Employee disengagement – is it continuing to take over the American workplace? According to a Gallup study that points to 67 percent of employees lack enthusiasm for their job, not feel committed to their employer. This is a problem for employers, considering the high cost of turnover and recruitment.
Companies invest in employee engagement strategies and plans that may fall short of encouraging a long-lasting solution. These plans may only boost engagement briefly before employees seek greener pastures. So where does that leave employers in their pursuit to get everyone on board and keep them invested and motivated in contributing to the big picture?
MyWorkNinja has created an infographic examining how leadership coaching can turn clock punchers into high-performing, growth-oriented individuals. When employees know they can grow in their current company and see they are being invested in, they are more motivated, happier, and more productive. Providing executive leadership coaching is no longer reserved solely for the C-suite. Leadership coaching services are more affordable and readily available than ever before for employees of all levels and industries.
Let’s take a look at how leadership coaches can improve the current disengaged climate and how they impact employees:
Goal setting
How can your employees evolve and learn if they don’t know where they want to go and who they want to be? Coaches guide them to set specific, attainable goals — all while holding them accountable.
Employees are bound to give up if they don’t set goals and share them publicly. In fact, according to a 2015 Dominican University of California study, 70 percent of people who send weekly updates to friends and write down their goals achieve success. When employees have a coach to speak to on an ongoing basis, they are held accountable to more than just themselves.<
What’s concerning is that, given the evidence that setting goals result in success, only 43.1 percent of companies have formal goal-setting and tracking programs, according to the 2016 Quantum Workplace State of Employee Feedback report. With the help of a leadership coach, you’re giving employees their schedule to get them where they want to be.
Skills building
Typically, with career development efforts, employees will be looking to build on and develop new skills. Coaches make the perfect sidekick for this. They find a personalized plan with the tools and resources to guide them to professional growth. This is especially helpful with developing soft skills, such as communication and organizational skills, and teaching them to become strong leaders.
Balancing work and life
Long days can be draining and even worse when employees are trying to learn new skills on top of their daily operations. The simple fact is that an overwhelmed employee will end up taking longer to develop, especially if their health starts to suffer and they miss more days.
The 2015 Labor of Love survey report from Virgin Pulse found that more than one in four employees rank maintaining good health as a top aspect for driving their well-being and happiness. Leadership coaches help them prioritize their health by giving them tools to better manage the stress of life, both in the office and at home. When employees attain a better work-life balance, they are happier, healthier, and better.
Finding the way
Coaches point out the path to career success for the employee. When they start to stray and struggle with their development, coaches are there to provide them with constructive input. According to a January 2014 study from Harvard Business Review, 57 percent of employees prefer corrective feedback, and 72 percent said their performance would improve if managers provided corrective feedback.
Not everyone learns the same way. This feedback can inform better development practices and steer employees to learning practices that fit them best. Individualized training is the way of the future. Employers want high performing, engaged employees who will stay to learn and grow with the organization, and leadership coaching is the best solution.
How are you investing in employee development? How would leadership coaching help your company? Share in the comments below.
About the author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager and president of Come Recommended, a content-marketing and digital-PR consultancy for job-search and human-resources technologies.
