CASE STUDY: Cooper Parry

About

Founded in 1850, Cooper Parry is a UK-based accountancy firm with offices in London, Birmingham, and the East Midlands.

Self-styled as “The Rebels of Accountancy,” the company takes a forward-thinking approach to everything, including how it supports and develops the skills of over 1,000 employees.

The Purpose

Cooper Parry’s people team wanted to partner with an organisation to support ambitious growth and a culture built on sustainable high performance.

One of the common misconceptions about coaching is that it can only be used when there’s a specific problem to solve. The Cooper Parry Leadership team understood that coaching has the potential to be a powerful tool for all individuals and at all stages of the employee journey.

Allowing employees to take a proactive approach to their development, well-being and performance, as well as solving unique challenges, helps to create and maintain a growth mindset across the organisation.

By giving them access to high-quality and experienced coaches, employees have been able to unlock new ways of thinking.

Sanctus’ Coaching model, based on a human-centred approach, creates proactive cultures by acknowledging that mental health, well-being, and professional development are all interconnected. This “wholebeing” approach, ensures a unique approach to each individual and coaching session, taking all elements into account.

Cooper Parry’s Leadership Team were longtime advocates of coaching. In addition to the Leadership Team using coaching themselves, Cooper Parry also has several internal coaches, complimenting Sanctus Coaching and further supporting a coaching culture. Coaching is seen as invaluable and a tool that every employee can benefit from, regardless of seniority, role, or tenure.

That’s where Sanctus came in.

The Approach

The Cooper Parry and Sanctus Coaching partnership began in 2022.

One of the key attractions to Sanctus Coaching was our coaching approach. Understanding that well-being and performance are intertwined, Sanctus coaches take a more holistic view when working with employees and are able to address all facets of an individual’s life.

Cooper Parry employees were given access to Sanctus’ unique Drop-In Coaching model. This coaching solution provides employees with a safe, accessible platform and a choice of coaches to suit individuals’ needs.

Another important factor for Cooper Parry when introducing Sanctus Coaching was that the Drop-In Coaching model allowed for democratised coaching across the organisation. Giving all employees access to coaching helps create and maintain a strong coaching culture at all levels.

Cooper Parry has always aimed to empower employees at all levels. With a culture of empowerment and high performance, a proactive coaching solution helps to reinforce this, with employees working on their individual goals, challenges, and development opportunities.

The Impact

Thanks to its people-focused culture, Cooper Parry has won multiple awards, including Best HR Team of the Year and Best Flexible Working Policy at the UK Company Culture Awards 2024.

Cooper Parry employees have embraced Sanctus Coaching, shown by a utilisation rate of over 95% and a consistent demand for coaching across the organisation, with coaching sessions expanded to meet the growing team’s needs.

97% of employees who used Sanctus Coaching said that it has supported them in working toward their goals, and it has an average recommendation score of 9.5.

Cooper Parry continues to meet its ambitious growth plans, consistently achieving outstanding results with the backing of a sustainable high-performance culture.

“Partnering with Sanctus has been a game-changer for CP. Their innovative solutions and strategic guidance have propelled our coaching offering. The impact of our collaboration has been monumental, providing us with some great metrics to further enhance our well-being and development strategy. We are grateful for the invaluable support and expertise that Ian, Head of Partner Intelligence has brought to the table, and we look forward to continuing our partnership for years to come with Sanctus.” – Latoyah Allen, Head of Compensation & Benefits