“Worrying research from global consulting firm Blessing White reveals that 42% of managers in the UK and Ireland feel coaching employees takes too long and competes with other priorities. 30% of those polled also said they avoided coaching as they “didn’t have all the answers”. As a result of this, 61% of employees said they received no coaching from their managers.
The research carried out amongst 2041 employees and managers from 17 countries revealed these issues are global, although only 29% of US managers felt time was a constraint on coaching.
These findings point to a clear feeling among UK and Irish managers that coaching is seen as just another task to complete, rather than a key developmental tool to raise employee and business performance. The report’s author states: “These managers don’t lack energy or commitment but they do lack focus and a clear understanding of what coaching is, and what it is not.”