Employment Law SOS: how to deal with unwilling coaches
1 min read
Q I have just taken on three trainees for our business. After induction, they will spend two weeks in each shopfloor area, but I've heard that one team leader is complaining that on-the-job coaching (he calls it 'babysitting') will jeopardise his team's chances of hitting target. He's not raised this formally yet. What should I do?
On-the-job coaching is recognised as being good practice as it gives employees practical hands-on experience while being supported throughout the learning process. However, it will only work if all the participants are willing to get fully involved in the process. You cannot force someone to do coaching as, in reality, the coaching they will give is unlikely to be very good.
If you've heard that one of your team leaders has complained about having to take part, the first thing to do is take him to one side and have an informal chat. You need to be sure that he actually has concerns, in case he has been misquoted or was having an off-moment. The meeting would also give you an opportunity to explain why the coaching is so important and what you hope can be achieved.
If the team leader does have any issues, this would be an ideal opportunity to address them and agree the best way forward. For example, you might agree to reduce the targets for the two-week period the trainees will be in that area.
From a legal point of view, it depends on what has happened previously and what has been agreed as the role of a team leader. If it is in their job description that they are required to coach new staff and they refuse without a valid reason, this could potentially lead to disciplinary action for failure to follow a reasonable instruction. If it is not, it might be worth including it for the future.
