What is Workplace Coaching?

Workplace coaching means providing workers opportunities, tools, and knowledge about everything they require to become more productive, efficient, and content with their work. Workplace coaching adds value to employees, who in return will add value to the organization. The purpose of workplace coaching is to enhance efficiency and creativity among employees and bring a dynamic environment that ensures smooth functioning of things. Workplace coaching is important because only when everyone is working at their maximum capacity can the workplace make progress. Workplace coaching has various benefits like improving an individual’s performance, identifying and developing high potential employees, increasing employee engagement, identifying strengths of both organization and employees and providing development opportunities. Workplace coaching leverages an individual’s abilities and strengths for maximum performance.

A conversational coaching style in the company will strengthen communication skills among all employees of the organization. Through coaching, an employee’s weaknesses such as communication or active listening can be strengthened. The employee has to listen to the workplace coach and make necessary changes that the coach suggests, and at the next meeting,  the employee can express doubts over the techniques suggested by the coach. This repetitive process improves the listening, questioning, following, and overall communicating skills of the employees. If there are team coaching sessions, the members of the team get to communicate and bond with one another. When team members become more comfortable with each other and the leaders, they’ll be more willing to seek help when problems arise.

Workplace coaching develops leadership skills by enhancing the overall performance of an employee. Skills like communication, confidence, trust-worthiness, developing strategies and people skills which are the dominant traits of a leader are improved through workplace coaching. Coaching helps employees come up with solutions and implement their ideas proactively.

What is the Purpose of Workplace Coaching?

The purpose of workplace coaching is to increase efficiency in areas like:

• Communication 
• Leadership qualities
• Management skills
• Resilience
• Accountability and responsibility
• Gain more job satisfaction
• Self-reliance
• Commitment to work
• Confidence
• Creativity
• Productivity
• Self-awareness
• Loyalty towards company
• Overall well-being of individual and company
• Empathy

What is the Importance of Coaching at the Workplace?

The importance of workplace coaching is to improve performance quality of employees and for overall betterment of workers and the company. When employees know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it, they’ll perform better and at a higher level. Through coaching, employees will feel included in the matters of business. Employees will look out for the company’s best interest as their own, once they feel included.

Examples of companies having Workplace Coaching :

1. Amazon: 

Amazon offers coaching programs such as Associate2Tech, Machine Learning University, Amazon Career Choice, Amazon Apprenticeship, and AWS Training and Certification for its employees. In July 2019, Amazon announced a $700 million effort  called “Upskilling 2025” to retrain its U.S. workforce.

2. AT&T:

AT&T Invests about $220 million every year in internal training programs, providing nearly 20 million hours of training a year, and over $30 million annually on tuition assistance.

3. Marriott International Inc:

The coaching in Marriott International Inc focuses on developing skills, and provides professional and career development training. Topic areas include work-life balance, leadership and management.

What is the History of Workplace Coaching?

The history of workplace coaching is comparatively less. Research on workplace coaching began in 1995, but there are traces of workplace coaching publication dating back to 1997. The history of workplace coaching is stated below:

• In 1937, C.B. Gorby published  “Everyone Gets a Share of the Profits” which is considered to be one of the first publications on workplace coaching. Gorby observes that “the dual generic goals of coaching are to deepen a person's self-awareness and to increase the individual's personal responsibility” 
• In 1995, “Creative Action in Organizations: Ivory Tower Visions & Real-World Voices” was published which was edited by  Cameron M. Ford and Dennis A. Gioia, focused on concepts like organizational development, creative training, innovation and self-evaluation.

What does a Workplace Coach Do?

A  workplace coach’s responsibilities are to keep discussions focussed on a clear goal, encourage creative thinking, exploring different possibilities, provide constructive feedback, ask relevant follow-up questions and to actively listen. A workplace coach can implement any coaching method to improve overall working performance of the employees and the organization.

The role of workplace coach is listed below:

1. Engage, support and motivate staff in development and integration of positive value and culture.
2. Provide guidance and opportunities to enable transfer of learning into effective practice for staff and their managers.
3. Use any coaching method that creates an environment that is engaging, participatory, supportive and provides constructive feedback on performance.
4. Assess the values, knowledge and skills of current and new staff against the standards that apply to their role in order to devise individual, sector and service development plans.
5. To contribute as required to all external quality assurance audits and action points.
6. Support the growth of leadership capability and develop leadership performance in others.
7. Provide learning opportunities related to the assessed needs of staff, including induction and induction mentorship and continuing development opportunities, regularly reviewing and evaluating their experiences over their employment journey. 
8. Provide appropriate and timely analysis and feedback to supervisors on their staff’s progress and support needs.
9. Attending work reliably and punctually.

What can a Workplace Coach Help With?

A workplace coach can help with these problems faced by the companies are:

1. Feeling stuck:

The business can hit a point where you feel that there is barely any progress, or working at minimum efficiency. One might lack guidance, motivation and clear vision to turn the business around.

2. Lacking Accountability:

It is difficult for some people to take accountability for their business’ progress. They need someone to keep them accountable. 

3. Not productive enough:

Even though everyone’s working, one can realize the company is not working at peak productivity. One might also be unclear about tools and techniques required to enhance productivity.

How workplace coaches can help companies:

1. For feeling struck:

A workplace coach gives clarity and guidance about business goals. The coach will assist in prioritizing various goals. A coach gives an honest outside perspective for the business to flourish.

2. Lacking accountability:

  A workplace coach doesn’t do your work, but instead keeps checking up on you to make sure you are doing your work. When the employee can't be accountable for their actions, a coach keeps them accountable by suggesting tools and techniques and giving feedback when they find problems

3. To enhance productivity:

 A workplace coach will enhance everyone’s potential, which will ultimately lead to a boost in productivity. Workplace coach also develops one’s passion, love and interest in their work, which will lead to employees doing the work dynamically.

What Qualities Should You Look for in a Workplace Coach?

The qualities you should look for in a workplace coach are:

1. Expertise:

A workplace coach must have expertise over the field of coaching. Only when a coach has expertise and experience in their field, they can confidently maneuver clients into maximizing their potential and enhancing their performance.

2. Active-listening skills:

Active-listening skills and communication skills are of utmost importance, because only through listening can a coach understand the client’s needs, problems and wants and provide right suggestions accordingly.

3. Result-driven:

A workplace coach must ensure that employees along with the organization are making progress. It is the responsibility of the coach to track progress and give the extra “push” needed to move even forward

4. Commitment:

Coaching is a long-term process and the coach must be committed to invest their time, energy and efforts to better the employees and the organization. The coach needs to be consistent and patient and always pull the organization in the right direction

5. Self-awareness:

Only when the coach is self-aware can they be aware of other people’s needs, wants and obstacles. A coach must know what coaching style to use on specific clients, and when to change the present coaching style when it isn’t showing any progress. This requires self-awareness.

What are the Benefits of Workplace Coaching?

The benefits of workplace coaching are:

1. Encouraging specific skill development:

A workplace coach can sense one’s true talent and potential and provides suggestions  to maximize potential. The coach also provides tools to overcome obstacles. This will increase specific skill development. 

2. Increased employee engagement:

A coach increases employee engagement by improving their performance and productivity. The coach motivates employees to be more passionate about work and encourages them to improve their skills.

3. Accomplishing organizational and personal goals:

The coach sets a goal and directs employees and the organization towards the goal in a structured manner. Overtime, this will lead to accomplishment of goals both at a personal and organizational level.

4. Better personal awareness:   

Through the process of coaching, one learns more about their strengths and weaknesses and becomes more aware. The employees understand how to be in order to have a better image in the company.

Can Workplace Coaches Help Companies to Enhance the Work Environment?

Yes, workplace coaches can help companies to enhance their work environment.

Coaches can create a happy work environment between employees by building more meaningful relationships between employees and clients. Employees will be encouraged to honestly pinpoint any concerns they may have and express any ideas to enhance the workplace environment.

What are the Mistakes Of Workplace Coaching?

The mistakes of workplace coaching are:

1. Trying To Help Everyone:

Some people will be reluctant to get coached or would not have similar understanding, values and beliefs as that of the coach. A coach must strive to improve everyone, but shouldn’t waste too much of energy and time helping those who do not want to be helped.

2. Giving too much advice:

This mistake is done by coaches who aren’t active listeners. Coaches make the mistake of giving too much advice too quickly without understanding if the employee will benefit from the advice. The coach must completely understand what the employee needs before giving any advice.

3. Spending Too Much Time Getting Everything Set Up Just Right:

It is essential to have everything set up right for coaching to be most effective. But that’s not realistic. A coach shouldn’t waste too much time and must find the right balance between setting things up and coaching employees.

4. Trying to be somebody else:

Coaches must have an authentic style of coaching, instead of trying to be  somebody else(like the coaches they aspire to be). A coach can be motivated by somebody they look up to, but shouldn’t imitate someone blindly.

What are the Common Problems at Workplace Coaching?

The common problems and solutions of workplace coaching are:

1. Culture of the company:

If the company runs by the pyramid approach, meaning the employees are constantly addressed by managers and supervisors on how to run the business, then coaching might not be the best option. When leaders dictate to their employees, there is no scope for development of communication or leadership skills amongst the employees.

Solution:

Gradually change the company’s culture: 

The company’s culture must be evaluated and slowly made changes accordingly.

Though it might be difficult at first, once everyone understands the importance of changing the culture, things will flow smoothly.

2. Time and Distance:

Most coaching types require some amount of travel and demand time. Travelling to far away locations or multiple locations will waste time and also reduce productivity from the employees.

Solution: 

1. Usage of video conferencing and recording:

Usage of video-conferencing saves time and expense of travelling, while also giving the flexibility to watch whenever and wherever the employee wants to.

2. Encourage teams to coach one-another:

Along with saving time and expense of traveling, when teams coach one another, there is scope for development of awareness and communication skills. Through the process of constructive feedback, team members get to bond with each other.

3. Lack of interpersonal skills and objectivity:

When there is a gap between successive coaching sessions, there is a possibility that the coachee, might forget the details and feedback given by the coach and this may result in repetition of the feedback or disputes between coach and the coachee.

Solution: 

1. Promote self-reflection:

Instead of the coach suggesting ideas, try various coaching techniques to get ideas out from the employee. This improves the chance of employees remembering and implementing the idea.

2. Earn employee’s respect and trust:

Business Coaching