Mentorship programs can really help a company grow and keep its employees happy. Here's why they're so good and how to start one.
Research in the Human Resource Development Quarterly (2018) showed that mentorship programs significantly reduced turnover rates. Employees who participated in these programs were more likely to stay with their organisations due to the personalised development and career support they received.
Why Mentorship Programs Are Great
Faster Learning: New employees can learn quickly from experienced coworkers. It's like having a friendly expert to ask for help anytime. They’ve been in your shoes and are seasoned with the do’s and don'ts of the workspace.
Making Friends at Work: Mentorship helps people connect with others at work. When people feel connected, they usually enjoy their job more and want to stay longer. It helps break the monotonic nature of work.
Provides alternative perspectives: Connecting with a mentor often helps develop an optics that differs from mainstream. You begin to build a perspective of your workspace beyond mere assumptions/interpretations you make.
Growing New Leaders: Mentorship doesn't just help the new person (mentee). It also helps the experienced person (mentor) become a better leader.
Creating a Nice Work Environment: When a company has a mentorship program, it shows they care about helping their employees grow - it is an excellent employee engagement and retention strategy. This makes people feel valued and want to do their best work.
Keeping Good Employees: People who feel supported at work are more likely to stay with the company. Mentorship makes people feel like they belong and have a future at the company.
How to Start a Mentorship Program
Decide What You Want to Achieve: Think about why you want a mentorship program. Is it to help new employees settle in? To help people learn new skills? Defining this will help you plan better.
Get the Boss on Board: Make sure the leaders of the company think it's a good idea - their buy-ins are essential. Their support will help make a significant impact on the program..
Find Good Mentors: Look for people who are experienced and like helping others. Give them some training on how to be a good mentor. People who have been in the organisation for sometime can be potential mentors too.
Match People Carefully: Try to pair mentors and mentees who will work well together, but also come from different backgrounds, personalities, and career goals/aspirations.
Make Some Basic Rules: Decide how often mentors and mentees should meet and what they should talk about. This helps keep things on track.
Tell Everyone About the Program: Let all employees know about the mentorship program and how they can join. Leverage platforms such as ‘All-hands meet’, ‘Town Halls’ to talk about the programs and encourage interest.
Check How It's Going: Ask mentors and mentees how they're finding the program. Use their feedback to make it better. Use testimonials as a part of the organisation’s employer branding initiatives
Celebrate Good Things: When people in the program do well, make sure to celebrate it. This could be as simple as saying "well done" in a meeting or spotlighting it during annual programs.
Starting a mentorship program is a great way to help your employees grow and make your company stronger. It doesn't have to be complicated - just start small and see how it goes.
