Susann Power

One of the most rewarding aspects of research is finding ways to make academic evidence more accessible beyond the university. I am particularly interested in translating original, empirical research into policy briefs and other open access outputs that can inform practice, support decision-making, and reach a wider audience. A recent example is our newly published policy brief, Work Coaches in NI Jobs and Benefits Offices: A Lived Experience Study, which draws on findings from an in-depth qualitative study exploring the day-to-day realities of Work Coaches working across Jobs and Benefits Offices in Northern Ireland.

Citation:

Power, S., Miller, K., Heaps, A., McLaughlin, M., & Singleton, R. (2026). Work Coaches in NI Jobs and Benefits Offices: A Lived Experience Study. Advance online publication. Available at: https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/en/publications/22b18ad2-4dcd-42e0-b41f-ce918ad1c6fc

Understanding the Lived Experience of Work Coaches

Work Coaches play a central role in supporting unemployed individuals and those facing barriers to entering or progressing within the labour market. Yet despite their importance within welfare-to-work systems, relatively little research has focused on their own experiences of delivering employment support on the frontline. To address this gap, our research followed Work Coaches across different Jobs and Benefits Offices in Northern Ireland, exploring their lived work experiences and the realities of delivering employment support in increasingly complex labour market conditions. The study comes at a particularly important time. Northern Ireland continues to face significant labour market challenges, including high levels of economic inactivity and sustained claimant demand. In July 2026, the economic inactivity rate stood at 26.8%, while claimant numbers remained almost 20% higher than pre-pandemic levels. At the same time, policy discussions across the UK are increasingly examining the future role of Jobcentres and Work Coaches, with proposed reforms emphasising more personalised, skills-focused and progression-oriented support. While employment support policy is devolved in Northern Ireland, these wider developments provide an important backdrop for understanding how frontline employability services may evolve in the coming years.

A Framework for Understanding Frontline Delivery

The research is informed by two established theoretical perspectives:

• The Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Model, which examines how workplace demands and organisational resources influence employee wellbeing, performance, and job satisfaction.
• Street-Level Bureaucracy (SLB) theory, which explores how frontline public service workers exercise discretion and make decisions within the constraints of policy and organisational systems.

Together, these frameworks provide valuable insight into how workload pressures, available resources, organisational expectations, and professional discretion shape the experiences of Work Coaches and influence the services they provide.

Findings: What Does It Mean to Be a Work Coach in Northern Ireland Today?

Our research explored the lived experiences of Work Coaches working in Jobs and Benefits Offices across Northern Ireland, providing a rare insight into the realities of delivering frontline employment support. While Work Coaches remain deeply committed to helping people move towards employment, the study reveals a role that is becoming increasingly complex, demanding, and emotionally challenging.

Balancing Growing Demands with Meaningful Support

One of the strongest themes emerging from the research was the tension between providing personalised support and managing growing workloads. Work Coaches described increasing caseloads, more complex claimant needs, and expanding responsibilities that stretched their capacity to deliver the level of support they would like to provide. Many felt that the role now requires them to navigate issues that extend far beyond employment, including mental health concerns, financial hardship, and personal crises. As one participant reflected, they are often expected to provide support that feels closer to counselling, despite not having specialist training. Large caseloads were frequently cited as a barrier to effective engagement. Participants spoke about the difficulty of building meaningful relationships with claimants when time is limited, particularly for those facing multiple and complex barriers to work. The findings suggest that workload pressures can directly affect Work Coaches’ confidence in their ability to perform their role effectively and deliver positive outcomes.

Finding Purpose Despite the Challenges

Despite these pressures, one of the most striking findings was the high level of job satisfaction reported by many Work Coaches. Participants consistently described the role as meaningful and rewarding, particularly when they could see the difference their support had made in someone’s life. The opportunity to help individuals overcome barriers, gain confidence, and move closer to employment was a major source of motivation. Many also spoke positively about working within the Northern Ireland Civil Service and valued the supportive relationships they had with colleagues and line managers. This sense of purpose appears to be a key strength of the Work Coach role, helping staff remain committed even when faced with significant operational challenges.

The Importance of the Working Environment

While staff valued their work, some raised concerns about the physical environments in which they deliver support. Several participants described office spaces as uninspiring and lacking the welcoming atmosphere that could benefit both staff and claimants. The findings suggest that investment in frontline employment-support environments could play an important role in improving staff wellbeing, enhancing claimant engagement, and supporting more effective service delivery.

Place Matters

The research also highlights how local circumstances shape the realities of employment support in Northern Ireland. Transport limitations were frequently identified as a practical barrier for claimants seeking work opportunities, particularly in rural areas. Work Coaches described situations where available jobs were difficult to access because public transport options were limited or did not align with working hours. Alongside transport challenges, participants pointed to wider contextual factors, including political uncertainty and local attitudes towards employment support, which can influence claimant engagement and service delivery. These findings reinforce the importance of place-based approaches to employability policy that recognise the unique challenges facing different communities across Northern Ireland.

Supporting the Workforce of the Future

A final theme centred on workforce capability and training. Work Coaches overwhelmingly recognised the need for ongoing professional development to help them respond to increasingly complex claimant needs. Many participants felt that additional training would be beneficial, particularly around mental health, trauma-informed practice, and managing difficult conversations. As employment support becomes more personalised and holistic, ensuring that frontline staff have the skills and confidence to respond effectively will be critical.

Five Recommendations for Policymakers

Overall, the study paints a picture of a highly committed workforce that derives significant satisfaction from helping others but faces growing pressures in delivering frontline employment support. The findings highlight the need for greater investment in workforce capacity, training, organisational support, and place-sensitive service design. As debates continue about the future of employability services across the UK, the experiences of Work Coaches in Northern Ireland provide valuable lessons for policymakers seeking to create more effective, responsive, and person-centred employment support systems.

A key aim of the policy brief is to translate frontline experiences into practical, system-level recommendations that can support policy development and service improvement. The full policy briefing provides detailed actions, evidence base and potential impact.

Drawing on the research findings, we propose five recommendations:

1. Undertake a workforce capacity and role-alignment review of the Work Coach function within Northern Ireland’s employability system.
2. Introduce a differentiated caseload allocation model aligned to claimant need and complexity.
3. Improve transparency around Work Coach capacity, caseload pressures, and service demand.
4. Prioritise investment in Jobs and Benefits Offices as frontline employment-support environments.
5. Establish a structured professional development pathway for Work Coaches.

Collectively, these recommendations offer opportunities to strengthen frontline delivery capability, improve claimant engagement, and support more effective personalised employment support across Northern Ireland. For me, this policy brief illustrates the value of translating research findings into formats that can directly inform policy and practice. Academic research generates important insights, but those insights have the greatest impact when they are accessible to the people responsible for designing, delivering, and improving public services. By capturing the lived experiences of Work Coaches, this research contributes to ongoing discussions about employability policy, labour market participation, and the future of frontline employment support.

Part of the EPIC Futures NI Partnership

This work forms part of the wider EPIC Futures NI project. EPIC Futures NI (Economic and Social Partnering for Inclusive Innovation and Collaboration) is a Local Policy Innovation Partnership led by Ulster University and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Innovate UK, and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). With a strong place-based focus, EPIC Futures NI brings together researchers, policymakers, businesses, and community and voluntary sector organisations to develop evidence-based solutions to challenges unique to Northern Ireland. Its overarching mission is: working together for fair and inclusive employment, helping to create a more prosperous, sustainable, and inclusive future for people and communities across Northern Ireland.

Find out more about EPIC Futures NI: https://www.epicfuturesni.org/