Employer-funded coaching

Is executive coaching confidential when your employer pays?

Yes. Your employer can pay for the coaching without hearing what you say in the room.

What they receive is only what you, the sponsor, and I agree in writing before any session starts. If that is not written down, do not guess. Ask me, and I will make it plain.

You are the client. The sponsor funds the work. I coach you.

Three roles

The client, the sponsor, and the coach are not the same role

You are the client. The coaching is about your role, your decisions, and the conversations you are actually in. You choose what you bring, and you stay in charge of what you do with it.

The sponsor is the employer side: a manager, an HR or People partner, or the person who holds the budget. They may need the structure, the timeline, the investment, and the boundaries so they can approve the work. Paying for coaching does not make them a second client, and it does not put them in the session.

I am the coach. I work with you. I do not brief your manager on what you said. If a sponsor asks me what happened in a session, I will not open that conversation. I will point back to the written agreement.

What is shared

What I will share, and what I will not

A sponsor can receive these points when they are in the written agreement:

that the coaching is taking place
the structure, timeline, and investment
the goals, themes, and next steps named for a start, midpoint, or close conversation
practical logistics, including scheduling and payment

These stay private:

what you say in a session
my notes
the detail of a person, a conflict, or a decision you are still working through, unless you choose to share it yourself
any judgment about your performance, your employment, or whether you should stay in the role

If the law, safety, or professional ethics requires an exception, that exception belongs in the written agreement. I will not add one later in a side conversation with your employer.

Written agreement

Put the boundaries in writing before coaching starts

Before coaching begins, I want these points written down and understood by you and the sponsor:

who is being coached
who is paying
what the sponsor will receive, and when
what stays private
whether there is a start, midpoint, or close conversation with the sponsor
how I will handle it if a sponsor asks about a session
who to contact about logistics, payment, or approval
where any legal, safety, or professional ethics exception is recorded

You should be able to read that agreement and know what your manager will hear, and what they will not.

The standard I work from

Professional coaching typically follows the ethical principles of the International Coaching Federation, including a clear agreement and confidentiality about what is said in coaching. I work in that spirit. An employer's payment is not permission to share the session. The agreement I write with you and the sponsor is the one that applies to your engagement.

Where to go next

If you are preparing the request

If you are asking your employer to fund the coaching, use the guide to asking your employer. It covers how to frame the request and what a budget owner usually needs.

A manager, HR partner, or budget owner can start with executive coaching for organizations. The scope for one leader, a team, or a workshop is on RIZE for Organizations.

I am based in Alpharetta and also coach virtually. Read about executive coaching in Atlanta and Alpharetta.

The website privacy policy covers website and contact data. It is not the coaching agreement.

Questions

Confidentiality FAQs

If my employer pays, will my manager know what I say in coaching?

No. What you say in a session stays between you and me, except where the written agreement names a legal, safety, or professional ethics exception. Your manager receives only what that agreement lists, usually the goals, themes, and next steps at the touchpoints it names.

Who is the client, who is the sponsor, and who is the coach?

You are the client. The sponsor is the employer, manager, HR partner, or budget owner who funds the work. I am the coach. The sponsor does not sit in the sessions and does not receive private session content.

What information does an employer receive?

Enough to approve and administer the work: the structure, timeline, investment, and the goals, themes, and next steps the agreement says can be shared. Not the content of your coaching conversations.

What is not shared with my employer?

What you say in a session, my notes, and the detail of people or decisions you are still working through, unless you choose to share that yourself. Any legal, safety, or professional ethics exception is written into the agreement.

Should the confidentiality boundaries be recorded?

Yes. Before coaching begins, I want a written agreement that names who is coached, who pays, what the sponsor receives, what stays private, any sponsor check-ins, and how a question about a session will be handled.

Is coaching confidentiality the same as the website privacy policy?

No. The website privacy policy explains how website and contact data are handled. Coaching confidentiality is the written agreement about this engagement.

What does employer-funded coaching cost?

Pricing on the call.

Articles

Ask me how this would work for you

Tell me whether you are the person who would be coached, or the manager, HR partner, or budget owner. I will say what can be shared for an internal request, and what stays private.

Bring it to a 20-Minute Capacity Call. If you are arranging the funding, you can also ask about organization-funded coaching.

Talk with Claire