Job Coaches & Support Workers – Finding the Right Support for You

Workplace support can be human too

Sometimes the most useful workplace adjustment isn't a piece of equipment or software — it's another person.

A job coach or support worker can provide practical, individual support to help someone overcome barriers at work, develop strategies and work more independently.

Depending on the person's needs and role, support might help with organisation, planning, executive functioning, communication, processing information, learning workplace tasks, establishing routines, managing workload, travelling to work or navigating workplace expectations.

The role should always be shaped around the individual and the barriers they experience, rather than assuming everyone with the same diagnosis needs the same support.

What might a job coach help with?

A job coach may work alongside someone to understand what is making work difficult and develop practical ways of managing those barriers.

This might include breaking tasks into manageable steps, creating systems and routines, preparing for meetings, developing communication strategies, understanding workplace expectations, managing competing demands or building confidence and independence.

For some people, coaching may be needed for a relatively short period. For others, ongoing support may be appropriate.

A support worker can also provide more direct practical assistance where someone's disability or health condition means they require another person's support to carry out aspects of their work.

A Personal Reflection from Maggie

Through Space to Breathe Therapy, I also work as a job coach, and one of the things I have learned is that the relationship matters just as much as the strategies.

There are many brilliant job coaches and support professionals out there, and I don't believe one person will ever be the right fit for everybody.

Someone may have all the qualifications and experience in the world, but you still need to feel that they understand you, listen to you and work with you rather than trying to make you fit their way of doing things.

For me, good job coaching isn't about taking over or telling someone how they should work. It's about understanding where the barriers are, recognising the person's strengths and finding practical ways of working that make sense for their brain, their body, their circumstances and their job.

Sometimes it takes time to find that person.

And that's okay.

The right support should feel like someone working alongside you, not someone trying to change who you are.

— Maggie, Space to Breathe Therapy

Finding a job coach who fits

If you're looking for a job coach, it can help to have an initial conversation before deciding whether you want to work together.

Think about whether you feel heard rather than judged, whether they understand the barriers you're describing and whether their approach feels collaborative.

You might ask about their experience with your particular workplace needs, how they structure support, what happens when a strategy doesn't work and how they help people become more confident and independent.

There are many different job coaches, organisations and approaches, so finding the right fit is important.

Job coaching and Access to Work

For eligible people, Access to Work may be able to contribute towards certain types of job coaching or support-worker assistance where this is required because of disability or a health condition and relates to barriers experienced at work.

The support awarded will depend on the person's individual circumstances and Access to Work's assessment.

Remember

The aim of good support isn't to make someone work like everybody else.

It's to ask:

“What is getting in the way of this person doing their job, and what support would help remove that barrier?”

That's where meaningful workplace support begins.

‍