What Are the Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring in the Workplace?

The benefits of coaching and mentoring in the workplace simply can’t be overstated. If you’re not actively coaching and mentoring your employees, then you’re missing out on the opportunity to engage, retain, and upskill employees.

What’s the impact of coaching and mentoring on employees?

What are effective mentoring and coaching processes?

What is the importance of coaching and mentoring in the workplace?

If you have any of these questions or are wondering why coaching is important, you’re in the right place.

Join us as we talk about the purpose of coaching and mentoring, how coaching helps employees, and the top reasons for coaching in the workplace. We’ll finish by sharing how you can jumpstart or re-invigorate your coaching culture today.

Note: Mentoring and coaching in the workplace are often seen as two separate practices. However, we’ll be using the terms interchangeably to mean a relationship between a more senior employee and junior employees that provides job-specific direction, growth, and development. 

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What is Coaching in the Workplace?

Coaching is the process of leading and directing an individual or team toward a goal. However, it doesn’t necessarily involve telling others exactly what to do. At the core, the most beneficial coaching consists of providing space and opportunities for employees to learn how to think independently.

The best coaching practices involve asking questions and acting as a sounding board for employees. A coach's role is to: 

• Foster growth and development in individuals 
• Increase employee confidence in their roles
• Inspire coachees, not just instruct them

There may be times when a coach needs to provide more pointed instruction or speak more specifically to a topic. But a coach’s primary goal is to guide employees toward reaching goals and objectives on their own.

Why Coaching is Important

As we mentioned above, coaching provides a more intentional opportunity for leadership to guide employees toward company objectives. It’s a way to give employees:

• Job-specific guidance and direction
• The ability to learn from senior employees
• The opportunity to hone skills and learn from mistakes
• Intentional interaction with company values and culture

Effective mentoring and coaching processes empower employees to become more confident in their roles, self-aware, and able to problem-solve.

Think about a sports team for a minute. The head coach takes time to connect with the team members. He gives them drills and training opportunities to sharpen their skills. If they fail, the coach doesn’t immediately get angry or fire them. Instead, he helps them recognize their mistakes and overcome them. The coach’s job is to ensure the team members have the right tools, resources, and skills to reach their goals—and the same is true of business coaches.

So, why is coaching and mentoring important in the workplace? Because it empowers employees and gives them the tools to succeed in the long run. 

Now that we know what coaching is and why coaching is important, let’s look at some practical reasons for coaching in the workplace.

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The Top 4 Benefits of Coaching and Mentoring in the Workplace

Coaching and mentoring in the workplace offer companies a wide range of benefits. Here are four of the top ways that coaching employees can benefit you and your company. 

1. Improved Employee Performance

Why coach and mentor employees? Because the impact of coaching and mentoring on employee performance is enormous.

How does coaching improve performance? We’re glad you asked!

We already mentioned how coaching helps employees by giving them someone more experienced to connect with regularly and intentionally. As coaches meet with coachees, they can provide their coachees with positive feedback. Coaches can encourage employees when they complete quality work or provide valuable results. Positive feedback makes employees feel valued and know when they’re contributing positively.

Additionally, coaching is a way for employees to get insight into growth areas or receive training in skills they lack. A coach can pinpoint specific limitations or weaknesses that an employee may possess and then help the employee strengthen these areas.

Coaching and mentoring is a powerful way to improve overall employee performance.

2. Increased Employee Engagement

Another purpose of mentoring is to increase employee engagement. Unengaged employees can lead to:

• Decreased productivity
• Increased turnover rates
• Increased revenue losses

Organizations aren’t usually happy when these things occur, and we’re sure you aren’t either. To avoid these negative outcomes, you should find ways to engage employees.

By coaching and mentoring employees, you’ll engage them on a more personal and professional level. The special attention they receive from a coach will make them feel more valued. And as the coach helps them set and achieve goals, employees will be encouraged to keep working hard and providing value.

Coaching promotes engagement which in turn leads to increased productivity. It’s a win-win situation!

3. Improved Employee Relations

Improved employee relations is a third benefit of coaching and mentoring in the workplace. 

As senior- and junior-level employees interact more frequently, they’ll grow more comfortable around each other. They’ll cultivate a deeper trust in each other and create stronger bonds of unity. Unity can help drive increased collaboration within and among teams which can lead to greater productivity.

Employees also rank relationships with management and other employees as a top priority for job satisfaction, company loyalty, and productivity. Coaching provides employees with deep, valuable relationships that make them feel more connected to the company.

4. Quickened Leadership Development

Taking time to coach and mentor employees helps prepare them for future leadership roles in your organization. Instead of spending time and money on outside hiring, coaching provides an excellent opportunity for in-house promotions. Your employees are already familiar with your company, brand, values, and culture. With your personalized coaching and training program, you can quickly groom them into your ideal candidate.

Employees also see training for future responsibilities as one of the most attractive benefits of being coached. When employees know that you’re truly investing in them and their future at the company, they’ll be more excited to engage in the coaching process and provide value to the company.

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Experience the Impact of Coaching and Mentoring Today

Coaching is the process of strategically leading employees toward goals. By asking questions and providing feedback instead of simply telling employees what to do, you’ll create a culture that empowers employees to think for themselves. This culture will provide employees with greater confidence in their roles and produce other benefits for you like:

• Increased employee performance
• Greater employee engagement
• Deeper employee relations 
• Faster in-house leadership development

Understanding what coaching is, why coaching is important, and the benefits of coaching and mentoring in the workplace can help you recognize the need for coaching in the workplace.

Still unsure how coaching can benefit your organization or in need of some help getting started with coaching?

At Unboxed Training & Technology, we’re here to help meet your need for coaching in the workplace. Whether you’re looking for assistance creating a coaching culture or help revamping your current coaching processes, we’ve got the solutions you need. Our custom coaching platforms are tailor-made for your brand and business goals. They’ll provide your managers with the confidence they need to empower and guide your employees successfully.

Request a demo to see how our coaching solutions can help you increase employee retention and productivity today.