Virtual coach

Digital Coaching is the key to unlocking the potential of hybrid work says Yannis Niebelschuetz, Co-Founder and CEO of CoachHub

Workplaces are gradually becoming digital, especially since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought new challenges for leaders looking to support and empower their workforces. According to a 2021 McKinsey Global Survey, organisations are increasingly rethinking the role of digital technology in their overall business strategy. For many, digital technologies have facilitated a hybrid approach of both office and home working, with 85 per cent of adults currently working from home favouring the hybrid model for the future (Office for National Statistics).

Digital coaching can help ease the transition to hybrid working, assisting organisations and employees alike to manage such a large organisational transformation. Organisations who implement coaching into their overall HR strategy see significant benefits in terms of employee wellbeing, productivity, and collaboration. In a hybrid working model, coaching is even more valuable, as it is essential that employees do not feel left behind as their company innovates and develops.

WHY DIGITAL COACHING?

The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential”. Coaching differs from specific skills training in that it involves guiding employees in their own personal development, rather than directly teaching employees a skill. Coaching generally focuses on soft skills such as communication, leadership, and teamwork, which cannot be taught, but rather must be fostered and nurtured.

Business transformation is an especially important time to engage employees in coaching so that they can adapt quickly and effectively to the changes happening around them. By implementing approaches that support new company processes and priorities, coaching can support organisations in managing change effectively. The transition to a hybrid working model is one of the most significant business transformations in recent history, making coaching absolutely essential during this process.

As the workplace changes, coaching changes too, with the use of technology for coaching becoming increasingly popular. The 2020 ICF Global Coaching Study demonstrates that 74 per cent of coaching practitioners have increased their use of audio-video platforms since March 2020, integrating seamlessly with remote working models as coaching can now be accessed from anywhere and at any time. A 2011 study revealed that there is no significant difference between remote and in-person coaching in terms of building relationships and finding solutions. Digital coaching therefore constitutes an effective solution to the ongoing dilemmas of the hybrid workplace model.

HOW CAN DIGITAL COACHING SUPPORT HYBRID WORKING?

Moving towards a hybrid working model constitutes a real revolution in what the workplace means and how we collectively relate to it. Expectations and ways of working change, which puts a strain on employees as adaptation can initially be difficult. Organisations must support and empower their employees to make the transition to hybrid working by focusing on wellbeing. Digital coaching is a great way to do this, as a 2020 CoachHub survey found that 80 per cent of coachees decreased their stress levels by an average of 18 per cent after engaging with digital coaching, showing that it is an effective way to improve employee wellbeing and reduce the strain of the transition.

Another often cited challenge of the last two years is that widespread working has made it more difficult for employees to communicate. Spontaneous office conversations have been lost, and collaboration often takes place over email. Digital coaching can help rebuild employee engagement as we transition to hybrid working, with 96 per cent of CoachHub users identifying as engaged. This is because coaching helps employees strengthen soft skills like communication and problem-solving, which are crucial to the process of adapting to hybrid working.

Hybrid working and the rise of digital technologies in the workplace has also impacted learning and training. Many organisations are opting to benefit from the wealth of training platforms and courses offered online for their employees, perhaps previously inaccessible when they took place physically. This gives organisations access to a wider range of high-quality training, which when combined with coaching, brings significant results. A Gartner 2021 study found that employees were 1.5 times more likely to apply a newly learned skill when they also received post-training coaching. This occurs because coaching helps contextualise skills and embed them into an employee’s wider working life, meaning that they no longer feel abstract or generic.

DIGITAL COACHING WORKS FOR EMPLOYEES AT EVERY LEVEL

Coaching has moved away from being a benefit only offered to the C-suite and is now recognised as a powerful tool for career development for all employees. Digital coaching is effective when it is individualised and aligned to the specific needs and goals of the person being coached. This is especially important in the world of hybrid working, as we increasingly recognise the unique nature of every individual employee and support their working journey.

Hybrid working is a model that offers more flexibility and allows employees to fit their career goals more seamlessly into their lifestyle. Digital coaching offers a helping hand in this process through improving employee wellbeing and communication, as well as accelerating performance. Additionally, digital coaching is much more accessible than traditional coaching, as it too fits around employees’ lives and locations. Whether in the office or working from home, digital coaching offers tangible, measurable solutions for organisations and their employees as hybrid working becomes the norm.