Benefits of Establishing an Employee Mentoring Program

Employee mentoring programs can be an informal way to improve morale and increase employee retention while helping employees improve their skills and grow within your company. Establishing a viable mentoring program is inexpensive but it can offer a big payoff.

Traditionally, mentoring has been reserved for introducing promising new employees to company operations and culture. And that still works well. Assigning seasoned staff members to look out for new employees, show them the ropes, and serve as a kind of in-house ombudsman is an excellent way to achieve a smooth acclimation. Many experts suggest that every new employee should be partnered with a mentor for at least the first three months on the job.

But newbies aren’t the only employees who can benefit from mentoring. More and more companies promote mentor relationships for promising existing employees who want to develop additional skills and experience. Creating a formal mentoring program for existing employees and new hires can help you shape not only the future of employees but of the department and even the business as a whole. 

Choosing Mentors

There are a slew of consultants who can come into a company and help delegate mentoring tasks to staff. But small businesses rarely need this level of assistance because owners and managers tend to know firsthand who will likely make a good mentor.

Mentors must be experienced in their jobs and the company so they can impart valuable insider knowledge to their mentees. Equally important is their ability to communicate and teach. But perhaps the most critical trait in a good mentor is someone who is not just willing to do it but actually wants to do it. Incentivizing through rewards and recognition is also a good idea to ensure a mentor’s investment in and commitment to the program.

When choosing effective mentors at your company, look for employees who possess these attributes:

• Patience
• Willingness to help fellow employees
• Strong verbal skills
• Ability to multitask
• Good rapport with co-workers
• Positive attitude
• Common sense

Establishing a Viable Program

As with any program, mentoring only works when you create clearly defined goals. These should be set for the program as a whole (i.e., the desired outcome for the company), for the mentees (i.e., the kind of growth to be attained), and for the mentors (i.e., successful conclusion of mentoring duties). The methods and makeup of a mentoring system depend largely on what the company wants to accomplish, but every program should have tangible metrics in place to measure success.

Many mentoring programs are geared toward general development, helping employees maximize productivity and potential. This can be an excellent way to boost retention and employee satisfaction. Other mentoring programs are designed for specific purposes, such as the following:

• Working with mentees while they are in training, as a way to enhance skills and to build knowledge of the company’s direction and objectives
• Navigating interdepartmental conflicts, company mergers, or other major changes to help make confusing and complicated times less stressful and isolating for employees
• Prepping promoted employees for their new positions and helping them once they have made the transition

Oftentimes, companies ask all mentors to meet regularly (weekly or biweekly) with management to report back and exchange information. This can be effective for some companies because they can learn what’s working and what isn’t and make corrections along the way. This can also provide a valuable support system for mentors who are often under additional stress.

But while asking mentors to meet regularly can be useful to some, it can be burdensome to others. After all, mentors are already peeling off valuable time from their regular jobs to mentor. They may resent being forced to spend more time away from their jobs. Many companies, therefore, choose to establish the program, give mentors a defined period of time with their mentees, and then check back when that period is up to see if goals have been achieved and if mentees are ready to fly on their own.

In all cases, mentoring programs work best when companies clearly define the program objectives and requirements, select and pair mentors and mentees wisely, and communicate the program goals to all participants.

When mentors and mentees build a successful partnership, it can be one of the most powerful tools a company can use to ensure a company’s long-term health.