Microsoft and Ezra break Guinness World Record by training approximately 5,000 employees
Microsoft has partnered with EZRA, a leading global virtual coaching and learning provider, to enhance employee performance and growth through personalised, large-scale coaching. In one year, EZRA conducted over 13,000 individual coaching sessions across 80 countries, reflecting high engagement and extensive reach within Microsoft.
The key results and benefits of EZRA's coaching program include:
1. **Personal development and self-awareness**: Employees gain clarity on their goals, strengths, weaknesses, and behaviours, enabling them to build on positive traits and address challenges. 2. **Scalable impact**: The program offers broad access to coaching across different roles and locations worldwide, managing an average of 430 coaching sessions per week. 3. **Enhanced employee productivity and engagement**: Although specific productivity data from EZRA's coaching at Microsoft is not detailed, broader EZRA client benefits include improved performance through a culture of continuous learning and coaching. 4. **Support for leadership and organisational development**: EZRA integrates psychology, behavioural science, and data science to optimise coaching, which likely contributes to enhanced leadership capabilities for Microsoft employees. 5. **Alignment with corporate learning initiatives**: Microsoft's collaboration with EZRA fits into broader workforce skilling efforts, such as AI training and microlearning, supporting overall employee effectiveness and adaptation to evolving work demands.
While direct quantitative business outcomes for Microsoft from EZRA’s coaching were not specified, the scale, engagement, and integration of scientific methods suggest substantial positive influence on employee development and organisational capability. This aligns with EZRA’s mission to help individuals and companies reach their full potential through coaching.
The partnership has yielded significant improvements for Microsoft employees. For instance, 11% more employees can see a long-term future at the company, and career confidence has risen by 14%. Career conversations with managers have improved by 15%, and 13% more employees feel confident to apply for an internal job.
Moreover, the ability to define career steps increased by 51%, and the ability to articulate goals increased by 37%. Ambition, skill development, and network-building increased in 27% of participants. Additionally, 38% more employees can define the next step in their career.
EZRA's coaching program for Microsoft employees results in wide-reaching personal growth, leadership development, and increased employee engagement through a best-practice, science-informed coaching model delivered globally at scale.
Established in 2019, EZRA's headquarters are located online at https://helloezra.com. EZRA is the coaching arm of LHH, part of The Adecco Group, the world's leading talent advisory and solutions company. The program is integrated into Microsoft's wider in-house coaching program, offering internal and external coaching, group and individual sessions, and the chance to qualify as coaches themselves.
EZRA has set the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDTM title for the most people to complete a business coaching program in one year, engaging with 4,816 Microsoft employees. The quality of coaching was consistently high, with Microsoft employees giving EZRA coaches an average rating of 98%.
In conclusion, EZRA's coaching program offers significant benefits to Microsoft employees, contributing to their personal and professional development, enhancing employee engagement, and supporting the company's broader learning initiatives.
- The scaling impact of EZRA's coaching program, delivered through cloud technology, enabled Microsoft employees across 80 countries to engage in over 13,000 individual coaching sessions, reflecting high engagement and extensive reach.
- EZRA's coaching program in conjunction with Microsoft has resulted in tangible improvements, as evidenced by an increase in career confidence by 14%, a rise in the number of employees who can see a long-term future at the company by 11%, and an improvement in career conversations with managers by 15%.
- Aligning with the broader mission of technology-driven education-and-self-development, EZRA's science-informed coaching model contributes to Microsoft's business goals by fostering personal growth, leadership development, and employee engagement on a global scale.
