Is your small business actively mentoring new hires and freshly promoted workers? If not, you could be missing out on an important employee development tool. By adopting mentorship programs in the workplace, you can welcome new mentees, provide useful feedback, and help them advance in their careers. 

Plus, mentorship programs for adults provide major benefits for mentors as well. In one five-year study by Sun Microsystems, 28% of mentors were given a raise. However, only 5% of control workers achieved the same pay increase. By helping other employees as a mentor, mentors were also able to help themselves.

How To Create a Mentorship Program at Work

For an effective mentorship program structure, you can’t simply partner up a mentor pair and send them off. You need to train mentors, set up program goals, and determine the needs of each worker. Additionally, you’ll need to think of which surveys and techniques you need to evaluate your program’s effectiveness.

Design Your Program Template 

First, you need to design the workplace mentorship program template you will use. Besides figuring out who will be a mentor and how to train mentors, you’ll also need to determine the length and style of mentoring. For instance, an essential decision is whether you require situational mentoring or career mentoring. While situational mentoring focuses on a single goal or need, career mentoring extends over a longer time span and generally focuses on career advancement and the corporate ladder.

Determine the Right Participants

One key to having a successful mentoring program is to be thoughtful about how you select your participants. Start by recruiting volunteers who have similar career trajectories. You should ideally pick workers who are likely to stay at the company longer so that mentees receive consistent, ongoing support. There are also certain personality types that are better suited to mentoring, so you should consider the mentor’s personal attributes as well.

Train Your Mentors

Once you’ve selected mentors, the next step is training them on how to be an effective mentor. At the very least, you should review the mentorship program structure and its goals, so they know what type of mentoring support they should be providing. It also may be helpful to discuss what type of assistance the mentors wish they had received when they were new. Besides increasing empathy, this can help mentors recognize the type of knowledge and support the new hire needs the most.

Carefully Match Mentors to Their Mentees

For mentoring programs to work, you need to carefully match the mentors and mentees. Successful mentorship requires trust, communication, and respect. In addition to considering the skills of each person, you should think about how well their personalities mesh together. 

For example, some of your new hires may want to work independently most of the time and only ask for help when they have a problem. Other employees may want a closer working relationship and daily feedback. For each of these workers to have a positive mentoring experience, they need to be partnered with a mentor who has a similar working style.

Set Clear Goals 

To determine if your mentoring program is successful or not, you need to clarify your objectives. The best goals are measurable and have clear timelines. For instance, you may want to improve your retention rate by 5% in the first year of the mentorship program. This goal has clear metrics, so you can easily determine if it was achieved or not.

Once you’ve set goals for your mentoring program, you need to communicate them to your employees. Your mentors will have a significantly easier time achieving their objectives if they know what they are and understand how to achieve them. Additionally, mentors can offer suggestions on positive ways to modify your workplace mentoring program.

Track Important Metrics

To determine the effectiveness of mentorship programs in the workplace, you need to be tracking important metrics. At the very least, you need to monitor your retention rates to see if they are improving over time. You may also want to look at other workplace data, such as your employee engagement survey, to see if mentors and mentees perform differently.

Provide Resources and Support

When designing your workplace mentorship program template, take some time to consider the kind of resources and support you need. You may want to provide mentors with additional in-person training or mentoring manuals to help workers make the most out of the program. Alternatively, your small business may offer guest speaker seminars, workshops, mentoring logs, handbooks, books, or other materials.

What Are the Three C’s of Mentoring?

When designing a successful mentorship program for adults, there are a few qualities you need to focus on.

• Clarity: First, you need clarity of purpose. For example, you may want a mentoring program that focuses on the onboarding process, job transitions, or leadership abilities. You’ll also want to clarify the types of skills your mentors will need, such as empathy, listening abilities, and how to provide constructive feedback.
• Communication: Next, you should consider how you will communicate your mentoring program to your employees. Your mentors will likely be some of the brightest and busiest employees at your organization, so it’s essential to convey why your mentoring program is important so that they understand your expectations and goals. Likewise, mentors must be talented communicators so that they can help their mentees.
• Commitment: Finally, a successful mentoring program requires commitment from every participant. Your company, mentors, and mentees must be committed to the program for it to achieve top results.

Who Needs To Be Mentored?

As you clarify your mentoring goals and methods, you should also think about who will be getting mentored. 91% of workers who have a mentor report being satisfied with their job, so mentoring can have a major impact on job satisfaction and engagement. At many organizations, people are mentored when they’re promoted to a new role, changing departments, or taking on leadership roles. Additionally, many companies pair up new hires with mentors to help them acclimate to the organization.

• New Hires: New employees often work with mentors during the onboarding process, although some mentoring relationships can continue for months or years afterward. This type of mentoring helps new hires adjust to their roles, gain skills, and prepare for the next step in their career ladder.
• Individuals Changing Departments: When a worker switches to a new department, there will be new procedures, skill requirements, and team norms. Having a mentor can help ease the transition and ensure their continued success.
• People Who Were Recently Promoted: Once someone is promoted to a new role, they may need extra support as they navigate more challenging tasks. 
• Workers Who Are Taking on Leadership Roles: If an employee is given new leadership duties, it helps to have a mentor on hand to provide them with important advice and support.

Get Help With All of Your Small Business HR Needs

With the help of mentorship program examples and professional HR advice, you can create an effective mentorship program for your company. Employees who have a mentor are twice as likely to report being engaged, which can have a significant impact on your company’s productivity and morale. To achieve the best results, you’ll need a customized program tailored to your unique needs. 

If you want to learn more about incorporating mentoring into your small business, reach out to our team of small business payroll and HR experts today.