5 Steps to creating mentorship programs in the workplace

It’s no secret that a strong mentorship program can be an invaluable asset for any business. Workplace coaching is designed to encourage personal and professional development through the sharing of skills, experiences and insights.

Employees presented with opportunities for professional growth are shown to be more engaged, dedicated and motivated towards their work.

What are mentorship programs at work?

A mentorship program can help new hires find their feet and gain a better understanding of how to achieve their career goals.

Through a scheme such as this, an experienced figure provides training to other employees to reach their professional goals by offering advice, providing support and answering questions.

Why should employees be involved in mentoring programs?

In companies that promote a learning culture, employees are already engaged in learning and development through informal coaching relationships. A common example of this would be when a senior employee is paired with a junior employee in a buddy system to assist in learning.

Having formal development initiatives in place can empower employees to provide training to their peers. By showing initiative in peer development, senior staff are able to hone their leadership skills and build a stronger portfolio for career advancement.

It also gives employees the chance to share their knowledge and expertise with others, which can be a great way to build rapport and trust within the workplace.

Mentoring programs can help employees within the organisation reach their short and long-term career goals. This improves employee engagement and reduces employee turnover while simultaneously building a more inclusive workplace culture.

While the experience is often highly rewarding for everyone involved, it can still pose a number of challenges. Therefore, both parties involved as mentoring pairs must use clear and concise communication in order to extract the most value.

What are the benefits of a mentorship program?

Mentorship programs are highly beneficial for a variety of employees- whether it be for those who have only recently entered the workforce or those looking to learn new skills.

Not to mention, these kinds of schemes can help businesses nurture and retain top talent, boost workplace engagement and foster personal and professional growth.

By offering long-term support, both the mentor and mentee stand to gain a number of benefits, such as:

• Stronger people and leadership skills
• Effective communication skills
• Alternate perspectives
• Broader networks
• Increased confidence

The most successful professional development initiatives are those which acknowledge the importance of a strong mentor/mentee relationship. Without understanding how both parties can be beneficial to each other, the teachings lose their effectiveness.

How to structure a mentoring program

Mentoring programs do not take a ‘one size fits all’ approach. Each organisation and its workplace are different, meaning your initiatives should reflect those differences.

Although it’s important to tailor each initiative to your organisation’s individual needs, there are a few points that are relevant to all working environments.

1. Define goals

To get started, you need to define the parameters of your mentorship program and what you want to achieve from it.

Perhaps you want to create an environment that makes your workplace more appealing to potential recruits. Or maybe it’s one that focuses on integrating onboarding activities to help new hires build their confidence in the workplace Another option could be developing a scheme that nurtures an experienced employee into a leadership and management position.

You want to focus your energy on where your business will benefit most. This means identifying who will be involved and why they are key to achieving your goals.

By setting measurable, clear and attainable objectives, you will have a better understanding of what needs to be accomplished.

In order for your business to be set up for success with development schemes, it’s important for the leadership team to be on board. Without support from leadership, it can be difficult to plan effectively and fund resources.

2. Describe how it will work

Well-organised mentorship programs offer structure and support to maximise their value. Although each development scheme will be different, it’s important to outline:

• How can employees access the scheme?
• Who can be a mentor (what level of experience or qualifications are required)?
• The duration of the scheme
• Whether it will be in a one-to-one format, group setting, in person or through virtual mentoring
• What will successful development initiatives look like? Can these be tracked and measured?

While mentors and mentees are encouraged to meet on a regular face-to-face basis, technology has allowed virtual mentoring programs due to the ease of knowledge sharing and resources through a variety of useful online platforms.

The best part about these resources is they allow parties to effectively meet any time, anywhere, meaning remote employees can also join in on the fun.

By tracking progress from enrollment through to completion, you’re able to evaluate the effectiveness of the scheme on both parties and your company initiatives.

Be sure to reach out to team members involved in the scheme for feedback. This information can help you restructure or improve future mentorship programs, so they are more reflective of the current needs of the company.

3. Select each participant

Development thrives on diversity. If you want your mentorship program to be effective, it needs a diverse set of employees to share their thoughts, ideas and experiences. By doing so, both parties can identify strengths and weaknesses for improvement and how they can work together to achieve this.

Start by reaching out to staff to see who is interested in participating. Once you have an idea of who might be involved, you can gather useful details about each participant, such as their industry background, key skills, values and challenges. Ask your prospective mentors what it is they’d most like to provide their mentees and how they intend on delivering this.

It’s vital businesses choose mentors who are dedicated, passionate and respected either within or external to the company. Select mentees based on their commitment to growth opportunities within their careers or upskilling their core competencies.

To do so, ask yourself:

• What stages are our mentees and mentors at in their professional journeys?
• What educational needs and goals will the initiative address?
• How can we motivate people to participate?

4. Pair mentors with mentees

The strengths and weaknesses of a mentee should be complimented and balanced by those of a mentor. To facilitate an enriching experience, it’s important to be mindful of who you’re pairing with and why.

Mentees should be matched based on a number of criteria, for instance:

• Diverse yet complementary interests and hobbies
• Compatible personality types (can be identified through personality assessments)
• Generational similarities
• Experience, skills and insights that meet the mentee’s future career goals

5. Provide continuous support and training

Before, during and after the scheme, you should provide involved employees with ongoing training and development to help them throughout the process Mentors must also learn how to balance their own expectations and company objectives.

To facilitate this, start by discussing:

• What is a workplace mentorship program?
• What are the benefits?
• What skills are needed?
• What is the initiative’s duration?
• What is the structure?

These questions can be addressed one-on-one or in a classroom-style discussion. There are many different ways to structure a development scheme for your workplace. It involves having a mentor demonstrate a new skill to their mentee, then watch and observe them in action to issue constructive feedback.

Remember that the majority of people learn by doing, so keep this top of mind when developing a mentorship program. Although a mentee will see how an action or task is done, they also need to put theory to practice. Try to encourage as much involvement from both parties as possible.

The wrap-up

The goal of mentorship programs is to equip your employees with the necessary tools for success. Having a structured and organised scheme will allow goal-oriented employees to advance their skills and broaden their skill sets.

The best part is that you’re able to utilise the resources and connections your company already has. This means it’s a far more cost-effective learning incentive for your business. Providing opportunities for growth will help your company build a stronger, more connected and collaborative work culture.

Utilising a tool like Employment Hero’s Employment OS (operating system) can help your business navigate everything from setting up mentorship programs, finding and hiring top talent using SmartMatch to seamlessly onboarding new hires, automating complex payroll, and driving employee engagement and morale.

One system, everything employment. Find out how we can help by requesting a demo today.