Another great tool that you can do to provide to help employees grow and develop is a Workplace Mentoring Program. What it Workplace mentoring?
Mentoring is an effective way to provide professional development and to enhance learning in the workplace. The mentoring relationship is a special relationship built on trust, encouragement, and targeted development. A mentor is a teacher, coach, and advisor who provide guidance and opportunities for learning and professional growth to another employee. Companies usually match more experienced employees (mentors) with less experienced employees (mentees). I would also encourage employees initiating their own matches if they feel comfortable in doing so.
A Workplace Mentoring Program is a 6-12-month program that provides a series of developmental experiences for a number of carefully matched mentoring pairs. The primary goal of the relationship is the professional growth and development especially with regard to future management and leadership assignments. Other benefits include learning how to communicate with your supervisor, learning worklife balance, preparing for a job promotion, etc. Through the mentoring relationship, the mentor has the opportunity to coach, guide and share experiences and knowledge which will contribute to the mentee (or Protégé’s) growth. Mentoring opportunities will vary according to the needs and interests of the mentee and the organization. Mentoring relationships require time, commitment, and clear plans of action.
The benefits of an organization that actively supports mentoring are numerous:
• Deliberate, systematic knowledge transfer
• Methods of providing job specific knowledge and insight for those positions requiring experience, judgment, discretion and “soft skills” in order to be effective
• Means to create and reinforce a positive organizational culture
• Opportunities to shape the workforce of the future in an intentional, deliberate way to meet the agency’s strategic goals and objectives
• Structured learning for employees assuming new or expanded responsibilities
• Identification of talent and development of organizational leadership
Benefits to Mentees:
• Personal and professional growth
• Increased morale
• Increased organizational productivity and career development,
• Acquisition of new technical, interpersonal and/or leadership skills
• One-on-one opportunities to know and understand the agency from the inside out
• Expanded relationships within a profession and/or an agency
• Opportunity to mentor other employees in the future
Benefits to Mentors:
• Opportunities for mentors to hone their own coaching, counseling and leadership skills
• Development of new professional and organizational contacts
• Exposure to new ideas, technologies and perspectives through their relationship with mentees
• Personal satisfaction
• Expanded relationships built on mutual trust and shared learning
What the Statistics Say:
• A survey of Fortune 500 companies showed 96% reporting that mentoring was an important employee development tool. 75% said it was a key factor in their own personal success.
• 71% of Fortune 500 companies and private companies use mentoring in their organizations.
• 77% of companies that have a mentoring program indicate that it improved both employee retention and job performance.
• A survey of college and graduate students showed that 60% said mentoring is a key factor in job selection.
• 15-20% of standard formal training is relevant to employee needs, because it is designed for everyone. Mentoring allows for instruction and advice to be tailored to the individual needs of the mentee.
• A survey reported in Fortune in January 2000 indicated that of the top 25 firms, 76% offer mentoring programs.
The role of the mentee is to develop mutually agreeable goals for the mentoring relationship that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely. Mentees should take responsibility for establishing expectations between the mentor and mentee. The more a mentee can ommunicate openly and honestly with the mentor, the more benefits he/she will recieve from the mentoring partnership.
The mentor has an easier job. They just need to show up, listen, ask questions and guide the mentee. You and the mentee can come up with action items after each session to help the mentee achieve his/her goals.
More and more public and private agencies and organizations are creating formal mentoring programs for various reasons. However, successful mentoring programs do not just happen. Organizations must first make a strong business case to demonstrate why the organization should devote the time, attention and resources required to make a formal mentoring program work.
Just as every mentoring relationship is dynamic and unique, formal mentoring programs are likely to differ substantially between agencies and occupations. While there may not be a “one-size-fits-all” program appropriate to companies or government, there are some basic elements that should be incorporated into every mentoring program. Organizations must establish clear goals and outcomes for the program. They must get “Buy-In” by management, participants and key stakeholders. You will need a motivated individual to market, develop a handbook with mentoring materials, match pairs, train, encourage and evaluate the program.
Click here for a video to an Employee Mentoring Program Celebration to see the value of mentoring in your organization.
If you need help developing your program or someone to lead your Mentoring Orientation or Trainings, I can assist you!