impact on work outcomes and relationships
- Develop realistic steps for change
- Applying these insights to day-to-day management and work
How an employee counselling service can benefit your company
Targeted employee counselling can help to stabilise key individuals within the company and significantly improve their effectiveness – without making hasty decisions.
Typical outcomes include:
- better collaboration with colleagues, teams and departments
- fewer conflicts, complaints and escalations
- noticeably clearer and more respectful behaviour in day-to-day work
- greater leadership effectiveness among staff with managerial responsibilities
- Reduced workload for line managers
- Fewer friction losses at key interfaces
- Retention of professional expertise whilst developing behavioural skills
- A better basis for further HR decisions
This is a particularly important lever when it comes to individuals who are difficult to replace: not just managing symptoms, but actively facilitating change.
When another service might be more appropriate
Not every situation requires employee counselling. Depending on the focus, a different service may be more appropriate.
- Management training is more appropriate when the primary aim is the systematic development of skills amongst several managers.
→ see Management training - Team development is more appropriate when the main issue lies in the dynamics of the team as a whole rather than with a single key individual.
→ see Team Development - Change management consultancy is more appropriate when friction arises primarily from a major change within the organisation (restructuring, changes in roles, growth, new processes).
→ see Change Management Consultancy
In many cases, these services can be usefully combined. Holstein Consult helps you choose the right approach.
Discuss employee counselling in confidence
If you have a key member of staff within your organisation who is important to the business but whose behaviour or working style is causing problems, it is worth taking a closer look at the situation.
Holstein Consult supports you in understanding the root causes, initiating targeted change and improving the person’s effectiveness within the company context.
During the initial consultation, we can clarify, amongst other things:
- What the actual problem is (symptom vs. cause)
- Whether employee counselling is the right approach
- Which goals are realistic and sensible
Frequently Asked Questions about the Employee Counselling Service
Employee counselling is a service commissioned by the company or its management to provide guidance to individual key employees whose behaviour, leadership style or ability to work with others is causing problems, even though they are important to the company.
Not quite. There is some overlap, but the staff counselling service is more closely aligned with a clear corporate mandate and with effectiveness in terms of its role and organisation.
This applies in particular to key personnel, specialists or managers who are important from a professional point of view but whose behaviour or way of working causes friction, conflicts or a decline in performance.
Yes. Confidentiality is a key element of our collaboration. At the same time, the scope of the feedback to the commissioning management is clearly agreed in advance.
In many cases, it can help to prevent hasty break-ups, as it allows for a closer examination of behaviour, roles and underlying causes. However, it is not an automatic process, but rather a targeted measure aimed at clarification and personal development.
That depends on the occasion, the objective and the complexity, and, of course, on the employee receiving the advice. Options range from concise formats for clearly defined topics to ongoing support processes over a longer period.
In that case, combining this with team development or supplementary leadership consultancy/management training may be a good idea.
Related pages
- How it works – how Holstein Consult operates
- References – anonymised case studies
- Management training – when leadership behaviour is the focus
- Team development – when team dynamics are involved
- Change management consultancy – when organisational change is the driving factor
- Contact