74% of professionals believe employee turnover will only increase in the coming year*. Attraction and retention used to be a numbers game but is now a more human approach. With employers no longer able to rely on a steady source of external talent, internal mobility will become more important than ever especially as 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025**.
Why is this so, and what has this to do with coaching?
As a result of the unpredictable events of the past two years, leaders and their teams have seen their working context and practices change irrevocably with many stepping into new or adapted roles. While hybrid working provided a helpful, flexible approach to work it has resulted in increased presenteeism, difficulty switching off and employers leaving companies that don’t fit their preferred way of working. The potent mix of global events, changes in roles and working patterns, increased responsibility and being constantly available has seen shockingly high rates of workforce stress and burnout – 77% of professionals have experienced burnout in their current role according to the Deloitte Workplace Burnout Survey.
Workplace wellbeing is by no means a new phenomenon, however lockdown provided many with the time they needed to pause and reflect on their working lives. The upshot of this was the great resignation and the great retirement which resulted in high rates of employee turnover and a shortage of workers. Where once leaders had access to a large and thriving pool of talent to bring into an organisation, now the focus is on internal mobility, meaning upskilling and reskilling is the new way forward.
Business leaders have had to deal with the knock-on impact, forcing them to adopt urgent and reactive approaches to circumstances beyond their control. New working practices, systems and processes have also had to adapt and change rapidly for businesses to survive, and for some this is ongoing. Worried employees have naturally turned to their leaders for reassurance and direction. However, leaders don’t always have the answers and are also having to deal with their own fears and concerns. What is now being asked of leaders is not necessarily different but dialled up considerably which can be overwhelming, negatively impacting decision making and general wellbeing. Having to balance business needs with what the wants and needs of a multigenerational workforce is an added dimension.
Ensuring you have positive, motivated leaders and ensuring they are happy and engaged is essential to the success of your organisation. So how can coaching help leaders navigate this challenging and complex landscape?
Coaching can help leaders in the following ways:
- To make sense of the landscape they are operating in and what action they can take to manage and lead what is, and is not, in their control and circle of influence.
- To constructively challenge mindsets and behaviours helping leaders reflect, take a pause and be more emotionally agile. Enabling them to make conscious informed choices and decisions whatever their context.
- To have leadership conversations that keep their people connected, engaged, heard and understood. Utilising the compassionate human touch that is personal and critical for managing performance, productivity and staff retention.
- To have development conversations that support internal mobility and any upskilling required, as well as managing performance, productivity and development.
- To be custodians of the energy of the organisation. Managing their energy from a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual perspective, and harnessing the energy of their direct reports and team.
- To support them in managing the challenges of hybrid working such as belonging, connection, inclusivity and a multi-generational workforce.
- To reduce the risk of burnout by providing a safe space to talk through their challenges and concerns, find solutions and take action. Thereby improving resilience and the ability to manage their stress and workload as well as being able to support the wellbeing of their direct reports and team.
Coaching is a personalised, bespoke and focussed way of supporting leaders in navigating the complex and shifting landscape they are operating in. It supports them to be conscious leaders – leaders who create the climate for success and the conditions that enable themselves, their people, and their teams to feel engaged, trusted and a sense of belonging. This directly impacts staff attraction and retention, and drives business performance. Coaching supports conscious leaders in realising their full potential and enables them to create consciously inclusive cultures, make conscious, informed decisions and drive conscious change whatever the context.
Please get in touch if you wish to discuss how TLC Coaching can help leaders in your organisation.
*Kornferry, Reversing The Great Resignation
**World Economic Forum, The Future of Jobs Report