Coaching service for staff

The coaching service is currently not accepting new requests for coaching as we transition to a new system. We expect to resume accepting new coaching requests by June 2025.

If you would like to be notified when the coaching service reopens for new requests, please email coaching@st-andrews.ac.uk  with your expression of interest. You will be contacted directly once we are ready to accept new clients.

Welcome to workplace coaching

Welcome to the workplace coaching scheme provided by the Universities of Aberdeen and St Andrews coaching partnership. Launched in 2014, our joint Coaching Academy now offers coaching programs for staff at both institutions. These programs help individuals think through their options in relation to various workplace situations they may be facing.

Contents

Aims of coaching

Our coaches work with their clients - or coachees - on a one-to-one basis, to help them address specific work-related challenges around people, projects, or issues relating to career development. Essentially, the coach helps the coachee to:

  • resolve,
  • prevent or
  • forecast challenging situations.

The aim of the coach is to promote independence in the coachee so that they take responsibility for their own learning, rather than by becoming dependent on the coach.  Coaching is suitable for people who are interested in exploring possibilities and setting goals to help them move forward.  This may be at the start of their career, in the middle or whilst undergoing change.

Coaching is a confidential and voluntary process that enables individuals to manage workplace issues in a more constructive and confident manner.

What it's not

Coaching is not about experience, wise counsel or advice. That’s mentoring, or something you might get from a friend or your manager. Your coach won’t advise you what to do, and it’s not just a conversation or having someone to talk to or to use as a moaning session. Coaching is action-oriented and focuses on goals and moving forward. Coaching is not just for senior managers or executives, it can be accessed by all staff at both Universities.

What coaching offers

Those receiving coaching benefit by:

  • learning to address their own challenges;

  • developing greater self-awareness in a safe and supportive environment that enables the coachee to gain insight into their approach and patterns of behaviour;

  • identifying their goals, and the potential barriers to achieving these;

  • developing appropriate skills and strategies and feeling empowered to take action. If they have management responsibilities, this may result in enhancing their ability to lead and communicate with others, provide direction and developing others.

Who are the coaches?

The coaches in the network come from a range of academic, research, professional, support and technical roles bringing a range of experience and insight to the coaching role. 

All coaches have attended accredited coaching training and receive regular support, supervision and CPD from staff development professionals in both Universities.  

The coaches take on coaching assignments in addition to their main job roles and responsibilities and, unlike mentors, do not need to have expertise in the work or discipline area of their 'coachee' although they will all have developed particular areas of coaching specialism.

Cross-institutional coaching partnerships

The Aberdeen - St Andrews Coaching Partnership opens the door to cross-institutional coaching programmes, which may suit some coachees. In order to make such partnerships a practical proposition, partnerships are conducted mainly by phone or Teams. The coach and coachee would normally discuss and agree the necessary arrangements during their first coaching conversation.

What participants say about coaching

The coaching programme has received very positive feedback from its participants, with an overall Satisfaction Index Rate of 92.8%.  94% of participants feel the coaching has had a direct beneficial impact on their work environment (workplace/team) and 93% felt their performance at work had definitely been enhanced as a result of the coaching.

Interested in using coaching skills in your work setting?

Coaching can be a useful management approach for working with your staff. To find out more, it is recommended that you attend the Coaching: An introduction workshop which will explain the basics of the approach.