About mentorship programmes
Mentorship programmes involve assigning existing employees at a company to provide support for new recruits. These assigned employees are different from the new recruits' direct superiors. They are selected from people around the same age or with a similar employment history as the new employees. These programmes ensure that new employees have someone who they can easily talk to if they have any issues.
Typically, the more experienced employee who provides support is called a "mentor,". The new employee who receives support is called a "mentee."
Differences from coaching programmes
Coaching programmes are similar to mentorships. They involve experienced employees called “coaches” who provide support to new recruits or younger employees.
However, mentoring is different to coaching. Coaching programmes focus on providing support in terms of tasks at work. Mentorship programmes mainly function to give individual support regarding interpersonal relationships and career development. To put it in simple terms, mentorship does not involve support for the actual work at hand. As such, people are not selected as mentors if they belong to the same division as the mentee, because they may have direct vested interests in how tasks progress.
Goals in implementing mentorship programmes
One of the reasons why the resignation rate of young employees is rising is that they have no senior colleagues to whom they can talk about their problems in the workplace. Another factor is that the environment makes it difficult for them to confide their worries. With the seniority system now disappearing, employees are sometimes worried that they will be overtaken by newer or younger employees. Junior employees are easily seen as competitors or rivals, leading to employees becoming isolated from each other.
Companies are therefore implementing mentorship programmes to alleviate these problems. The result is a revitalised company, increased employee satisfaction and ultimately a lower resignation rate.
Guidelines and training for implementing mentorship programmes
Companies are taking a wide range of approaches with regard to guidelines for implementing mentorship programmes. Some are producing guidelines on an in-house basis. Others are consulting the "Manual on the Adoption of the Mentor System and the Promotion of Role Models," by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
Some companies preparing their own custom guidelines in a way that is tailored to their circumstances. This is achieved by ensuring that employees understand the purpose and significance of the mentorship programme. We also need to ensure that employees are committed to gaining new insights and best practices each year.
Advantages of mentorship programmes
The greatest advantage of mentorship programmes is that they stimulate communication within the company. There is also an ongoing bond between each wave of employees and the next. With new recruits changing roles from mentees to mentors and guiding younger employees, this process is called the “mentoring chain”. It's indicative of how mentorship programmes help cultivate interpersonal relationships that span across departments.
Employees serving as mentors strive to work in a more independent manner. They tend to act with responsibility, as they wish to set a good example for the new wave of employees. This may also encourage mentors to consider how to shape their careers in the future. In this way, mentorship programmes promote growth among mentors as well as mentees.
In addition, the presence of a mentorship programme enables employees to feel free to discuss anything with each other, making them feel more comfortable at the company. This contributes to lower resignation rates.
Drawbacks of and areas requiring caution in mentorship programmes
Mentorship programmes do have disadvantages, as well as areas that need careful attention from those looking to implement them. These issues are listed below.
- Mentors need to offer support for their mentees on top of managing their daily tasks, increasing their workloads.
- If the mentor works together with the mentee, the mentee may find it hard to discuss work issues out of concern.
- Different mentors will provide different degrees of support to their mentees.
It's essential to create dedicated initiatives and to ensure employees understand what their mentorship programme is aiming to achieve. For example, mentors can incorporate the level of contribution as a mentor into employees' evaluation criteria. Another one is to encourage all staff to understand the goals of mentorship, and holding company training sessions about mentorship.
How to find and appoint mentors
When assigning mentors for young employees, it's ideal to focus on employees in their third year of work or later. If a mentor communicates well with the mentee and demonstrates capability in their role, it may be productive to have them work as a mentor. It can be for two years in a row, or on every other year. It is also helpful to appoint promising mentors to give advice to other employees who have just started as mentors.
The most important thing that any mentor-to-be needs is the ability to listen to what other people have to say. It is crucial to ensure that all mentors have a strong understanding about the role of mentorship programmes. This helps avoid situations of mentors not paying due attention or speaking about themselves when they ought to listen.
Methods for matching mentors with mentees
Decisions on which mentor should be appointed are often carried out by HR departments. It's based on the personality and characteristics of each person involved.
If the mentee is a new graduate, the HR personnel involved in recruiting will have a better understanding of the mentee. They can also recommend the right employee who will serve as the mentor.
However, in large organisations, it may be difficult to keep up to date on the characteristics of each employee. In this case, it is advisable to aim for combinations where each mentor and mentee can meet each other easily. For example, making matches between employees who are on the same floor but from different divisions or governed by different departments.
The significance and advantages of becoming a mentor
An advantage of being a mentor is that you can develop your own brand. For employees who have worked at the same company since graduating from university, becoming a mentor can signify being recognised by the company as a capable worker.
Not everyone is fit to be a mentor. People are only selected if they can offer suitable advice to others and can empathise with them.
The drawbacks of becoming a mentor
Serving as a mentor may not directly affect an employee's assessment of performance at work. Older employees will almost always be asked to serve as a mentor. It's vital to consider this role as an important part of nurturing new employees, rather than focusing on the downsides.
What actually happens in mentorship programmes?
Mentors hold regular sessions with their mentees. They listen to their concerns on how to make progress in their tasks as well as general concerns about work. Ultimately, they aim to help mentees reach a solution. When offering guidance, it's best for mentors not to present a definite answer straight away. Instead, work to encourage their mentee to think on their own to find a solution that suits them.
When it comes to concerns about work, it's the mentor's role to listen compassionately to the mentee. The most important element in mentorship is creating an environment where mentees can easily talk to their mentors.
In many cases, there are no strict rules on how mentors should create opportunities for communication with their mentees. It is perfectly fine to schedule formal meetings with mentees, or to have a relaxed chat over a coffee. While companies may have different guidelines, it's crucial to develop an environment where mentees can easily consult with mentors.
What to do if you notice a mentee experiencing distress
Many mentors will contact HR if they notice that their mentee is experiencing distress. It's advisable to contact HR personnel and wait for the HR department to take action.
Mentors should aim to foster trusted relationships with their mentees. So that they can avoid issues where mentees may object to their mentors having spoken with HR. Or where mentees may take offence at their mentors talking behind their backs.
When mentoring a new employee
If the mentee has just joined the workforce after graduating from university, it is ideal to focus mainly on advice. Share about how to approach work and the responsibilities that it involves. It is also necessary to give guidance on how to communicate with companies and interpersonal relationships in the office.
When mentoring a younger employee with less than five years of experience
After seeing other new employees and gaining competence, mentees may seek to test their new skills at another company. Focus on offering advice on how to shape their future careers while working in their current company.
Points to consider for mentorship programmes aimed at women in the workplace
Share advice about working while raising children, improving work skills, and other issues faced by women in the workplace. When selecting mentors in these programmes, it's ideal to appoint women in managerial roles. Women who continue to work while also taking care of their children are also desirable. These mentors can help develop the next wave of female employees. They will then serve as inspiration for many more women to work in the office.
Points to consider for mentorship programmes aimed at executives
Some companies have mentorship programmes where executives and even the head of the company take the role of mentees. This means regular employees offer them advice as mentors. These programmes aim for employees to give guidance to executives about the latest trends on social media for example. This helps to bridge the generational gap, as well as to close the distance between employees and their managers. Through sessions about raising children and maintaining a healthy work-life balance, executives can learn about issues faced by employees. They can then leverage their authority in order to create new company systems to accommodate employees' needs.
Mentorship programmes provide attractive results in reducing resignation rates. However, careful effort is needed to ensure that the company and its employees appreciate the merits of these programmes. Companies experiencing difficulties with employee retention may wish to consider steps towards implementing mentorships.
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