Supporting Transitions and Building Resolution Skills at the Met Office

Image credit: Met Office careers

As the UK’s national weather service, the Met Office plays a vital role in providing accurate weather and climate forecasts to help protect lives and infrastructure. Behind this high-pressure, purpose-driven environment is a diverse team of professionals who work across science, technology, operations, and policy, often in challenging and fast-paced roles.

The Met Office has long recognised the importance of supporting its people, not only in times of crisis, but through the everyday transitions that shape a person’s working life. That ethos has made them a committed partner in proactive people and culture development.

Coaching to Support Employee Transitions

Recently, The Met Office has pioneered a return-to-work coaching programme in partnership with Engage Coaching by The TCM Group. The programme provides dedicated one-to-one coaching sessions for employees returning after periods of sick leave, maternity leave, or other extended absences.

These sessions offer a vital opportunity to pause, reflect and realign. Employees receive personalised, confidential support from our expert coach, helping them:

• Rebuild confidence
• Reconnect with their professional identity
• Realign personal and organisational objectives
• Navigate the practical and emotional transitions of re-entry

This proactive investment helps reduce the likelihood of repeat absence, resignation, or a decline in work quality – common risks following long-term leave. Just as importantly, it sends a clear cultural message: that the Met Office values and supports its people holistically, not just when they are “at their desk”.

Training in Early Resolution and Mediation

The Met Office has also invested in developing internal capability to manage conflict and conversations constructively. Their team completed TCM’s Routes to Resolution training course, which provides practical skills for addressing concerns early, informally, and fairly.

Feedback from delegates highlighted the course’s impact:

“Excellent training that makes you want to preach the benefits of mediation!” — Sarah Leach, Met Office

“The trainer, Marie Coombes, was extremely knowledgeable both in theory and practice. Her relaxed, informal style meant that the course was moulded as the day developed to suit our needs and experience. It was a very useful refresher.” — Joanna Harris, Employee Relations Advisor, Met Office

Outcomes and Impact

Together, these coaching and training initiatives demonstrate the Met Office’s commitment to building a transformational culture: one rooted in empathy, proactivity, and skilful dialogue. By addressing challenges before they escalate and providing tailored support at pivotal career moments, the Met Office is:

• Enhancing employee wellbeing
• Strengthening retention and engagement
• Reducing long-term sickness absence
• Equipping teams with tools to resolve conflict and communicate effectively

A Model of Proactive Practice

The Met Office’s return-to-work coaching programme is a powerful example of preventative, people-centred practice in action. Informed by insight, shaped by compassion, and delivered with professionalism, it shows how coaching and resolution work hand in hand to create a more resilient, high-performing workforce. Crucially, it’s an excellent example of coaching as a first-line tool – a proactive investment in wellbeing and performance, rather than a reactive intervention.

What makes this relationship even more impactful is the ongoing partnership model in place. Rather than commissioning support ad hoc, the Met Office has established a dedicated TCM service pot — a flexible arrangement that allows them to access coaching, training, or cultural consultancy as and when the need arises.

This model gives their team the confidence and agility to respond to emerging needs quickly, without unnecessary bureaucracy or delay. It reflects a trusted partnership, built on shared values, responsiveness, and a joint commitment to making a difference.

Janine Hodge, ER Specialist at The Met Office shared, “TCM’s mediation approach worked best for us because the services offers both a quick turnaround for cases and extensive aftercare. Early intervention was needed to nip conflict in the bud”. 

Think of it as having an umbrella ready, even when the sun is shining. It’s there when it’s needed most, and always part of the forecast for a healthier workplace culture.

Interested in doing the same?

If you’re looking to support colleagues through key transitions, reduce absence, or embed a resolution-first culture in your organisation, we’d love to help.

Get in touch to explore how our coaching, training or cultural development programmes can support your people to thrive, at every stage of their journey.