Mentoring matters: our learnings from an employee engagement masterclass

It’s no secret that employee engagement is one of HR’s most persistent challenges and with the jobs market so competitive at the moment many businesses are struggling with retaining their best talent.

Ensuring employees are happy motivated and engaged has never been so important so Connectr were pleased to be asked to host an employee engagement masterclass session on 28^th September as part of Masterclassing’s regular series of insightful digital and in-person events.

The event began with insightful presentations and then broke off into several round-table discussions involving senior HR leaders from several leading organisations in their industry who shared their thoughts and insights about employee engagement and key people strategy themes that are important to them as we navigate an uncertain economic climate, which we’re summarising for you here:

Recruitment remains a high priority

Hiring key talent remains a priority for nearly everyone at the moment. The race of talent continues as businesses compete in a market where candidates have never had so many opportunities from which to choose.

Effective pre-boarding is essential

Effective preboarding is essential. From the time between offering a candidate and then beginning in their new role, it’s important to maintain contact and provide a positive experience. This ensures the candidate arrives feeling confident and well-supported from the outset and already an advocate of a company.

Mentoring in the onboarding phase of induction is a highly effective means of providing this experience and by helping new employees hit the ground running and also bring their whole selves to work.

Mentoring in the moment of need

A number of firms are already running mentoring programmes with fixed start and end dates, with mentors and mentees meeting on pre-arranged dates. It was fantastic to hear that these initiatives are in place but we also discussed the concept of mentoring in the moment of need, where mentees request support and guidance when it is most needed.

Enabling this more informal way of delivering mentoring is highly effective and can take programmes to a whole new level in terms of the impact they deliver.

These programmes are as popular with mentees as well as mentors who can share their expertise and experience on a long or short-term basis. Mentees feel well-supported and mentors feel an increased sense of value – it’s great for everyone involved!

Our research reveals that 91% of Connectr’s mentors want to volunteer again. Developed by experts, Connectr’s mentoring software creates happy mentors and mentees, with their development and progression at its core.

development and progression at its core.

Technology as an enabler of people

Using a dedicated mentoring platform like Connectr for Candidates or Connectr for Employees makes it easy to set up and manage mentoring initiatives that bring together mentors and mentees with similar interests and priorities. This is made possible by the smart algorithm on which our platform is built.

Connectr’s reporting functionality enables businesses to measure the success of these initiatives and publicise them throughout organisations.

Reverse mentoring is on the rise

Reverse mentoring – whereby older or experienced members of the workplace are paired with and mentored by younger employees on topics such as technology, social media, and current trends- was another popular concept with event delegates.

With businesses becoming ever more reliant on technology, reverse mentoring can help those who remember pre-internet years understand web and social developments via colleagues whose entire lives have been deeply entrenched in the digital world.

Improving DE&I is core to modern HR and business

And the one theme that stood out most for us and which ran through all discussions as the guiding-light priority for everyone who attended the event was Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It’s no surprise that members of the HR world are committed to DE&I but it was great to hear that this is a priority outside of the personnel department and something that organisations are committing themselves to as part of their corporate objectives.

This is great for people – and especially those who have been under-represented for so long and great for businesses who benefit from a diverse pool of employees from different backgrounds and with a wide range of experiences, beliefs, and opinions!

Download the session slides for free

If you’re keen to learn more about the event and want to catch up on our presentation, you can download the Masterclassing session slides here.