Scaling Coaching Beyond the C-Suite: Why Forward-Thinking CHROs Are Opening Access To Development

In today’s rapidly evolving work landscape, the old model of reserving coaching for senior leaders no longer holds. As companies strive to unlock agility, innovation, and engagement at every level, a quiet revolution is taking place: coaching is going mainstream.

At the forefront of this shift is LinkedIn, which recently began offering 1:1 coaching sessions to all employees—not just executives. The results are telling: increased employee engagement, stronger internal mobility, and better retention of high-potential talent across functions.

🔄 From Elite Perk to Organisational Strategy

Historically, coaching has been positioned as a high-investment, high-impact intervention for the top tier of leadership. But as workforce expectations change, coaching is being reimagined as an enterprise-wide capability—one that equips people at every level to lead, grow, and contribute more effectively.

Democratising access to coaching is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic imperative.

“If we want resilient, empowered workforces, we need to stop treating coaching as a luxury for the few—and start embedding it as infrastructure for the many.”
– Alexandra Lamb, Founder, BOLDLY

🚀 Why CHROs Are Leading This Movement

Forward-thinking HR leaders are expanding coaching access to support three core priorities:

1. Retention of Emerging Talent
   Mid-level employees are the backbone of execution and culture. Coaching gives them a confidential space to build confidence, navigate complexity, and feel invested in.
2. Leadership Pipeline Development
   Scaling coaching early ensures that your future leaders are learning how to reflect, regulate, and relate—well before they reach the top.
3. Agility and Change Resilience
   Coaching helps employees handle ambiguity, feedback, and shifting priorities—all essential in today’s hybrid, fast-moving environments.
   
   

💡 What Scaling Coaching Looks Like in Practice

Companies like LinkedIn are integrating coaching into the employee experience in practical ways:

• On-Demand Coaching Platforms: Employees self-schedule with vetted coaches, often funded centrally or through professional development stipends.
• Coaching-as-a-Benefit: Coaching is offered at career transition points—first-time managers, return from parental leave, or role changes.
• Peer Coaching Models: Structured peer-to-peer coaching complements professional sessions, creating a culture of reflection and shared growth.
  
  

📈 The ROI Is Clear

For years, coaching was seen as a high-touch intervention with anecdotal benefits. But the data is catching up—and it's compelling. When coaching is scaled beyond the C-suite, it doesn’t just improve individual performance; it drives measurable business outcomes across the organisation.

1. Productivity Increases

According to a 2023 report from the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Human Capital Institute (HCI), organisations with strong coaching cultures report higher levels of employee productivity (67% vs. 39%) compared to those without such cultures. Coaching supports goal clarity, problem-solving, and focus—particularly valuable in hybrid or distributed teams.

2. Psychological Safety Rises

A 2024 whitepaper by BetterUp Labs titled The Coaching Effect found that access to coaching improves psychological safety by 47%. When employees feel heard and supported, they're more likely to take smart risks, offer ideas, and admit mistakes—key behaviours in innovative, resilient teams. Coaching normalises self-reflection and difficult conversations, strengthening team trust.

3. Internal Promotion Rates Go Up

Research by McKinsey & Company (2023) shows that companies investing in internal mobility see up to 2x higher retention and stronger leadership pipelines. Coaching accelerates readiness for new roles by building the behavioural and emotional skills (e.g. resilience, influence, executive presence) that training alone often misses. In a study of a Fortune 500 firm, CoachHub reported a 32% increase in internal promotion rates for employees who received six or more coaching sessions.

4. Attrition—Especially Among High Potentials—Declines

A 2025 Deloitte Human Capital Trends survey highlights that high-potential employees are 3.5x more likely to stay when they have access to personalised development opportunities, including coaching. As the cost of replacing top performers continues to rise (estimated at 1.5–2x salary), coaching represents a strategic investment in both performance and retention.

“Access to coaching makes people feel valued, seen, and invested in. That sense of support is a powerful driver of retention—especially among the next generation of leaders.”
— 2024 ICF Global Coaching Study

The takeaway: Coaching is no longer a soft perk. It’s a high-impact strategy to build human capability at scale—and CHROs who recognise its value are unlocking significant returns across the board. It’s not about replacing other development tools; it’s about amplifying them with individualised, just-in-time support.

👥 Final Thought: Coaching as Cultural Infrastructure

Scaling coaching is not just an HR initiative. It’s a signal—of trust, investment, and belief in people. For CHROs navigating today’s complex challenges, embedding coaching more broadly is one of the highest-leverage moves you can make to future-proof your talent strategy.

Now is the time to ask: What would change if every employee in your organisation had access to a coach—not just your top 5%?

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