How can employers provide effective mentoring?

With workers working both inside and outside of the office these days, mentorship and has become even more important in the workplace today, according to one expert.

“It's even more important in the virtual world, because there's just such a need to have these genuine and authentic connections that really go a long way in terms of building our workplace experience and connecting with each other,” says Julie Cafley, executive director, Catalyst Canada, in talking with Canadian HR Reporter.

And it’s not just the younger workers looking to progress within the organization who are benefitting from this system, she says.

“There are trends in terms of mentorship for those younger employees within the workforce, but there's also a huge trend around reverse mentorship that is really important as well. And it's when senior executives seek out those voices of younger individuals in their organizations to ensure that they're connecting and understanding [them].”

CEOs learn about the next generation through mentorship, according to a previous report.

How do you ensure effective mentoring?

While professionals attribute mentorship to the relationship between the mentor and the mentee, it’s important for both parties to focus on the “rigour” of the system, says Cafley.

Both parties should focus on the objective of the relationship and conduct regular check-ins, and ensure that the agenda is being discussed, she says.

“In some ways, we don't give enough rigour to these processes. And especially for the people being mentored, it's really, really important to have that rigour so that these relationships are as beneficial as possible, and that we're really using that time in an effective way.”
 

Cafley notes that people get involved in these relationships within their own individual departments at work or across the organization and even beyond their organizations as well. And it’s important for employers to use different models and different ways to connect these people. 

“One of the most important things is how we're assuring the organization of the effectiveness [of the program, and that it] can really help to drive the productivity and the effectiveness of these relationships.” 

Here’s what makes a good mentor, according to two experts.

For companies looking to implement mentorship programs, there are different ways to go about it, says Cafley.

“We often will talk about top-down or bottom-up. And in this case, both different models can be as effective as the other one.

“Mentorship is something that's being driven by both sides.”

And it’s when it is being driven by the individuals involved that it is most effective, she says.

But it’s important for employers to share information relevant to mentorship within teams “so that this can happen and be led by individuals themselves”.

That’s because “you're ensuring that the individuals are really driven by what they're seeking out, and that it's not a requirement that their telling them that they need a mentor, that they need a sponsor,” says Cafley. 

It’s important that workers see this “more as an opportunity for growth and less as a requirement from the organization”.

Mentorship leads to employee retention, according to a previous report.

Read more: 10 best employee retention programs for keeping top talent

What role can AI play in mentorship?

Artificial intelligence (AI) can also help in improving mentorships, says Cafley.

Employers can use the tool as a means to connect people, in matching individuals with similar interests or potentials.

AI can also be a helpful tool in ensuring “that we have up-to-date research, that we have up-to-date knowledge before going into these sessions,” she says.

But while AI can be a great tool for collaboration, it has its limits, Cafley says.

“There's lots of opportunities to integrate AI within these relationships, more potentially from a planning perspective than from the actual relationship.”