A mentoring program in the workplace is a great tool to provide junior or new employees with guidance about the organization, their place within the market and their own professional future. By having a mentoring program, a company can benefit its members throughout all levels of the organizational structure, something that logically will help the company grow and become more competitive and efficient.
Here in Suzzanne Uhland’s Blog, we have talked about many aspects of the mentoring relationship and how it benefits both parties involved, but today we want to use the opportunity to focus more on the organization. Companies are the breeding grounds of mentoring relationships and being such, they are also greatly benefitted by promoting, sponsoring and encouraging the continuous utilization of this amazing business tool. Mentors, employees, organizations and the professions involved are all beneficiaries of the great work that can be accomplished through mentoring and that is why companies that employ this tool and take it seriously can see the difference compared to those that choose not to.
Employee Career Development
Everybody knows that employees that are educated and given the time and tools to worry about their own career development, will become even more valuable to the organization and will most likely choose to stay on board longer. It goes a long way to educate your workforce as they will become more efficient and at the same time understand how much the company cares about their own future. Mentoring is a way to continue the education of your employees and enhancing their value for the organization.
Lower Turnover
As we mentioned before, happy and educated employees will stay with the company. The reduction of turnover rate is not something that is affected only by the training of your employees, but also by many other factors that makes them feel valued within the company. Your mentors are key into the reduction of those turnover rates as their advice is crucial to their mentees and their help building the skills necessary to stay relevant and overcome possible professional frustration and adversity.
Development of Company Leadership
Mentees are undergoing valuable training that is turning them into the future leaders of your company. At the same time, your current leadership is polishing their skills and facing daily challenges provided by their participation in the mentoring program. These programs are one of the greatest ways to enhance leadership skills in the organization without having to go outside seeking that training.
Time Saving
Mentoring programs are great at saving time spent finding solutions to challenges and answers to concerns that may be raised by your workforce. Mentors are also great tools for training your new employees and thus reducing the time they have to spend in formal training when taking a more “on-the-job” approach. This way of training is great because it introduces the employees to the challenges of the real world instead of the possible scenarios they can find in a training classroom. The quality of mentoring doesn’t compare and it will prepare your people better for what they will have to face in the market.
Diversity
Mentoring is a great way to bring employees together to share their opinion, knowledge, and ideas in a way that is not as formal and that allows for a more comfortable platform for an exchange of that information. We all understand the immense importance of a workforce that is diverse and that is able to bring all of those skills together in order to enrich their work experience.
Perspective
Mentors and mentees can provide each other with a unique perspective about the way they approach challenges. These types of exchanges are extremely valuable for all parties involved, including the company itself. Think about the way mentees are able to see things from the perspective of your customers more often than employees that have been with the company for long. That type of insight can also be reserved when a person who has been with the organization for a long time, is able to teach their mentee how the goals of the company align with everyday operations.
Networking
Business mentors occupy their position because of all the hard work and experience they bring to the table. It is obvious that these types of people understand the business environment quite well and can help mentees find contacts with people who may be the solutions they are looking for in their own predicaments. Companies are greatly benefited by having employees who are well connected within the organization just as much as if they are also well connected externally.
Someone To Talk To
Mentors are great people for mentees to vent about their own frustrations within the organization in a way they feel safe and that will give answers considering not just one side, but instead the entire spectrum of the issue. Mentoring partners always work together to find solutions, so giving that opportunity to your employees will save you the trouble of people leaving your company because they feel they do not have a place where to voice their concerns.
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