Formal mentoring programmes involve mentors and mentees meeting up for frequent coaching sessions over a specified period of time. Within a company, these are often well-structured activities that are aligned with organisational objectives. According to insights on formal mentoring from LHH, approximately 70% of Fortune 500 companies have some form of mentorship programme. Surprisingly, it’s not just bigger companies with sophisticated HR infrastructures—there is also a massive growth in mentoring at smaller and medium-sized companies. Despite these numbers, however, most HR professionals have found that employers are still falling short in satisfying the demand for mentoring.
And this is a wasted opportunity. Almost all employees want to have meaningful conversations with more senior professionals on career development, company culture, mental health, and more. As discussed in this post “4 Reasons a Mentor is Crucial for Success”, mentorships can accelerate learning and network expansion for professionals, in all stages of their careers, as they receive advice on how to think for themselves. Here are some tips to help your company begin an effective mentorship programme:
Design the programme with a two-way approach in mind
A truly successful mentorship programme should go beyond tenured employees guiding new employees. Your organisation should set up some structure so your mid-career mentors will be re-energised from working with fresh blood. Setting aside days where mentees take over, for instance, could help. Instead of mentors providing instruction for mentees, you can flip the switch and have mentees teaching their mentors on the latest technologies, trends, and best practices in the industry.
Pay close attention in matching mentors and mentees
In a feature on mentoring for a sense of belonging by TrainingZone, 16 million office workers in the UK said they don’t feel a sense of belonging in their current company, with 72% of these respondents considering handing in their notice within the next year. Mentoring plays an important role in cultivating connection, particularly for remote workers. For effective mentoring partnerships, you should plan how to match candidates carefully. Start by preparing a solid profile for participants, including their:
- Professional backgrounds and experiences
- Personality traits and values
- Skills, strengths, and weaknesses
- Communication styles
- Developmental goals and needs
Keep in mind that pairing participants from different departments can work really well, if your goal is to promote cross-collaboration and internal networking. You can also create a self-matching system, where mentees can submit their top three choices for mentors.
Provide mentors with sufficient training
One study entitled “Relationship Between Mentor Retention and the Role of Personality: A Descriptive-Analytical Study” notes that retaining mentors are vital to organising a formal mentorship programme. More attention should be paid to identifying and analysing turnover intentions by mentors, as well as managing these intentions to decrease turnover rate. One problem that may discourage mentors is a lack of training. While most mentorships can thrive when left to themselves, some mentors may feel stuck if they’re unsure of what to do. Without direction, the mentorship can lose momentum. Be sure to train your mentors on the organisation’s goals and action plans before beginning the programme. You can also deliver timely and relevant resources at key points of the programme.
Measure the mentorship programme according to your goals
As a formal mentorship programme is a significant investment, you need to be able to show its positive impact to secure funding and support. Measuring the programme’s health also allows you to spot roadblocks and opportunities for improvement. Some KPIs to consider include participant satisfaction, participant engagement, learning and development score, and participant retention rates, to name a few. In your feedback survey, you should also ask mentors and mentees if they have any ideas they wish to suggest.