How mentoring is important in the Workplace?
The purpose of mentoring is to tap into the existing knowledge, skills, and experience of senior or high performing employees and transfer these skills to newer or less experienced employees in order to advance their careers. When developed thoughtfully and intentionally, mentorship programs can be a powerful tool in recruiting and retaining employees.
Over 2/3 of US Gen Y-ers would take a pay cut to work at a company offering good mentorship opportunities. Here’s what to think about when setting up a workplace mentoring scheme.
What is a Mentor?
A mentor is someone who helps you develop your skills, make better decisions, and gain new perspectives on your life and career. As a mentee, your mentor will leverage their experience to give you guidance on your career.
Rather than self learning through trial and error, a Mentor is a person you can look to for direction and a role model to imitate. A true mentor is able to save you valuable time, so that you can succeed better and faster.
What makes a great mentor?
- They are great speakers or communicators
- They are senior employee or leader in the company
- They are industry leaders that are very knowledgeable
- They have a good reputation and personal image
- They are willing to share and impart skills and knowledge
- They are committed to spend their time and effort to nuture the new people in the organization
When should we start the mentoring?
The obvious way is to assign mentors when we onboard a new employee to the organization. However, we also need to be aware that the existing employee also needs it too. This will instantly give them a familiar face in the company, and immerse them in company culture from the start. They’ll also know they have someone to turn to with any questions.
Many may benefit from a mentor teaching them new tasks, help them further their career progression and deepen their involvement within the organization.