Ask me something? The emergence of the robbo-coach

Hello and welcome to work.

This week I have been enjoying conversations with our readers, both in the comments section of FT.com and in email .

Here is a fun example: I had written that leaders must be alert to the staff copying the boss’s hobbies. Bob, independent professional He reminded us that this is nothing new: some employees used to smoke to spend time with their manager. Someone mentioned a Friends Episode where Rachel does exactly this.

Meanwhile, Smiling sent a link to a 2010 article about “The Secret Society of Smoothiers of the Workplace“Who helped each other to climb the corporate ladder. I don’t think there are enough smokers to do it more (right?) But I love to go down these rabbit holes.

Back in Smoke Free 2025, read about the rapid increase in AI coaches as a first -line defense to help managers face. And in office therapy, we listen to a boss who needs a style image change if it is to make CEO.

Ask me something? How AI coaches help managers face

When I wrote last week about the need to train and maintain the skills of the people of managers at a scale, I did not suspect that one of the solutions to the massive problem of poor and overwhelmed managers (44 percent of them have not received training at allAccording to Gallup), it could be a generative AI.

Many people think that “coach bots”, who have human names like Valence’s Nadia and Coachhub’s SharpThey represent a quick and cheap solution to the enormous problem of poorly trained or unrelated managers. My feeling is that they are right to be animators for this type of virtual hand retention, although I realize that this is a nuanced issue. (No @me, in other words ) A report He valued the global online coaching market at $ 3.2 billion in 2022, projected to reach $ 11.7 billion by 2032.

My colleague Emma Jacobs wrote a great feature In the FT recently about the widest pros and cons of the scale to train the staff, and quotes alarmed academics and human coaches, all concerned about our potential dependence on these friendly virtual agents. (One suspects that they are concerned about their own future, although current trends suggest that high -end human coaches have nothing to worry about. CEOs and high -level leaders will always receive more support than a bot can provide).

Meanwhile, to have an idea who is using trainers bots and what they do with them, I met the founder and executive director of Valence, Parker Mitchell, who began his company in 2018. At first he made technological tools to improve teamwork. “The idea was that the team is the new unit of creative work.” The idea took off and, says Parker, learned a lot from the first clients about the challenge of trying to create a change in work culture. When large language models arrived, Valence was ready. “We believe that what people want is basically a personal assistant who understands them, and that can act as a proxy for them. We build it to understand asking questions not only giving them answers.”

WPP, the advertising group, uses the Valence Bot coach, and Lindsay PattisonWPP people director says: “Now we have several thousand employees who use Nadia for various needs, including professional planning, the game of challenging conversation roles, equipment management and the management of interpersonal relationships. Nadia, despite being AI, is seen as very personal, a safe space to ask questions and people particularly liked confidentiality, always to access and personalization.”

WPP staff uses Nadia in 36 different languages. In general, Valence offers service in approximately 70 languages. For global employers, a coach of AI is potentially a great benefit, Parker says: “Coaching is not always offered in what is their native language, and there is anecdotal evidence that those who could not have had traditional educational credentials feel more comfortable talking to an AI coach.”

While Valence began thinking that an AI coach would be a profitable alternative to executive coaching, their real world users often focus on the aid at the time. Things like looking for guidance and support before a difficult meeting, or using the coach of AI in the car on the way to work as a quick preparation for next day .

*Are they going to transform the management of AI coach bots? I think so, but anxious to listen to your views, especially if you do not agree with me : Isabel.berwick@ft.com

US Workplace Insights: The end of the organization chart?

Will AI end the traditional organizational table, also known as a “orgram or organization chart? AI agents could be taking our places in the hierarchy . Kevin Delaney, Editor in Chief of the CharterThe future of the research company and the research company tells me that if the agents do work that can autonomously complete a series of tasks, it will challenge the traditional graphic . “When the experience no longer lives in humans, but lives in agents in addition to humans, it can begin to question whether orgore the orgively,” Alexia Cambon, director of Senior Research at Microsoft, told Kevin.

Alexia suggests that a “work table” could be more relevant, transmitting the work to be carried out by AI or Human agents. She points to the Hollywood model, where expert teams are assembled for production and then dissolve after the film or television series is completed.

Office therapy

The problem: Our boss is requesting an ascent to administer the entire organization. (We are non -profit/third sector). The outgoing CEO has a relaxed and intelligent style. Our boss wears old bridges, glasses and bad shoes. The saying “dress for his next job” was done for him. The interviews are soon and we want the work to get. Can we say something? What kind of look should we suggest if we manage it?

Isabel Council: As enthusiastic fashion , this can be my favorite reader question, never. Can you design a conversation about the interview format, which is on the panel and? . . What do you plan to use? Stress how important it is to dress for the role of the CEO. Assuming that FT’s fashion editor, Carola Long, advises that her boss and any other person looking for an update of style at work, starts with accessories: better glasses, a good bag and smart shoes.

“The glasses can really raise or degrade a look. I would lead me to the optical cubitts store, which has such good frames that it really cannot go wrong and would opt for something in dark acetate or turtle that adapts to the shape of the face.” Meanwhile, they are important: on my trip to work, I see many depressing backpacks that seem more suitable for mountain escalation. Instead, choose a bag or a backpack in the orderly roll of somewhere like Porter-Yyida. And in terms of shoes, we final office” “.” “” “” “” “” “” “”

As for clothes, if the interview requires a suit, stay with blue, not gray or black. “Try the navy or a rich blue,” says Carola.

Five main stories of the world of work

1. General Z is leading the return position to the office: Complete offices with a lot of contact in person, and time with managers, will help younger workers embed in corporate life, and the popular image of generation Z as wanting to be at home is not right, finds Anjli Raval.

2. Publishing fights with where to draw the line in AI: As the Business Book of the year of 2025 FT and Schroders is launched, Andrew Hill talks to authors and agents on the impact of AI on research and writing. They are still the first days, but the debate is fierce.

3. Moral ambition: Rutger Bregman in a different type of success for smart workers: I reviewed a book that will challenge you to think differently about what we want to achieve with our working life. Bregman shows how a person, or a tight team can change the world for the better.

4. ECB staff says the bank promotes wrong people, finds the survey: Only 19 percent of the European Central Bank personnel who responded a union survey thought that the bank “did a good job by promoting the right people,” writes Olaf Storbeck. Many thought that knowing “the right people” was favored instead.

5. IKEA plans to attract the inhabitants of the city with a store on Oxford Street in London: The new IKEA Central de London (in the old Topshop building) opens tomorrow, writes Laura Onita and aims to lead the Swedish retailer “where customers live, work and socialize.”

One more thing. . .

We know that WhatsApp and signal groups have changed workplaces, politics and much more, but Ben Smith in Semafor has captured “The group chats that changed America“It has discovered, the most important thing is the group of signals” Chatham House “, with thousands of members. It is, suggests, the” most important place in which an impressive realignment towards Donald Trump was formed and negotiated, and an alliance between Silicon Valley and the new right. ”

Supported internships: a great idea

Fair shotAn Enterprise social coffee and the training scheme at the Covent Garden in London is a great place for a working meeting. (I was taken first by Yasmin Jones-Henrywhich is a pattern). Fair Shot trains young adults with autism and/or a learning disability as baristas and coffees assistants, and then works with companies to support them in sustainable employment, often in the hotel industry. Do you know a young person in London who could benefit? Fair Shot is recruiting his next 16-25 year cohort to start in September. More information here.

*Do you know other schemes like this? I will return to this subject soon: Isabel.berwick@ft.com

A word from the work work community

Many emails in response to the bulletin last week “,Happy managers = happy staff“, Highlighting the key role that managers play. I liked this suggestion of Susannah HaanA corporate governance advisor:

“In general, my opinion is that training for managers for the first time must be mandatory and that companies must inform about the training they provide. This could be a differentiator for those looking ISSB, and it will be good to see, see the evidence of non -financial companies.

Before logging in. . .

The oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer, has been sold by The Guardian to Tortise Media, a new media organization known for its newsletters and podcasts. Tortoise now changes brands as an observer. As a fan of both publications, I am anxious to see how this works, since it is believed that approximately one third of the observer staff They have taken redundancy packages. I especially like turtle/observer Daily Sensemaker Actual Affairs Email: Register here.