We know that coaching can help employees negotiate the complex transition into working parenthood by giving them strategies to set boundaries, handle stress, and communicate with their managers. It is often overlooked that there are two sides to that conversation. Managers play a crucial role in shaping employee parental leave experience. Our recent research on working parents showed that 57% of employees wanted more and better support from their manager at this pivotal time in their careers.
Big life events, like an employee becoming a parent, should be embraced in the workplace as they open up a whole new world. The responsibility of handling the impact of ‘pinch-points’ in the transition to working parenthood doesn’t rest on the employee alone. Even if policies are in place and employees are kitted out with strategies, more work has to be done in creating consistently positive management behaviour. Coaching isn’t about making the employee conform to the ‘way we do things here’; it’s a two-way street.
In our work with organisations, we’ve seen time and again that coaching is at its most effective when it moves beyond the individual and takes a holistic, integrated, approach. Coaching managers, HR, and leaders, as well as individual employees, enhances personal performance while driving business performance. By working across the dimensions of the organisation, coaches are essentially hacking and reprogramming (coaching) the system as a whole.
Change that isn’t systemic is temporary, so to create lasting change, involving managers in coaching programmes and development initiatives is crucial. Managers and employees have to remain aligned in shaping expectations, coordinating handovers and putting systems in place for future creative planning. Employees taking parental leave also provides an opportunity for managers to enhance their employees’ working experience. With the right support, more parents will return to work and continue growing their careers. As well as safeguarding team performance and reducing disruption to the business, managers working with coaches empowers them to retain key talent and ensure a diverse leadership pipeline.
Talking Talent client LCP said the programme has been crucial in getting the business leaders to think differently around how they have the quality of conversation they need to have with all employees. The holistic approach has enabled positive conversations, retained talent and increased understanding and attitudes towards inclusion and diversity. All employees now have a greater awareness of the challenges many parents face, as well as an understanding that careers can develop at a different pace – a true shift in culture and outlook.
The firm has seen higher levels of staff engagement as a result of the programme. Psychological barriers to difficult conversations have been reduced. Parents feel confident to embrace working parenthood and are open to sharing experiences. Partners and people managers feel more involved and are making a real impact and difference top down.
This is the Talking Talent way, so it’s ingrained in our leading coaching approach and our innovative new coaching programme on Talking Talent Online. Coaches can offer practical tips on how to provide emotionally intelligent support and dispel preconceptions about ‘topics to avoid’. Listening to the individual employee boosts engagement and productivity, so managers practicing skills like active listening and staying open to creative solutions is paramount. By creating awareness of ‘pinch points’ in the transition, coaching can build managers confidence in initiating productive discussions on how they can accommodate employees without disrupting the needs of the business.
Getting out ahead of change is paramount. Coaching can help managers and employees get started on planning cover and reintegration early. Of course, the work doesn’t stop when the working parent returns; if anything, their workload has doubled, and managers need to focus on encouraging their employees and maintaining a positive attitude. They have to become more open to flexibility and more agile in how they react to new challenges.
Coaches have a key role to play in challenging and supporting managers so that that they recognise the role they play in making a sustainable difference. With so many different aspects to focus on, coaching is an invaluable tool for evaluating progress and suggesting how both employee and manager can adjust and adapt, ultimately ensuring the best results for the whole organisation.
