Online coaching programme launches for working parents

Next post
Embrace technology to free up your time

Few people make the transition to parenthood without being besieged by questions about work and career. Coaches help to talk them through all the questions and enable them to find solutions that work.

They can also offer targeted support for both employers and employees around, for instance, return to work following maternity or Shared Parental leave.

Many coaches offer one to one coaching over the internet or phone for individuals, but corporate coaching programmes are conducted face to face and tend to focus on more senior employees.

Until now. Coaching consultancy Talking Talent, which started its coaching programmes aimed at working parents in the corporate world over 10 years ago has this week moved online.

Talking Talent Onlineᵀᴹ takes aspects of the consultancy’s physical coaching programme and makes it virtual. It includes bite-sized ideas for employees and managers which aim to give parents more choice and support and to help them reflect on what they want from their job.

Being virtual means employers can offer it to a wider range of their employees, says Talking Talent, and it means they can access it from anywhere at any time.

The programme, which can be tailored for particular employers, is based on Talking Talent’s experience of listening to its coachees’ personal challenges, hopes, fears and ambitions.

Transition to parenthood

Initially the virtual programme is focusing on the transition to parenthood, including advice on pre-leave, on-leave and return to work [the first six months]. However, there are plans to focus some of the coaching around years one to five after having a baby and to provide progression coaching for women in general.

The different sections include audio and video clips and transcripts of these as well as checklists. There are masterclass videos by coaches and videos of parents talking about their experience and what they might have done differently in hindsight. For those with less than two minutes to spare there are 10 second tips which cover the basic questions you might be asking yourself at any stage in the return to work process. There is also space for sharing your own tips and ideas and to leave feedback.

Each section is broken down into different areas. The Pre-leave section, for instance, covers 12 areas, from announcing your pregnancy to energy levels and stress and creating a handover plan. Under On Leave, there are 11 sub-sections, ranging from work life balance to planning your first 100 days back and under Confident Comebacks, there are 12 sub-sections on everything from setting expectations around boundaries to building your network and exploring future milestones at home and at work.

The information is aimed at both parents and managers, for instance, there is a section on how to support a colleague who has lost a baby or how to deal with losing a baby yourself.

From February 13th, Talking Talent will be releasing a piece of content every day – including Video Masterclasses, downloadable tools and tips. Each week will have a different theme and it can be accessed via Twitter or LinkedIn. Week one will focus on preparing for leave; week two on leave and preparing to return; week three on return to work and settling in; and week four on managing a team member through the transition to parenthood.

On International Women’s Day, Talking Talent will also be hosting an online coaching session, Success Strategies for Working Parents, which is open to anyone and starts at 2pm.