The 2025 coaching report

Randstad RiseSmart, International Coaching Federation 2025

As employers face unprecedented labor market shifts, acquiring and retaining the specialized skills and talent needed to stay ahead of competitors is one of their top priorities. High employee engagement and satisfaction, however, present a chronic struggle for most organizations. Inspiring and nurturing people has become more critical to building an effective and productive workforce. One of the most effective ways to improve workforce sentiments is through career coaching — a benefit that many companies have recently begun offering across the enterprise. Combined with a growing focus on internal mobility, employers are recognizing the many benefits that coaching can provide to skills development and alignment. While companies have long provided coaching to executives and high-potential individuals, how can offering such services to their total workforce make a more meaningful impact on skills access and workforce productivity? To understand why and how career coaching is making a difference, Randstad RiseSmart, a part of Randstad Enterprise, and the International Coaching Federation (ICF) conducted extensive interviews with employers who are realizing the benefits of coaching. By understanding their philosophies and approaches to enterprise career coaching, the research provides insights into best practices, the impact on organizational readiness, the preferences of talent, and other important practices that optimize outcomes. This report shares insights into ICF’s findings and four case studies that showcase employers who are making a strong business impact with their enterprise-wide coaching programs. Practitioners of enterprise-wide coaching report a host of long-term benefits for both the organization and talent. Enhanced performance, increased job satisfaction, elevated readiness, and improved leadership skills are commonly cited. Their results were measured by assessing factors such as: the number of employees engaged in coaching sessions, the number of leadership actions taken by participants, how often participants take initiative in their work, and monitoring the impact on organizational culture. These indicators clearly link career coaching utilization to better business outcomes.