Meaningful mentoring: The Do’s and Don’ts

Mentoring when done well is magic. It drives employee productivity, engagement and progression through building belonging and inclusivity at work. Employees can drive their own growth, and helps businesses can turn their D&I strategies into reality.

And in the post-pandemic workplace, virtual mentoring tech like Connectr for Employee Engagement allows closer connections to be formed. Businesses create their people’s happy place, and retain them.

The results speak for themselves. Our research shows 97% of employees with a mentor say they’re valuable, mentees are five times more likely to be promoted and businesses report a 67% increase in productivity as a result of mentoring.

Getting it right

But mentoring has to be done properly. That’s why we did the leg work and created a report on the science of effective mentoring, which outlines why it’s important and how businesses can create effective mentoring schemes.

Here’s a quick summary of the dos and don’ts.

Do…

• …set clear objectives. That goes for mentees, mentors and the organisation as a whole. Everyone should know the purpose of their role.
• …set clear lines of interaction. How frequently will you communicate? Via what means? Make sure mentees and mentors know what to expect.
• …match mentees and mentors – based on aims, experience and personality traits.
• …measure outcomes. Assessing the programme is vital. Is it achieving the aims you laid out?

Don’t…

• …forget purpose. Be clear from the off how the scheme links to the business’s overall strategy.
• …be underprepared. Mentors should prepare well and be ready to dedicate time and effort to the process.
• …randomly allocate mentors. Instead, empower mentees to choose a mentor who they can relate to and build a meaningful connection with.
• …dictate to mentees. This isn’t about telling mentees how to act in your workplace. Encourage openness, individuality and exchange of ideas.

The science of effective mentoring

Mentoring programmes must be inclusive and purposeful, and it’s crucial that employees are able connect with a mentor they can really identify with. These are the building blocks of a successful programme.

To find out more about the behavioural science behind this, and how Connectr’s mentoring tech can help, download your free copy of our report.