As companies look for ways in which they can both attract new employees and retain talented workers already on staff, job-coaching strategies have taken on a renewed focus. Employees want to feel like they’re given the opportunity to be properly assessed in their work by being trained to their full potential. Managers are responsible for overseeing the growth of the company by way of employee growth, but often are tasked to the brim or constantly shifting between company locations. Given these disparate circumstances, how can a company ensure proper coaching for employees?
Online employment coaching steps in to fill the void. Through versatile software platforms and methods, coaching has never been easier or more efficient. Let’s look at what online coaching provides and some ways a company can benefit from its use.
Making Use of Online Coaching
Online coaching platforms have transformed how managers interact with employees. It offers the ability to organize a coaching program aimed specifically at improving the perceived areas of underperformance for a given employee. Rather than leaving coaching up to meetings between manager and employee at set time intervals, the coaching experience becomes a training program that constantly evolves to the needs of the employee. Workers can submit practice projects in the Web platform for review, and managers can give specific notes geared toward improvement.
Employees who feel as though they are underperforming can receive guidance on how to become more efficient in areas of weakness. Rather than getting a performance review that states where they need to improve with no clear direction on how to do so, online coaching can give managers the chance to set up lessons, instructional videos, and advanced tests on these vulnerable areas to give employees the chance to actually reach their potential.
Furthermore, the top performers in a company can battle complacency by engaging in programs devoted to developing leadership skills and other competencies for continued development. This can help the reputation of a company’s brand, as it will be seen as a place that people pursue a career, not just a job.
How Video Content Pushes the Limits
Perhaps the most pronounced advantage of online coaching is digital video capabilities. Studies have shown that using video as a delivery method in education improves retention rates and positively impacts learning greater than that of text materials. Online coaching can explore these advantages by use of Web-based platforms that have dedicated video content support.
This can come in the form of a company (or even department) creating coaching videos and lesson plans using the built-in camera and microphone found on most laptops and open-source editing software. These videos can be made affordably and hold a distinct edge over industry-crafted videos that may or may not pertain to the actual everyday tasks of your workplace.
Videos then can be organized on coaching platforms into lesson plans for specific types of learning. For instance, if an employee needs to work more on properly entering sales into a company sales engine, a series of videos recorded from the desktop can demonstrate how to do so using best practices, and quizzes along the way can aid in reinforcing concepts.
Managers also can release these videos using a “drip” method, through which shorter streams of content are targeted to specific employees via e-mail or notifications within the coaching app so employees may have daily or weekly advice on subjects. The benefit of this is that employees will avoid burnout from long coaching sessions and be more likely to retain information, saving time and maximizing results.
Video messaging also can be integrated into coaching platforms so that managers and employees can interact on a face-to-face basis even when it’s not possible to be in the same room. Managers also can quickly record a demonstration or thoughts for an employee and send the video within the coaching app, even requesting for video demonstration in return for feedback.
How Online Coaching Can Be Customized
Online coaching platforms possess a great deal of versatility. A company can customize content down to the level of small departments with fewer than a handful of employees. Many platforms operate with a simple click-and-drag tool to assign tasks and lessons to employees on an individual basis. The type of learning can even be customized, so employees who learn better audibly can access sound recordings of content. Intervals for coaching sessions can be shaped based on schedules, and group projects can be formed so employees also can benefit from learning from their coworkers.
Continued Education Anywhere, Anytime
For learning to have the greatest impact and retention, a student must be motivated and interested in the content. Unfortunately, there’s a strong likelihood that level of motivation may not strike during an offline coaching session or even during the workday. Online coaching offers the flexibility for continued on-the-job training to take place at any time, during the workday or when an employee feels like exploring career development on his or her own time. This opportunity to grow after hours gives employees the chance to work on expanding their potential in the comfort of their own home.
Furthermore, online coaching allows employees who work remotely the chance to interact on a greater level with team members and management and receive coaching despite the distance. Managers vested in the outcomes and development of their team can feel comfortable leaving the office for meetings and business trips, having the ability to provide feedback from anywhere in the world.
The implementation of online coaching is a relatively painless process. It’s also one that can exponentially increase the performance efficiency of your employees. This investment in their potential often will return real results for your company’s growth, providing a win-win for everyone involved.
Sean Gordon is chief executive officer of HireNami, which achieves results by developing people. Gordon’s experience recruiting, hiring, training, and building teams inspired him to found HireNami to take these challenges from painful, inefficient, and time consuming to quick and effective. Connect with Gordon on LinkedIn.
