Show Your Employees You Care: Start A Mentorship Program

Did you know that 75 percent of millennials view mentoring programs as critical to their career growth? With insights from Ben Reuveni, CEO of Gloat and its InnerMobility Platform, in this article we discuss:

• What is mentoring?
• How mentoring programs can help your organization
• Three mentoring platforms to choose from
   

Modern job seekers consider several different workplace perks and benefits besides compensation before deciding to accept a role. And while companies make an effort to deliver perks that will attract and retain employees, one of the perks they often overlook is mentorship opportunities. According to researchOpens a new window , 75 percent of millennial candidates believe that mentoring programs are key to their professional success and actively seek out mentors to further their career goals.

Adding to this, Ben Reuveni, CEO of GloatOpens a new window and its InnerMobility PlatformOpens a new window , in an exclusive with HR Technologist, says, “A recent McCarthyOpens a new window study emphasizes this reality, as they found 68% of millennials with a mentor plan to stay in their role for over five years.” The InnerMobility Platform is an artificial intelligence-powered tool that enables seamless internal mobility for employees in an organization.

Interestingly, even in companies where mentoring programs are offered, they are usually viewed as an HR duty – an organizational practice merely part of the protocol. What is missing is genuine involvement by key leaders who can offer mentorship and an understanding of what mentoring could achieve for the workforce.

Learn more: 4 Reasons to Start a Mentoring Program in 2019Opens a new window

What Is a Mentorship Program?

A mentorship program pairs an employee with established knowledge, skill sets, and experience with another worker/team who may just be starting out or requires guidance to do their job and consequently develop skills for their career. This opportunity aids the mentee in career progression and imbibing new capabilities.

The biggest difference between a mentorship program and a formal learning and developmentOpens a new window (L&D) program is that the advice in a mentorship program is always semi-structured, even if the program is formalized.

Also, mentoring programs work towards building a relationship between the “mentee and mentor,” with both parties gaining from the engagement. The mentee learns how to achieve goals more rapidly, helped by real-world experiences. The mentor develops leadership skills from this rewarding relationship.

Mentorship is built upon a culture of caring, without targeting any direct outcome. Employees can learn freely, chart their own growth path, and frequently challenge the views of their mentors.

Most importantly, says Ben, “Mentorship programs reinforce to employees that the company is dedicated to their progression and personal growth, that employers are actively interested in hearing their employees’ thoughts and wants, and this serves as an inevitable boost to the mindset and thus productivity of employees.”

Three Unexpected Benefits of Mentorship Programs

In addition to learning and educational advantages, mentoring programs can offer several benefits for an organization:

1. Lower turnover rates due to a high degree of engagement

Mentoring programs allow managers and team leaders to anticipate workplace issues and address ongoing ones in real time. Thanks to regular conversations, early signs of employee frustration can be detected, initiating remediation as required. Employees who are retained in this manner become highly skilled over the course of mentoring programs, adding genuine value to the organization.

2. Increase work focus and save time

Employees – especially new hires – often have queries and concerns that can take up a sizeable portion of their workday. Mentorship programs expedite resolution, giving team members an accessible channel to direct their questions. As a result, tasks are finished faster and overall productivity rises. Also, by assigning project-specific mentors, organizations can streamline knowledge sharing and ensure their employees are performing optimally.

3. Better develop future leaders

In positions of seniority, mentoring programs play a vital role in succession planning. Employees are prepared to step into leadership roles. “A mentorship program will enhance mentees’ soft skills, teaching them how to be effective mentors as they rise up through the company, ensuring the benefits are maintained and continued,” adds Ben.

In addition, current managers hone their leadership capabilities, and relationships are strengthened so that the new leaders find ready acceptance among the workforce.

Learn more:

A Career in Learning and Development: 10 Must-Have Skills to Make It Big in 2020Opens a new window

HR Technology Options to Consider for your Mentorship Program

“Embrace the latest technology,” asserts Ben. “To continuously refine and improve the program, utilize the latest AI and tech to easily gather feedback from both sides and use that data to continuously enhance the mentorship program and its goals. Moreover, technology can help seamlessly pair mentors and mentees.”

Some tech options you can consider for a mentorship program are:

• If microlearning is part of your mentoring strategy, consider Harvard ManageMentor SparkOpens a new window , a solution from Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. It is geared specifically for leadership development and encourages interest in emerging areas such as authenticity, big data and analytics, design thinking, and emotional intelligence.
• For organizations working with federal contracts, there is a new Small Business Association’s Mentor-Protégé ProgramOpens a new window available. This is led by an alliance between public sector-focused HCM company, Management Concepts and Pivotal Practices Consulting, the leadership training services developer. The program has been designed to help firms compete for federal contracts by connecting them with approved mentors who can offer developmental support.
• To adopt mentoring programs on a flexible, affordable model, MentorCloud Spark Opens a new window is a cloud-based SaaS platform that allows employees to discover, connect with, and learn from experts within their own company. MentorCloud Spark wants to solve the disengagement challenge through effective mentoring programs and one-on-one sessions among peers.
   

Mentorship platforms “smartly match employees with the right person in the company to maximize their personal development, freeing up managers time and increasing the chances of success,” says Ben.

What else should the platform offer? According to Ben, it should be powered to compile data and offer actionable insights so that the program achieves its goals. “Finally, the platform should make mentor/mentee interactions easy and thus reduce any friction in building meaningful relationships.”

Learn more: Reverse Mentoring – A Powerful Tool for Skill DevelopmentOpens a new window

Key Takeaways for HR

Mentoring programs are a win-win for all concerned, helping develop leadership skills, allowing recruits to settle into their job faster, and driving greater productivity for the organization. This is why mentoring programs should not be viewed only as HR protocol – rather, they should be embraced as part of the organizational ethos, executed on a purely voluntary basis.

Whether it is peer-to-peer relationships at an entry level, career mentoring during the early years, or life mentors who could even outlast the employee’s organizational tenure, mentoring programs can be a highly effective way to engage employees and show them that you care.

What is your approach to implementing mentorships in your organization? Share your valuable insights with us on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We would love to hear from you.