Sharon Armstrong, longtime friend and trusted advisor to our team, recently shared insights from her work at the Trainers and Consultants Referral Network. Although many of her clients were not back in the office at full capacity, she reported record numbers of requests for trainers, consultants, coaches, and speakers. Her takeaway? Smart organizations are leveraging training, consulting, and coaching to improve their internal practices and address the challenges many face today.

Sharon shared the top requests her network received from clients last year. In her words:

  • Employee engagement and recognition have become more important than ever—probably because so many organizations struggle with recruitment and retention.
  • Human Resources consultation and outsourced HR services were often requested last year. Many HR departments are understaffed and overworked.   
  • Mental health projects were a surprising new addition to the list of most-requested topics. Developing resilience. Preventing stress and burnout. Achieving work-life balance. Mindfulness and self-care. All of these were frequent requests in 2022.
  • Leadership and teamwork are perennial issues. Clients wanted help with communication, collaboration, change management, and conflict.  
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion continues to be extremely important. Clients wanted help with cultural awareness, recognizing microaggressions, and establishing metrics for DEI.

The Connection to Hiring Results

Organizations that invest time and dollars to meet the needs of current and future employees have a real advantage in today’s market. Amid an already challenging economy, what workers are willing to accept is evolving. Many candidates are changing jobs seeking work-life balance, career advancement, flexibility, better work culture, more meaningful and fulfilling work, and more. 

Our clients with the most hiring success are communicating their value in these areas, making clear to candidates that they are focused not only on their mission and business goals but on creating great workplaces where employees feel valued.

As Sharon said, “The knee-jerk reaction to ‘cut overhead’ and ‘get rid of extra expenses’ is not the ideal way to respond to a troubled economy or any other external (or internal) problem.” Investing in training and coaching to improve your work environment is.