The power of coaching extends beyond the individual

The benefits of coaching for a trainee are the clearest and most expected outcome. However, the benefits can permeate the whole business, making coaching an initiative that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Career coaching can also assist in retention. According to Mantel Group’s head of people and culture, Caroline Henshaw, an effective coaching policy will assist in building career pathways for employees, keeping them happy and engaged.

“Internal research identified that as the organisation grows, employees are keen to get a better understanding of other areas of the business, and where there are opportunities to become involved with projects beyond their official scope,” said Ms Henshaw.

“[An effective coach will] identify their strengths, listen to their personal objectives and identify opportunities for alternative roles they could work towards. The coach then creates a personalised approach to get the employee from A to B that includes any relevant training, mentoring and work experience required.”

The opportunities that coaching can bring to a workplace are significant. According to Factorial, some of the benefits include:

• Skills development
• Increased productivity
• Higher job satisfaction
• Better support
• Increased communication
• Better problem-solving skills

There are two ways to approach coaching: internal and external. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, an internal coach already has a handle on the business operations and what skills are required to perform. However, there is room for bias.

Meanwhile, an external recruiter has the benefit of being removed from the organisation, which Ms Henshaw said can bring fresh perspectives. However, this strength is also a weakness, as they will lack the business-specific knowledge that an internal coach has.

In remote and hybrid settings, coaching can be trickier to navigate. As many workplaces made the move to these work systems, and many kept them in place, coaching has lost some of its face-to-face charm.

This should not deter leaders, however. Ms Henshaw said it’s actually more important to be promoting in hybrid settings.

She commented: “Career coaching is even more important in a hybrid business. Often, corridor or kitchen conversations helped people know about opportunities and be able to have a quick chat with colleagues and leaders about their work or learning.”

“Being in an office all the time often meant people might grab a coffee and have a chat about career aspirations. Having many people working remotely means it has been important to create avenues that provide this same information, and the career coach is a way to support people with conversations and introductions to the people they may want to speak with about their careers.”