Coaching association says alleged Downing Street bullying storm could help raise awareness of wider workplace problem

Allegations about bullying in Downing Street should serve as a reminder about how common the issue is in the workplace, according to the Association for Coaching (AC UK). It says one in seven workers have been bullied in their current job, according to a YouGov poll published last year, and one in five say that bullying is an issue where they work. View More >

Coaches vote against regulation

Coaches have voted overwhelmingly against regulating their profession following a debate held on the subject earlier this week. The Association for Coaching UK (AC UK), which organised the event, found nearly two-thirds of those attending did not support external regulation of the profession. The Association itself says it supports self-regulation. View More >

Poor mental health costing the UK economy but managers lack skills to intervene

People suffering from anxiety and depression at work are significantly undermining productivity in the UK, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Researchers quizzed more than 2,000 UK workers and found around a quarter describe their mental health as moderate or poor, with more than 90 per cent of those suffering from poor mental health saying it affects their performance on the job. View More >

Coaching and mentoring skills get new qualifications boost

First-time managers are set to benefit from a range of new mentoring qualifications introduced by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) today. The qualifications, ranging from A-Level to Masters degree standard in coaching and mentoring, have been developed to support workplace coaching following research that found the majority of employees want to develop their skills with the help of colleagues. View More >

Is coaching recession proof?

Many coaches have seen their business grow during the economic downturn, according to research published this week. A joint survey of more than 600 coaches from the Association for Coaching (AC), European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and International Coach Federation (ICF) found 70 per cent believed that their practice had either grown or stayed the same as a result of the recession. View More >

Change in L&D focus is at odds with line managers’ vision for development

Organisations are becoming increasingly more reliant on coaching and in-house training to improve staff performance, research carried out among L&D professionals has found. The survey by Video Arts, a digital learning organisation founded by British actor John Cleese, reveals that the training industry is experiencing a fundamental change in the way learning and development is delivered and line managers are at odds with L&D professionals over where investment should be made. View More >

EU handout boosts business mentoring scheme in the South West

Millions of pounds of European Union (EU) money has been invested in a coaching programme to boost leadership performance in companies during the downturn. The Coaching for High Growth scheme will train former executives and CEOs in coaching skills, which they will then use to mentor small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with high growth potential in the South West of the UK. View More >

CIPD finds more organisations using mentoring as professional guidelines for coaches approach

An increasing number of organisations are using coaching and mentoring as a cost effective way of developing staff, research shows. The findings, to be published by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) next month, come amid moves by the L&D industry to introduce more professional supervision and promote best practice among coaches. View More >

Paid internship programme aims to boost Yorkshire graduates’ job prospects

Jobless graduates in Yorkshire are to receive coaching, mentoring and paid work experience in a programme designed to boost their employment prospects. Recruitment website Graduates Yorkshire has secured £400,000 from the Yorkshire Forward regional development agency for a paid internship programme that aims to give 60 recent graduates practical work experience in a region that, despite having a £3bn higher education sector, has one of the lowest percentages of graduates employed there in the UK. View More >

Women living up to negative stereotypes are ruining their career prospects

A former TV star turned coach has spoken out against women who cling to stereotypical roles in the workplace in an effort to climb the career ladder. Julia Goodman, who starred in Coronation Street in the 90s, says business women need to break free of stereotypes like being “girly”, or face a lifetime trapped by the glass ceiling. View More >

Coaching supervision plans considered

Coaches are being told that a plan to introduce professional supervision to the industry is not meant as a "policing mechanism". The supervision steering group of the UK Coaching Roundtable, an independent non profit organisation with the goal of promoting best practice across the industry, says supervision is of central importance for coaches to maintain their own learning and development. View More >

Motivation training from the World's fastest man

The fastest man on earth, Usain Bolt, turned his hand to management training yesterday. The three-time Olympic gold medal winning Jamaican sprinter and his coach Glen Mills shared the secret to their success with a business audience at a special IMD business school event in Switzerland. View More >

Skills gap not the glass ceiling holding women back

A lack of necessary skills, not the glass ceiling, is making it hard for women to break into Britain’s top boardrooms. A report published this week found women need to concentrate on upskilling and improving their confidence if they are to become “board ready”. View More >

Coaching for London 2012 Olympic gold

A leadership development company is helping train some of Britain’s top sports coaches in preparation for the 2012 Olympics. The Inspirational Development Group has been enlisted by UK Sport, the UK’s high performance sports agency, to work with the coaches to unlock their potential and develop leadership skills that can be applied within their own sport and the wider sporting community. View More >

Beware of your employees' fixed grins, companies told

The job market may be bleak, but those of us still in work are reporting an increase in job satisfaction. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) employee outlook survey of 3,000 workers found the proportion satisfied with their job almost doubled since 2006. View More >

Survey highlights training role for line managers during downturn

Line managers are increasingly seen as key implementers of training as budgets are cut, according to this year’s Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) learning and development survey. The survey of almost 900 learning and development managers found median training spend per employee fell almost a third this year, from £300m last year to £220m. View More >

Radical thinking needed for coaches to tackle leadership crisis

Humanity has reached a crisis of meaning that has seen public respect for leadership dwindle to an all-time low, according to a leading advocate of business coaching. Sir John Whitmore (pictured) argues coaching now has the monumental task of helping leaders achieve the maturity and psychological health they need to regain their credibility and become catalysts for fundamental change. View More >

Film industry legend heads creative industry mentoring scheme

Top creative industry gurus are providing mentoring to 25 fast growing media companies in a scheme aimed at boosting the UK’s creative industry. The project, headed by film producer and politician, Lord David Puttnam (pictured), aims to unleash the potential of the UK’s most promising advertising, TV and digital companies. View More >

Deprived youngsters get cash boost

Young people are set to benefit from a government initiative aimed at breaking a cycle of generational underachievement that has developed in deprived areas of the UK. The Inspiring Communities initiative will pump £10m of government funding into projects aimed at giving young people opportunities to unlock their talents. View More >

CIPD report calls for new style of management

A “coaching style” of management should be implemented to help motivate employees during the economic downturn, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) say. In Coaching at the Sharp End, a CIPD research report out today, the Institute call for a move from a command and control approach to a more participative style. View More >

Subscribe to TJ news bulletins:

Coaching News

• UK managers find coaching "too time consuming", says report
• C&G Services joins network of construction training centres
• Staffordshire acquisition aims to improve individual potential
• Inspirational single dad scoops learning and training award
• Coaching is just commonsense
• Real benefits from coaching
• Leadership development in the third sector
• Accolade for Association for Coaching's Chair
• European Coaching Survey
• The School of Coaching gains EMCC accreditation
• Drama used to train managers as in-house coaches
• The School of Coaching to go it alone
• New Coach Supervision Certificate
• New Government legislation prompts maternity coaching
• £1m funding for research into coaching effectiveness
• CIPD highlights need for more supervision of coaches

Latest News

• Health sector workforce skills need to be utilised more effectively, report finds
• Millionth worker completes training through Train to Gain
• Last week to apply for cash in return for help in NEET survey
• On demand software training company bought by compliance specialist
• ‘Inpats’ increasingly being used by organisations to bridge skills gaps