THE PROCESS LEGAL
Feb 2, 2024
Expect new ways of working and growing organizational priorities to take centre stage
Workplace coaching is increasingly being relied-upon to foster leadership, improve employee performance, and nurture positive and productive workplace cultures. Recent studies commissioned by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers also show growing awareness of coaching and increased engagement with professional coaches by younger workers.
While we’re now probably outside the statute of limitations on saying “Happy New Year”, it’s still early enough in the year to look ahead to some key workplace coaching trends to watch in 2024:
Growth in Remote Coaching: Pivoting to remote and hybrid forms of work has altered how organizations approach the development and support of their teams. While remote forms of coaching lack many of the connection cues that make face-to-face communications a highly effective training tool, improvements in technology are increasingly bridging the gap to increase the viability of remote coaching as an effective option.
AI Integration: Digital platforms, analytics driven by AI, and virtual reality are no longer futuristic concepts but are being actively incorporated to provide personalized coaching experiences at scale. AI-leveraged technologies are bridging the gap between face-to-face and remote coaching at a rapid and increasing rate, supported by research that supports the effectiveness of personalized coach programs using realistic avatars.
Focus on Mental Health and Well-being: According to the World Health Organization, an estimated total of 12 billion working days are lost across the globe every year due to the impact of depression and anxiety alone - costing US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity. When it comes to coaching workers in professions where the lines between personal and professional life can be blurred, growing awareness of mental health issues among workers will call on workplace coaches to increasingly focus on approaches designed to train and develop the 'whole person'. Expect 2024 to continue the trend towards the adoption of a more holistic coaching model that extends beyond performance improvement and recognizes that personal challenges can significantly impact professional performance and vice versa.
ESG and Coaching: Growing attention to organizational sustainability will increasingly demand that organizations attend to the sustainability of their workforce, including by aligning worker development with broader environmental and by fostering diversity and inclusion within the organization. The ICF’s recent Final Report on New Coaching Cultures confirmed that most employees found added value in coaching that supported their implementation and understanding of an organization’s ESG initiatives. In 2024, expect to see growth in partnerships between coaching and sustainability initiatives geared toward providing organizations with the tools for sustainable success matched to ESG priorities.
As organizations continue to settle into new ways of working and as new technologies evolve to form larger parts of our personal and working lives, exciting opportunities to engage with and benefit from workplace coaching lie ahead in 2024.