Human Resources is a vital component of any company. The HR department is responsible for recruiting and training new employees, administering benefits and policies, and helping to ensure company success. All key pieces of a business' growth efforts.
With a finger on the pulse of their company, HR professionals are also in a unique position to assess the skills and needs of your employees in order to build an effective mentoring program.
Mentoring programs are one of the best ways to give your people what they need to be the best version of themselves. It's a great way to help professionals with career growth, groom executives for the next promotion, enhance leadership skills, or onboard new hires into your company.
Mentoring programs are often created to benefit entry to mid-level professionals as they progress through their careers, but they're also highly effective for senior-level executives.
About Mentoring...
Mentoring can either be the result of a 3rd party program instituted by your company or organization, or it can develop organically. Both types are beneficial, but organic mentor/mentee relationships tend to be somewhat less formal. There's likely to be a level of informality in every mentor/mentee relationship, and that's completely fine.
A mentee should be able to let their guard down, confide in their mentor, and not have to worry about office politics. In fact, office politics could easily be a topic of conversation. That being said, mentor/mentee confidentiality can be a little tricky. There's no law saying a mentor has to keep everything their mentee says confidential, but it's extremely bad practice to betray trust within the relationship. A good mentee should be aware of what information is appropriate to share, and a good mentor should remain professional with the information they're given.
What Makes a Good Mentor?
A good mentor is available as needed for counsel, and also provides timely advice when they see an opportunity for coaching. They encourage and celebrate good behavior, and they help point out and correct negative behavior. Anyone with wisdom to share about their industry, field, or role can make a good mentor.
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What About Being a Mentee?
It's not completely up to the mentor to make the relationship work, the mentee's role is equally important. The best advice for being a good mentee, is to remain receptive and open. A good mentee should enter into the relationship with the desire to improve and learn as much as possible from their mentor. Communication is extremely important too - the mentor is there to help, a mentee should never hesitate to reach out. It's a collaborative effort, and it requires work on both parts.
Mentorship as a Recruiting Benefit
Today's workforce is very focused on career growth and professional development. From interns to senior executives, the majority see networking and learning opportunities as a huge benefit - often more important than social events and traditional office perks. This is especially true as we move to a much more virtual workforce where building relationships in the office is getting a lot harder. By implementing a mentoring program you can attract more skilled talent, and stand out from the competition. Not only is it a benefit in itself, it shows your company cares about its people and is focused on improving and providing value as they grow in their career. On the flip side, mentoring your current employees helps to ensure they're happy, stay with you longer, and gain the skills/knowledge that will allow them to be transferred within the company in order to meet your organization's needs.
Mentoring is beneficial to practically any industry, and any level of employee. For recruiting new talent, it can even be a great selling feature - especially with a younger workforce who is eager to learn, grow, and build their network. Mentoring is a great tool that can strengthen your workforce, and your company.
