Professionals are turning to life coaching as a tool to maintain their careers, as well as improving life and work balance. Employers are also tapping into life coaching too, as a means of increasing employee satisfaction. From hiring a life coach as part of their staff team or offering opportunities such as NCC Home Learning life coaching course, modern businesses have come to realize that this is an effective tool in improving staff performance too.
But what is it about life coaching that makes is successful in the workplace? What is it and how does it differ from other coaching and counselling options?
What is life coaching and why does it work?
It is not counselling and neither is life coaching about a professional telling another person what to do, how or when.
It is a process by which someone can be supported to see the bigger picture, making more of success and opportunities whilst recognizing the pinch points of challenges.
There are many benefits to this process. It builds the tool of reflection, as well as setting goals and generally improving motivation to reach them. It brings back into sharp focus important aspects of life, something that is different for every employee.
It is a process by which someone can identify opportunities, challenges, strengths and weakness. But it is also an opportunity to examine the thorny issue of work-life balance.
It is a process that when facilitated by a skilled life coach can bring about huge changes, one of which could be boosting staff performance.
The effect of staff performance
For businesses that continue to use life coaches notice improvements in staff performance. A Fortune 100 study found that the return on investment for a business increased six-fold But what shape do these improvements make?
#1 Improved valuable skills
Problem-solving, excellent communication skills and team working are just three valuable skills that businesses say improved with the introduction of life coaching for its staff.
Problems were overcome quicker and more efficiently, and the ability to reflect on their practice is something that many employees felt contributed to improved decision making and team working.
#2 Improved productivity and results
By helping staff to feel more motivated, employees feel more excited about their role and highly valued too.
A heady combination, the number of new, innovative ideas was also something that companies felt they welcomed from motivated employees. And this isn’t just assumption – the same Fortune 100 study found that the quality of work doubled.
#3 Encourages improved life-work balance
We know now that work, work, work makes for a poor quality of work-life balance. But finding the switch to flick into the off position at the end of a busy day alludes many people.
Work-life balance is essential to our health, mental, emotional and physical. For a business, hard-working employees are one thing but staff who are worn out, stressed and not enjoying their role brings little in the way of productivity or satisfaction.
Life coaching is the tool that helps employees to find this balance for them. And that means healthier, happier staff with increased rates of productivity.
#4 A staff perk
As a business, you want to attract and hold onto the best talent. Today’s generation is not coming to a post with longevity in mind. They want and need new opportunities and challenges, and what they consider to be perks is far different from that of the previous generation.
Investing in employees with life coaching helps your business to stand out, an attractive addition to add to your future campaigns to grab the attention of job candidates.
#5 Business and personal goals align
The tie-in is obvious – a life coach will work with employees to define and reach their career goals. In many cases, this means acquiring new skills.
Why wouldn’t you want to encourage staff to become multi-skilled in key areas? Once they have these new skills, a company benefits directly. In effect, employee goals and the business goals start to align, a powerful driving force for any business and its people.
Is life coaching really worth it?
From the data from studies to the opinions of companies who already employee life coaches, the answer is clear and unequivocal – life coaching is a process that works.
And it works for everyone – for the individual employee and for the business. Is life coaching the tool that could boost the productivity and performance of your staff?
Think coaching is right for you or your organization? Schedule a 30-minute session here to find out.
