Benefits Of Coaching in the Workplace

If you want to build a productive workplace with engaged people and achieve a bright output from employee training, consider developing your workforce’s coaching skills.

Coaching is quickly becoming the go-to solution for preparing companies for large changes, like restructuring, or as part of an overarching strategic plan.

So much so, that research from CIPD shows that 51% of companies consider coaching a crucial part of their business strategy.

Developing employees’ coaching skills makes it easier for managers to communicate with their teams, nip potential problems in the bud and keep the ship on course.

Here at Change, we’re always keen to find new ways to make sure we prioritise employee well-being and drive our company’s success. So, this month we’re kicking off an exciting coaching programme. Join us as we explore some of the benefits of coaching and how it can help companies of all sizes.

Benefits of Coaching

Coaching can unlock some amazing benefits for your company like boosting employee morale, retention rates and even performance. With strong coaches amongst your leadership team and beyond, you can remain competitive in today’s marketplace and future-proof your company.

Improved retention

For many employees, it’s important to surround themselves with people who want to see them flourish. Providing a coach or mentor can significantly boost retention rates. Research shows Millennials who have mentors are twice as likely to stay with their employer for more than five years.

Research from Training magazine also confirmed that retention rates significantly improved when managers have scheduled coaching sessions with their teams and are consistently asking questions. Regular check-ins help to build trust between all employees and boost overall company performance.

By nurturing your employees at work, you’ll help them feel happier and have more meaningful relationships across your organisation.

Enhanced performance

Do you have any employees who looked amazing on paper and flew through interviews with flying colours, but aren’t performing to the level you expected?

If so, coaching may be the answer to unlocking their talent and filling gaps in performance. Research suggests that average performance levels increase by 17% in employees who receive dedicated executive coaching.

Whether it’s a lack of guidance from management or an inability to see how their career could progress, even the most talented employees can suffer drops in performance from time to time.

69% of employees say they would work harder if they felt their efforts were more appreciated. Another great reason to go above and beyond to create a rewarding work environment where your people feel valued.

Creates positive communication

Adopting a conversational coaching style in your workplace encourages positive communication between all members of your organisation.

Whether it’s having honest discussions about any issues at work, or voicing ambitious ideas to board members, coaching makes it easier for employees to speak out and tackle issues head-on.

Coaching can be a valuable process for leaders to identify areas for improvement and take positive action today to avoid problems snowballing down the line.

Not only can a coaching style create a happy work environment between employees, but it also helps to build more meaningful relationships with clients and customers. Honest two-way conversations allow you to pinpoint customer/client concerns, as well as express your own ideas to improve your professional relationship.

Support new starters

Importantly, coaching can be important to support new starters when onboarding them to a new role. Create a fun and welcoming environment where new employees can dive straight into the action and break the ice with exciting team-building activities.

Coaching style conversations and language makes it easier for new starters to integrate within a team, express their true personality, and build inspiring relationships with employees at all levels of an organisation.

Research suggests new starters are 24% more likely to leave their organisation if they feel they don’t fit into the company culture or feel welcomed by their new employers.

How to Introduce Coaching into your Company

Implementing a coaching style across all members of your organisation won’t happen overnight.

Improving company culture and coaching communication skills is a step-by-step process which takes time and patience. Employees in senior leadership roles must lead by example if a culture of conversational coaching is to trickle down to all members of an organisation.

Leadership expert, Francois Coetzee, explains that the effectiveness of company training programmes can increase from 22% to 88% when supported by strong coaching skills.

So, how do you go about implementing a company coaching programme?

Feedback is key

Coaching encourages employees at all levels to ask for feedback and take proactive action to improve their performance. Openness to constructive feedback promotes a healthy work environment where concerns are tackled head-on with positive solutions.

Research suggests that employee happiness increases when leaders welcome constructive criticism from employees. Incredibly, a happy workplace can increase productivity by up to 12%.

Coach others for a helping hand

Seeking assistance is an essential part of management, but knowing how to ask for help (without seeming over-demanding) is a sophisticated skill which many people find difficult.

Conversational coaching hones your personal skills and helps you learn how to ask for help with a considerate and reasonable attitude.

Have honest conversations with co-workers about why you’re asking for assistance and why you would value their input. This helps to break-down unnecessary hierarchical barriers and create a level of empathy between colleagues.

Take an empathetic view

Empathy is a two-way road so take the time to understand the other person’s position and find out how you can help.

Organisational development expert, Carter McNamara, explains that empathy can enhance your communication skills as it gives you a sense of what an individual wants, and whether or not they’re getting it from you.

Better Conversations at Change

We are launching an exciting programme this September which puts coaching conversations at the heart of how we go about our day to day business. Better Conversations is a collaborative exercise between Change and our four exceptional partners from the Taranta Group.

Our Group has teamed up with Glasgow City College to design an exciting programme which takes us on an educational journey to become an even better set of businesses.

The interactive programme focuses on developing conversational coaching skills and promoting more meaningful conversations between clients, coworkers, and customers.

Not only will this be a valuable exercise for developing our professional skills, but it will also support us in other aspects of our personal lives as we grow and learn.

Recruit or Work with Change

If you’d like to work at a company who really cares about their people, take a look at our current job openings and learn about our company culture here.

Alternatively, if you’re looking to add some exciting new talent to your company, speak to one of our dedicated recruitment consultants to find out how we can help.