Coaching is not a luxury, but a necessity

For many organizations, the coach is a black box. Great for your employees. Because they are given the space to vent. Or a new look at their own abilities. But what do you get out of it as an organization? And perhaps a coach is necessary if you experience problems, but why would you hire one if there is nothing wrong?

We can easily answer the latter: there is always something going on. That may sound ominous, but that’s not how we mean it. What do we mean? Let’s explain!

There is always something going on in every organization

People work in an organization. And humans are not robots now. And people can be different every day. They each have their task in an organization. But they also have a private life. In which anything can be going on. And they have their own character. It can clash with another character. Or with a culture.

In addition, there is the organization itself. It can be in motion. Or just stand still. Which in turn can cause unrest. Which brings movement again. So even when they are at a standstill, organizations are on the move. Every organization consists of individuals who are subject to forces over which they have control to a greater or lesser extent.

The greater the control, the better you are able to perform your task. And the happier you are in your work. Which of course has a positive effect on the organization. And so it reinforces each other: happy employees make for healthy organizations.

Sounds nice, we hear you say, but what does that have to do with coaching? Well, everything. Because coaches can help the individual gain more control.

“A good coach ensures more happiness at work. Motivation increases, employees feel better about themselves, and positive energy skyrockets while stress decreases.”

More than an employee satisfaction survey

It is often very difficult for organizations to discover exactly what is going on with their people. For example, the term ‘silent quitter’ comes from America. These are employees who become frustrated or demotivated, without expressing it. In stile, they distance themselves more and more from their work, which leads to a passive attitude. And in the end often to dismissal.

To get ahead of silent quitting, you can conduct an employee satisfaction survey. And that undoubtedly provides some insight, but it never shows the complete picture. It mainly gives a superficial idea of sentiment. Apart from that: what do you do if you detect problems? Most managers are not trained to deal with this properly.

A good coach digs deeper. Is able to recognize patterns. And to see problems that are not there yet, but are coming. A good coach also knows what to do next. He or she can help someone gain more self-confidence, become more assertive, overcome fear of presentation, set boundaries or get rid of frustrations. A good coach can think along about someone’s career. Or help to make the work-life balance healthy. A good coach can do a lot, we want to say.

But what does a coach do for an organization?

It is clear what a good coach can do for an individual. And actually, that should be enough reason for an organization to hire a coach. After all, it is your moral responsibility as an employer to maximize the happiness of your staff at work. It fits in with being an attractive employer.

Actually, you have also answered the question of what a coach can do for an organization. Many HR managers are afraid that a coach will wake up sleeping dogs. Soon everyone will come to the conclusion that he is not in the right place! And then what? Will everyone walk away? In practice, it doesn’t work that way. Of course, it happens that someone discovers that a position would be better elsewhere. But if the experience with a coach is positive, it also has an effect on a person’s own view of his or her own function and functioning.

A good coach ensures more happiness at work. The motivation goes up. Employees feel better about themselves. Daring to present. Are becoming more assertive. And do things with more awareness. The positive energy skyrockets. And the stress is reduced.

By hiring a coach, you show as an organization that you take your people seriously. As an individual and as an employee. This not only has a positive effect on your current employees, but also on your future ones. And that is not a luxury in this labor market.

Questions about this topic? Please contact us.