Coaching has long been seen as a tool for companies to increase the performance of their employees and show them that they are counted on for the future. It was used by managers and high-potential employees. Coaching has been gaining popularity in Slovenian companies over the last 15 years due to its added value.
In the minds of managers and HR managers, coaching is a tool that helps improve communication, self-confidence, enables better conflict resolution, increases efficiency, and strengthens team spirit. In companies, it is usually done in a way that the company (sponsor) agrees with the coach on what the main challenges of the company are and what the desired effects of the coaching are, and then defines these goals together with the individual employee or team in the form of an agreement (contract). This creates an agreement triangle. Despite the agreement triangle, the coaching process remains confidential between the coach and the employee.
Coaching can therefore be a very intimate process that enables the individual to take key steps in his or her career development. There is a trend abroad for employees to seek a coach in their personal lives as well, as they see the positive experience of coaching in the work environment as an opportunity to overcome their personal challenges.
Coaching means we support you!
It has become clear that employees are increasingly challenged to find a work-life balance and also increasingly struggle not to transfer difficulties from one part of their lives to the other. Employers are increasingly seeing that caring for employees goes beyond supporting professional development and enhancing performance, as factors outside the workplace also affect their performance.
Different generations respond differently to working hours, work tasks, freedom, mental health… Companies have found it increasingly difficult to provide harmonious teams as individuality has become more reflected in the way they work and the way they build relationships. Good companies have recognised this as an opportunity to upgrade their mindset in supporting employees.
The mindset, reflected in global trends, requires that the individual as a person be satisfied, happy, and fulfilled in all elements in order to be able to make a truly optimal contribution to the bottom line. A very natural process took place where coaching, which had already been used successfully for work-related content, was offered to employees with the freedom to choose the topic. The biggest change in the trend is that the service is being offered to all employees, not just to managers or the most potential staff.
What is the message to employees?
- You are an important part of our organization.
- It’s important to us that you’re also good in your personal life, because we know that you’ll be the best at work.
- We understand that there are situations that make you feel stressed, and sometimes you need someone to help you get through them.
- We are a team that helps each other and believes in each individual.
What was the result?
Employees who feel accepted and important will contribute more and be more willing to help their colleagues. Anyone who also works on their own development or improves relationships at home will also build better and more cohesive relationships at work. This is very important today, when the global competition for staff is fierce and it is increasingly difficult to recruit staff who fit the company’s values.
What is the picture for Slovenian companies?
Slovenian companies still often fail to recognise the true potential of coaching and often see it as a form of productivity enhancement. Unfortunately, coaching is still mostly a piece of candy given to senior employees. In Slovenian companies, it is also often the case that coaching does not achieve the results that they would like. This is mainly because coaching is still the primary tool for competence upgrading and is less used by companies to set a new, more effective, and more committed organizational culture.
What can companies do?
Companies that want positive employees who are engaged and committed can benefit from the multi-layered positive effects of coaching. Slovenian tax legislation is very friendly from a coaching perspective and allows companies to make it a win-win investment also from a tax perspective. Companies mistakenly think that providing coaching for personal purposes is a bonus on which they have to pay income tax on behalf of their employees. The company has the option to include coaching in the promotion of mental health in the workplace or as additional training. Of course, it is a prerequisite that it only offers this to all employees.
Want to find out how all your employees can benefit from coaching? Schedule a free consultation. We’ll find an optimal solution for you and your employees.
