Why HR needs to start coaching employees

Effective coaching is instrumental to employee growth, development, and progress. Here are five ways that HR managers can fill that role.

Research shows that 80% of the information presented during training sessions is forgotten by employees in less than a week.
 
For this reason, many experts in executive development believe that instead of organizing training sessions that typically consist of 20 or more workers, HR should look instead to coaching as a means for continuous skill building and growth.
 
“Coaching is much more personal, intimate, and private,” said AFS Consulting executive coach Doug Jordan. “It allows the client to develop a personal relationship with the coach and they can start delving into their own particular issues, worries, and opportunities.”
 
Jordan also notes that coaching is preferable to training since it consists of multiple sessions throughout an extended timeframe, as opposed to a one time occurrence.
 
Five ways in which HR managers can become effective coaches include:
 
  • Instead of dictating orders, ask pertinent questions that allow the employee to critically think the way to a solution. Think of the coaching sessions as a dialogue, not a monologue.
  • Keep the priority on employee growth and development, as opposed to focusing on perfecting a single task
  • View the coaching as a long-term process with development as the goal, not correcting flaws or “fixing” the employee’s persona
  • Create shared goals and make it clear that those objectives are a mutual commitment
  • Use issues that arise on the job as impromptu hands-on learning opportunities
 
More than anything, HR coaches should always maintain calm, unemotional, open-ended communication. Recommended questions include “What might be a better approach to take next time?,” “How can I be of assistance?,” and “What challenges are you currently facing?.”  Business leaders who implement coaching strategies such as these have seen a 21% increase in results, according to Bersin & Associates.
 
“The process helps bring the real issues into focus and leads to breakthroughs in behavior,” said Danielle Gault, Founder of Corporate & Wellness Training Services.
 
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