Hello Priya
In medical science, diagnosis is the key factor for prescribing right medicine and treatment for the illness.This applies to HR too as they also deal with different kind of human problems.From the brief details furnished by you, what I understand is that the case of the employee referred to by you, falls under the category of 'disengaged employee' since he is otherwise competent and has potential.A disengaged employee will not willfully neglect his work but shows no interest in working to his full potential.Therefore, the rout that needs to be taken in his case is that of motivation..Counselling, in my view , needs to be resorted to,in case of an employee who willfully neglects his work or whiles away his time or adopts smart ways of avoiding work or some one who is not able to concentrate on his work due to some personal problems.
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To motivate a disengaged employee, you need to engage him and thus it requires greater effort than counselling.The following suggestions may be of help.
1) find out the reasons that disengage him? is it the feeling that the job does not match his potential? or is it that there is no recognition of his good work? or is it lack of training? or is it the conduct of manager responsible? if so, the employee needs motivation and the manager needs counselling. This step is very important for HR to apply right remedy.
2) In many cases the HR will be more concerned with finding ways to get an indifferent employee to work and try something that does not fit the bill like counselling etc.This may not cut ice with the disengaged employees since it does not answer their need. Instead the HR shall think of creating an environment that helps the employee to engage himself like providing him with more challenging work or the work which he finds more interesting or providing freedom and removing controls as creative people love it etc. You need to find the ways of engaging him after finding out the reasons.
3) You need to involve his manager and draw up a plan to engage the employee concerned.
4) Thus you need to act as a facilitator or an agent to make the change to happen rather than trying directly to effect the change.
This is my view. and hope this helps.
B.Saikumar
In house HR & labour law advisor