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Since our partnership began in April 2020, the University of Edinburgh and Know You More have delivered meaningful and measurable coaching to people across the organisation.  

With over 260 employees supported across a range of initiatives, our collaboration has empowered individuals and teams to thrive in times of transition, uncertainty, and opportunity.

Through tailored coaching programs, we’ve aligned to key strategic initiatives, including Strategy 2030, COVID wellbeing coaching, preparing for hybrid working, parental returners, retirement preparation, and leadership development.  

Across these programs, we’ve delivered more than 1,325 hours of coaching, with each colleague receiving 5 hours of coaching on average.

A Focus on Inclusivity and Personal Growth

Our coaching has reached employees across a diverse range of needs and experiences:

70% of participants were women, reflecting a commitment to empowering female talent.

70+ parental returners benefited from coaching to ease their transition back into the workplace.

10 retirement preparation participants received tailored support to navigate life’s next chapter.

The themes that colleagues have been wide and varied. Common development areas include leadership, confidence, wellbeing, managing difficult conversations, and career transitions, equipping participants with skills and behaviours to thrive both personally and professionally.

Measuring Success

Net Promoter Score (NPS) is an industry measure used by service providers to rate the quality of their customer’s experience.

The coaching programs have consistently received outstanding feedback with a NPS of 9.4/10.

Below are the headline measurement outcomes since coaching commenced in 2020 for each of the coaching offers:

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Leadership Coaching Outcomes

Understanding strengths in the workplace: Improved from 7 to 8.4 (+20%).

Wellbeing: Improved from 6.28 to 7.5 (+19%).

Clarity of goals: Improved from 5.62 to 8.33 (+48%).

Confidence in achieving goals: Improved from 6.03 to 7.89 (+31%).

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Parental Returners Coaching Outcomes

Confidence in returning to work: Improved from 6.05 to 8.89 (+47%).

Wellbeing: Improved from 6 to 8 (+33%).

Clarity about steps to transition: Improved from 5.7 to 9.17 (+61%).

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Retirement Coaching Outcomes

Clarity about achieving goals: Improved from 7 to 8.5 (+21%).

Confidence in achieving goals: Improved from 7.33 to 9 (+23%).

Wellbeing: Improved from 8 to 8.5 (+6%).

Coaching in Action

Coaching feedback highlights its transformative impact:

“Coaching gave me the confidence to return to work by reframing how I think about myself and my roles.”

“The sessions provided me with space to reflect and helped me to develop tools for managing stress and balancing work and home life.”

“It’s been invaluable. Coaching helped me articulate blockers, build clarity, and reframe my goals.”

Participants repeatedly praised their Coaches for their support, empathy, practical tools, and ability to inspire clarity and confidence.

Lessons and Reflections

Our journey with the University of Edinburgh has provided valuable insights and opportunities for growth. One key lesson is the importance of increasing marketing and awareness for parental returner coaching, particularly targeting fathers. The data shows that significantly more mothers sign up for this coaching compared to fathers. To ensure a more inclusive approach, we recommend driving efforts to advertise offer to fathers.  

Additionally, the new offer for colleagues preparing for retirement has shown promising results. Emphasizing this programme will help more employees navigate this significant life transition with confidence and clarity. As this offer was launched more recently than others, it presents a unique opportunity to refine and expand its reach.

Looking Ahead: Building on Success

As we continue our partnership into 2025, this partnership remains a testament to what’s possible when offering coaching across an organisation. We aim to explore new ways to deepen the impact of coaching and improving how colleagues can access it. Whether it’s scaling programmes, introducing new initiatives, or evolving existing support, we’re here to help shape the future of coaching and mentoring at the University of Edinburgh.

Every organisation has a different approach to people development and Know You More's approach is designed to address the unique needs of any individual or organisation. Get in touch to learn more about our employee coaching programmes.