9 out of 10 Singaporeans look to career coaching for better performance

But they won't settle for an inexperienced coach as 36% of employees under the age of 35 greatly value the coach's knowledge and expertis.

Career coaching is the key to creating a more productive Singapore workforce, according to a global survey by the world’s leading specialist recruitment firm Robert Half.

The survey shows that the workforce in Singapore responds better to coaching in the workplace than employees in any other country. The survey of 6,000 employees in 12 countries included more than 500 from Singapore.

A high 95 per cent of respondents said career coaching improves their job performance, compared to the global average of 78 per cent. Singapore topped the list of countries that benefit from career coaching, ahead of Brazil (94 per cent), Hong Kong (88 per cent) and Australia (85 per cent).

Singapore also ranks at the top of the global list of employees who find career coaching boosts their job satisfaction, with 97 per cent saying having a good coach is important to being a happy employee. While Brazilian employees are the most motivated by workplace coaching (88 per cent) Singapore employees came a close second, with 84 per cent feeling more motivated after receiving appropriate career guidance.

According to Ms Stella Tang, Director of Robert Half Singapore, workplace coaching can unlock the productivity of a workforce.

“More than any other country, Singaporeans respond favourably to workplace coaching. It can improve performance, increase job satisfaction and make employees more motivated to contribute to the organisation.”

“The positive response to workplace coaching also suggests that employers in Singapore can use coaching as a means of improving their company’s productivity.”

“As companies continue to be tasked to do more with less, embracing and cultivating effective leaders and career coaches will not only get the most from their existing teams, but will earn the company the reputation as a great place to work, helping their attraction and retention strategies,” Ms Tang said.

Ms Tang suggested more experienced employees have a crucial role to play in providing coaching to less experienced staff. “With their years of experience, more seasoned employees have a golden pool of knowledge that can be used to help develop and grow a colleague’s career.”

Employees in Singapore are generally happy with the coaching they receive at work, with 69 percent expressing satisfaction, compared to 56 per cent globally.

COACHING BY GENERATION

When asked what qualities they look for in a workplace career coach, the views of the respondents in Singapore differ according to their age group. While 36 per cent of employees under the age of 35 greatly value the knowledge and expertise of the coach, only 26 per cent of employees older than 35 look for this quality.

In contrast, employees older than 35 place a greater value on mutual trust and respect than employees under 32 do – 25 per cent compared to 20 per cent.

As Ms Tang explains: “Younger employees in Singapore see their coach as a teacher, passing on knowledge and skills they have acquired through experience. Young people want to progress in their careers and see learning from a coach as a way of doing this.”

“For those who are more experienced, the role of the coach takes a different form. The coach becomes a trusted confidante that listens and provides objective feedback on the ideas and decisions of the employee.”

“As the needs of employees differ according to their age, employers need to adapt and provide different coaching to different employees if they want to get the best results,” Ms Tang said.