7 Ways To Improve the Coaching Program In Your HR Consulting or Coaching Firm

It would be an understatement to say that HR has had their work cut out over the past few years and perhaps a coaching program could be a much-needed benefit. The pandemic has meant that HR professionals have had to adapt to a rapid increase of home working, social distancing guidelines in the workplace, hybrid working and the Great Resignation. A staggering 33 million workers have left their jobs since April 2021, and it’s HR’s job to work alongside the resignations, hiring and onboarding challenges. So, how do HR consultancies and coaching firms use a coaching program to look after and develop their HR people and ensure that the programs are achieving their objectives in an ever-challenging world of work?

Seven ways you can improve your coaching program in your HR consultancy or coaching firm:

1. Review coaching program objectives
   It depends on when you set up and initiated the coaching program, but with so many global changes in the workforce, coaching program goals have likely changed. Or you may have an increased demand for coaching and need to review the plan to include more people or different levels.
   
   So much of HR’s work has become associated with the pandemic, such as retaining and engaging staff, planning and implementing vaccine mandates, and enhancing the employee experience for in-house and remote people. Therefore, coaching goals will most likely be different and need to be reviewed and reset.

2. Are the right people involved?
   Perhaps when you set up the coaching program in your HR or coaching consultancy, your focus was on high potential HR employees or those in management roles. It might be that these are the people you want the program to continue to focus on, or maybe it’s time to cast a wider net and include more of the team.
   
   86% of HR professionals said their stress levels have increased in the last year, and 44% said their stress levels have ‘dramatically’ increased. And much of the new territory they have been dealing with may have increased the risk of burnout. Coaching is helpful for all levels of employees, whether it’s new starters, those in their first job or those who have been in the role for years, so don’t think you have to limit your participants.
   
   Therefore, maybe more of your people would benefit from a coach.

3. Are you offering the ‘right’ coaching?
   Coaching comes in different forms and combining types of coaching can be effective. For example, your program may include informal and formal coaching and may involve peer or group coaching. Virtual coaching is another method that can apply to teams, individuals or whoever your participants are. It offers more flexibility across locations and time zones than in-person coaching.
   
   If you have piloted your HR coaching program, you can assess the success of the different types of coaching if applicable or develop the types as the program gains momentum over time.

4. Is the structure of the program working?
   Your program may have kicked off with all participants starting simultaneously in a cohort style approach. This is a great way to test the program and run a pilot to see what works well and where improvements can be made. However, it limits who joins and when and doesn’t offer much flexibility.
   
   Therefore, a model that begins as a cohort but gradually takes on more participants over time may be a more practical and effective way to run your program. This is something you can review and amend over time.

5. What do your participants think?
   You could have the best or worst coaching program in the world, but you’re not going to know that unless you review it and gain feedback from those involved. This can be time-consuming as requesting, chasing, gathering and analyzing feedback can take time, especially if there is no one dedicated to this role (which is likely in many cases!).
   
   Therefore, if you don’t use employee coaching software, perhaps it’s time to review whether you should. If you weigh up the costs of time used to review the program’s success versus the cost of implementing software to do the job continuously, you may find the software is not only cost-effective but also provides other benefits. It can help coaches plan and administer coaching sessions and provide program administrators with one place to organise and keep coaching information, statistics, etc.

6. What software do you need?
   There are several features to consider when you select employee coaching software, but here are just some of the options to consider: 

• An intake process to highlight the people suitable for coaching.
• A matching function will help you make more successful matches and reduce time spent on administration.
• A trackable progress function to ensure that participant progress can be reviewed at any time.
• Reports and feedback surveys so that you can review participant development and create ad hoc reports.

7. What do your coaches think?
   If you’ve gathered feedback from your coaching participants, you also need input from your coaches. Although there should be ongoing feedback throughout the program, this might not be occurring. Therefore, you can find out what they think about the program, what is working well and what could be improved. Experienced coaches should highlight where improvements can be made and develop the coaching program over time.
   
   A coaching program may be really beneficial to individuals in an HR or coaching consultancy. With the stress of the past few years, it could be an excellent time to review your coaching objectives and participant criteria and consider what would work more effectively. Coaching software can help the program run more smoothly, and it’s essential to obtain feedback about the barriers to coaching and how they can be overcome, how the program could be monitored and evaluated and what else is required for the program to run more efficiently.
   
   

Want Some Help With Your Employee Coaching Program?

Insala’s coaching software can help you measure coaching participant engagement, improve the likelihood of coaching program success and streamline your program management. Book a call to talk to our coaching experts about how Insala can help you achieve your program goals.