There are many different types of coaching, but workplace coaching between a manager and an employee usually involves a formal process of instruction and guidance that is directed toward a specific goal, generally the learning by the employee of a new skill or behavior, or improvement in an existing one. These can be hard, job-related skills, such as learning a process or the use of new software, or soft skills, such as interpersonal skills.
Use coaching when you have an employee who has a specific, well-defined gap in terms of a skill that is needed for the job or a behavior that needs to be exhibited in the workplace. The following are a few examples:
A new employee has to learn a process to follow
An employee has to use new software for the first time
An employee speaks too harshly to people and alienates them
An employee is more or less ready for promotion, but has specific gaps that need to be filled