Three ways career coaching can support a resilient and productive workforce
Career trajectory is often modelled as a progressively upward journey, but the reality is, whether by choice or by circumstance, for many of us it will come with change, flatlines and unexpected diversions. While you can’t always predict what’s ahead, managing change, making moves and taking steps forward is easier when it comes with good guidance and support systems.
While career coaching takes place at an individual level, there are organisational benefits that come from offering meaningful support to your people at different stages of their journey, whether they’re returning, leaving, or staying.
Here we discuss three ways career coaching can support a resilient and productive workforce for your business…
1. Supporting redundancy through career transition coaching / outplacement
Career transition coaching is support offered to people whose roles have been made redundant within your organisation. It guides departing employees through the transition process, offering practical advice and support for moving on in their career.
At a time when you’re making what are, potentially, cost-cutting decisions around resourcing, it may seem counterintuitive to invest in departing employees. However the benefits of supporting people whose roles have been disestablished extends beyond goodwill. Funding and offering support for departing employees can also help mitigate harmful impacts of change for those left behind.
That’s because there’s potential fallout that comes from a restructure. There’s the ‘survivor’s guilt’ for your remaining employees who are losing colleagues and friends, experiencing low morale and likely grappling with changes to their own roles or workloads. Redundancies are barely ever an enjoyable process and are most often undertaken with reluctance. For leaders who have formed close relationships with their colleagues, being able to offer meaningful support can help reduce some of the discomfort of making those hard decisions. There’s also a brand and reputation you need to protect - both internally and externally. Poorly handled redundancies will erode positive perception, trust and confidence.
Work is a huge part of your life and identity, and redundancy can be a confronting change, especially for those with long tenures or specialist skills. In Aotearoa, it’s not a legal requirement to provide career transition coaching, however including outplacement coaching within your policies demonstrates a commitment to the wellbeing of your people.
At Kindred, our transition coaching programmes are practical in nature; we help employees:
Establish goals of where they want to go next and explore options and next steps
Get clear on their personal brand and values so they can make the most aligned decision for their next career move
Help them prepare for presenting themselves well in the job market
Help them understand their strengths and transferable skills, and where there may be gaps, and therefore, what learning could support them
Give them access to a financial advisor through a partnership with Enable Me
2. Supporting development through career coaching
The world of work is fast changing, new opportunities arise, and the way people want to contribute through their work evolves. With a competitive talent market, employee retention is a priority for organisations, and with that in mind, those who aren’t complacent when it comes to investing in the growth of their people will reap the benefits of reduced attrition.
While courses and conferences have their place, career coaching focuses on more specific, individualised support. It could be that you’ve got great employees but they’re not currently in the best-suited position, or perhaps structure changes have shifted the requirements and expectations of a role, and your people are struggling to adapt. A performance review might have indicated that perhaps they need a hand, need a challenge or need some guidance so they have a greater sense of fulfilment or satisfaction in their contribution.
Career coaching gives employees the opportunity to understand their strengths and development areas, reflect on transferable skills and future focus areas, and put a plan in place to help them fulfil their potential.
And it should be highlighted that career coaching is an investment in both individual and organisational success. Through greater engagement comes greater performance and productivity. It enables you to hold on to loyal talent who align culturally with your organisation, while resolving essential skills gaps.
As career coaches, our services provide a layer of separation that employees often value; we find that people are more open to disclosing information or personal aspirations to unbiased advisors. While managers and leaders are involved in putting pathways in place, it can be helpful to have outside perspective and recommendations in order to plot the most beneficial course.
3. Supporting parents returning to work after parental leave
Our recent return-to-work survey showed us that over one third of respondents didn’t feel supported by their employer when returning to work after parental leave. For many, that meant having to seek out opportunities elsewhere.
While there are plenty of strengthened attributes gained from becoming a parent, some employees still experience a shift in their sense of self, confidence, belonging and balance.
Return-to-work coaching acknowledges the challenges that come with balancing work and parenting, and helps employees (and their employers) navigate potentially new workplace dynamics. Importantly, we see it necessary to include managers in this process. Even with the best intentions from an organisation or policy perspective, often where a return-to-work experience falls short is at individual manager level. Our coaching programme ensures leaders also have the necessary awareness, skills and systems to provide the right support and appropriately respond to the challenges returning parents often face.
For organisations with strong values around diversity and inclusion, offering return-to-work support signals a commitment to creating and maintaining an equitable company culture.