Study: Employees Identify as Hands-on Career Coaches to Power Peak Performance

Achievers study of 1500 employees shows that over 80 percent of workers struggle to find the right coach at work

85 percent of employees believe it’s important to have a coach they can go to for professional advice, according to the “Coaching Camp: building a winning professional development playbook” report from Achievers Workforce Institute (AWI). AWI is the research and insights arm of Achievers, a global leader in employee experience solutions, with a focus on recognition, employee voice, and connection.

AWI surveyed 1500 U.S. and Canadian employees to reveal insights into the vital traits of workplace coaches and the aspirations and challenges employees encounter in coaching. The study finds that, while most employees value coaches at work, just 17% know how to find the right coach when needed. The report also finds that, compared to average, employees who say they are very engaged at work are twice as likely to say they have one or more great coaches in their life right now.

“Our research indicates a correlation between great coaches and high employee engagement, underscoring that access to an effective workplace coach is a non-negotiable component of every employee’s emotional salary,” said Caitlin Nobes, head of Workforce Research and Content at AWI. “To build a promising bench of coaches, companies must understand the qualities that make for a strong coach and equip their leaders and future leaders with these skills.”

The Playbook for Excellent Coaches

AWI provided respondents with five coach archetypes (the ‘Friend,’ the ‘Player,’ the ‘Visionary,’ the ‘Disciplinarian,’ and the ‘Specialist/Expert’) and asked which they identify with the most. The coaching styles below round out the top three:

• Gold Medal – The Player Coach – 32% say they fit this archetype; this coach may not always be in a formal leadership position, but they lead from where they are and step up when their team needs help (Example: Simone Biles)
• Silver Medal – The Friend Coach – 30% say they fit this archetype; this coach is compassionate, a great listener, and wants what’s best for an individual and the team (Example: Ted Lasso)
• Bronze Medal – The Visionary Coach – 16% say they fit this archetype; this coach is inspirational, purpose-driven, and dreams big, enabling those around them to believe in big things (Example: Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski)

Specialist/Expert and Disciplinarian coaches were less popular, with only 11% and 10% of employees identifying with these coaching styles, respectively.

“Employees coach how they’d like to be coached,” Nobes added. “The preference for Player-Coach and Friend coaching styles suggests that employees believe big wins are attainable without stern or highly specialized coaches. Instead, workers want compassionate coaches who listen, give actionable, constructive feedback, and praise their hard work and tireless efforts.”

Coaching and recognition team up for winning results

The data reveals that combining great coaching and employee recognition increases the chances that an employee will become a strong leader and coach. Employees who feel meaningfully recognized at work are over two times more likely to say they are confident in their next professional development step and that their team is high performing compared to others. They are also 76% more likely to say they have valuable skills and knowledge to pass along as a coach.

Competitive Gen Z navigates workplace hurdles

Gen Z emerged as the most competitive age group in AWI’s study. These workers are over two times more likely than average to say they feel competitive and jealous when a teammate’s success receives praise. They are also 23% more likely than average to say they are generally very competitive at work.

However, the root cause of Gen Z's competitiveness could be external pressure to excel, rather than an innate desire to win. These younger workers are twice as likely to say they work in a highly competitive and unhealthy environment where it causes more stress than motivation and are 72% more likely than average to say that the pressure to perform well at work affects their mental health.

“It’s time we all rethink our professional development playbooks and start treating our organizations as vast networks of coaches,” said Hannah Yardley, chief people and culture officer at Achievers. “Once all employees, even those not in traditional leadership roles, get the training they need to inspire and lead others, big wins will follow. Still, to drive positive coaching experiences and a healthy, engaged, and productive workforce, organizations must teach their workforce to recognize and celebrate improvements and small efforts, not just outcomes.”

About the Study

“Coaching Camp: building a winning professional development playbook” is the second study in the AWI Workforce Insights research series, which explores trending workplace topics. Findings are based on a June 2024 survey of 1,500 employees from Canada and the U.S. To read the entire report, including additional demographic data, click here.

About Achievers

Achievers partners with hundreds of organizations around the world to elevate their engagement and retention strategies through our employee recognition, voice, and connection solutions.

Visit us at www.achievers.com.

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