Does your organization embrace coaching in the workplace? If not, now’s the time to start.
Employee coaching is one of the best ways to invest in employee performance. More than half of companies with a strong coaching culture experience higher revenues than industry peers, thanks to the increased confidence and communication skills it generates.
Let’s take a look at what it takes to build an employee coaching program at your organization right now.
Benefits of Performance Coaching for Employees
Effective coaching brings about numerous benefits for employees, managers and teams alike. In fact, one study found a whopping 70% of people who receive coaching report improved work performance, relationships and communication skills. When you encourage employees through coaching, you help people reach their full potential. This results in:
- Professional development: Continuous learning is critical to success in the workplace, and effective employee coaching provides just that. It shows employees you care about them enough to invest in their careers.
- Higher engagement: Coaching isn’t just a strategy for re-engaging disengaged team members. It’s also a way to actively keep employee engagement levels high. When you invest in your people, motivation is bound to follow.
- Lower turnover: Employees who receive consistent support feel more valued and engaged in their roles. This ultimately translates into better performance and greater loyalty.
- Stronger teams: The ripple effect of constructive feedback extends beyond individual employees. Teams that engage in regular coaching enhance collaboration and communication, which leads to more innovation.
- Continuous improvement: Instead of waiting for annual reviews, managers who provide coaching help employees improve their performance in real time. It allows you to provide feedback while issues or questions are fresh in employees’ minds.
Still on the fence? Consider this: Coaching doesn’t just benefit individual employees and teams. It also reflects positively on your organization's culture. The most attractive employers are ones that prioritize employee development. The commitment to growth not only strengthens your current workforce but also positions you as an industry leader.
10 tips to coach employees for improved performance
Different organizations approach the employee coaching process in different ways. And long-term success hinges on building the action plan that’s just right for your unique workforce.
Not sure where to begin? Let’s look at ten tips based on ActivTrak’s experiences across 9,500 organizations that use workforce analytics to measure and improve employee productivity.
1. Schedule regular reviews
Coaching is not a once-in-awhile activity. It’s important to regularly reflect on progress toward goals — and to celebrate accomplishments along the way. Scheduled performance reviews allow you to do just that.
How you structure reviews depends largely on your industry and department. However, recent research suggests many employees prefer a narrative style. They respond positively to specific examples of activities that contribute to achievements, since it helps them gain a deeper understanding of behaviors to repeat. To take this one step further, use employee activity data to provide specific examples and set tangible productivity goals.
2. Take a personalized approach
Successful coaching conversations build trust, strengthen relationships and create a positive work environment. But every employee has unique strengths and areas for growth, and successful coaching looks a little different for each one.
To foster personalized coaching, actively listen to each team member’s needs and focus on identifying their specific strengths and areas for improvement. This allows you to provide tailored feedback and develop a customized action plan based on individual career aspirations.
3. Identify barriers to improvement
Even high-performing employees face roadblocks — they often say “yes” too much, become overworked and may even burn out. Whether you’re fixing unbalanced workloads or dealing with disengagement, all managers face hurdles at some point.
When coaching team members who need help overcoming barriers, focus on the problem — not the person. This not only helps people feel more comfortable, but also makes it easy to build an action plan. First, find specific areas for improvement. Does your employee need more time? Different tools? Additional training? Then decide how you’ll fix the issue and make a plan to follow up regularly.
4. Encourage self-evaluation
Coaching employees is about more than providing feedback and guidance. Some of the best improvements occur when workers come up with ideas themselves. Your job is to encourage employees to self-evaluate their performance regularly. This promotes self-awareness and instills a mindset of continuous personal development.
This doesn’t always come easy, though. To help, ask open-ended questions to get your employee’s perspective. Encourage them to reflect on strengths as well as opportunities for growth. If you use workforce analytics software, provide Personal Insights dashboards designed to help fine-tune work habits. Each of these tactics goes a long way in supporting people to do their best work.
5. Foster self-improvement
When coaching, coach — don’t just tell people what to do. Guide employees toward identifying their own strengths and weaknesses, and encourage them to find solutions for the issues they face. Best way to do this? Steer conversations toward a problem-solving mindset.
For example, when coaching a team member who struggles to meet deadlines, ask questions to help them identify what they have the power to change. Do they need different tools? Expertise from another department? Ideas from team members with different skillsets? In many instances, simply asking questions like these is all someone needs to determine next steps.
6. Request feedback
Throughout your coaching conversations, ask employees for their perspective. The more they share, the better equipped you’ll be to steer them toward proactive solutions. Ask them to explain any roadblocks they face when pursuing personal performance goals, and listen to what they say.
In addition, ask team members for feedback on your own performance as a manager. This will give you a deeper understanding of what they need to succeed. Ask what they need from you to feel supported, and be open to the answers — they may surprise you.
7. Promote continuous learning
In addition to regular conversations, promote ongoing growth and development. Creating a culture of learning is vital in today's business landscape — it ensures your workforce is prepped and ready for the latest market changes.
Promote opportunities for employees to attend workshops, seminars or online courses. This one move alone encourages innovation and keeps your teams agile.
8. Recognize achievements and improvements
Acknowledging accomplishments, no matter how small, motivates employees to strive for more. Recognition reinforces positive behaviors and boosts morale, making employees feel valued within the organization.
When coaching your team members, find ways to praise achievements. This is especially important when discussing areas for improvement, since it sets the tone for pursuing future accomplishments. Start by congratulating your employee on a job well done. It’s a great way to assure people you’re confident in their abilities while simultaneously reinforcing expectations moving forward.
9. Address issues promptly
Sometimes your coaching will focus on positive reinforcement. Other times, it involves challenging conversations. In both instances, timing is crucial. Schedule conversations as soon as issues arise to maintain a healthy coaching dynamic and prevent misunderstandings.
10. Maintain consistency in coaching
Most importantly, remember: Consistency is key to building credibility as a coach. Regularly scheduled coaching sessions create a structured environment that reinforces the importance of professional development and fosters lasting relationships.
Uncover performance coaching opportunities with ActivTrak
Ready to elevate your team's performance and harness the full potential of your workforce? ActivTrak offers cutting-edge solutions to empower your coaching strategies and drive productivity.
More than 9,500 organizations rely on ActivTrak’s performance management and coaching software to quickly identify opportunities for improvement and drive stronger performance, faster. Request a demo to see it in action and learn how ActivTrak helps unlock your team’s full potential.
