A Strong Coaching Culture Can Combat Employee Burnout
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the phenomenon of “quiet quitting” entered the collective consciousness in summer 2022. A TikTok user named Zaid Khan posted a viral video of himself explaining the concept, which he described as a state of mind “where you’re not outright quitting your job but you’re quitting the idea of going above and beyond.”
In their 2023 State of the Global Workplace report, the Gallup Organization noted that workplace burnout like quiet quitting actually costs the global economy nearly $9 trillion USD. However, they also noted that when employee well-being is high, employees not only take fewer sick days and perform better, but there are lower rates of turnover in the organization. And according to social psychologist Christina Maslach, one of the foremost researchers on workplace burnout, a company’s culture has the biggest impact, for good or ill, on employee well-being.
In the latest Defining New Coaching Cultures report, a collaboration between the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and the Human Capital Institute (HCI), workplace burnout is precisely one of the challenges coaching can help alleviate. Coaching offers a great method for exploring other options or different ways to do things when you are stuck, working too hard, or are unhappy.
How A Coaching Culture Helps Decrease Employee Burnout
Research has shown that there is a strong correlation between employee engagement and well-being, and ICF and HCI have found that there is also a strong correlation between coaching and increased employee engagement, with 72% of survey respondents acknowledging this relationship. What’s more, ICF and HCI previously found that 65% of staff are highly engaged in companies where coaching is valued.
To help cement the bond between employee engagement and well-being, ICF and HCI have identified six elements of a strong coaching culture, encompassing factors such as the value placed on coaching by leaders and employees, accredited coach-specific training, and the importance of having a dedicated line item for coaching in the budget.
According latest survey, the six elements of the strong coaching culture composite provide a practical roadmap for organizations to enhance their coaching capabilities and subsequently boost leadership, employee engagement, and commitment.
As an example, The Cleveland Clinic, which was founded in 1921 by a group of faculty and alumni from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. The Clinic has been building a dedicated coaching culture for over 10 years, operating two separate coaching centers for physicians and non-physician organization leaders.
In addition to one-on-one and group coaching, the Clinic has a peer coaching program that brings doctors from different departments together with physicians internally trained as peer coaches to collaboratively set goals, such as addressing burnout.
As the COVID-19 pandemic surged, the Clinic expanded its coaching program and launched an “Express Coaching” model to further address burnout and support the resilience employees need to combat it. The initiative enabled leaders to connect with an internal coach for a one-time, 30-minute virtual session, assisting in navigating the unique challenges of the pandemic.
The Clinic also saw attendance in its coach development sessions double during the pandemic where, in addition to topics such as implicit bias in coaching and the importance of non-verbal virtual communication, sessions included working with coaching participants in acute distress.
One of the most impressive results of the Clinic’s coaching program is how it impacted physician retention: over 160 physicians confirmed that coaching was a key factor in their decision to stay with the organization. The Clinic estimates that this retention alone saved the organization $84 million USD.
Looking Ahead
Since the start of the COVID pandemic, more and more companies have been addressing employee burnout with a holistic approach that includes supportive leadership, clear communication, flexible work arrangements, and various mental health resources.
But, research shows that solutions that target only individuals — such as offering employee wellness programs like yoga or pizza Fridays — are far less likely to have a sustainable impact on employee well-being than more systemic ones.
The Cleveland Clinic case study shows the positive, sustainable outcomes organizations can achieve through a comprehensive coaching model that addresses the causes of burnout instead of just alleviating its symptoms.
Learn more about how coaching cultures make a difference:
Robert Garcia, ACC, MBA
Robert Garcia, ACC, MBA, is vice president of ICF Coaching in Organizations and is responsible for leading the business unit that enables global organizations to build coaching capabilities and develop a strong coaching culture. Previously, he held senior positions at Randstad, Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Baptist Health, Florida International University, Lee Hecht Harrison LLC, ADP, and United Healthcare. Robert obtained a Master of Business Administration at Florida International University, a Bachelor of Science in Management from Nova Southeastern University, HR certifications from SHRM and HRCI, and is an ICF-credentialed executive coach. Fluent in English and Spanish, he is a frequent keynote speaker at global conferences and has presented in six continents.
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