How To Create an Employee Mentorship Program

A mentor is a trusted advisor and potential champion for the people they support. Most people agree that mentors can have a positive impact on a worker’s job execution and career success. However, when it comes to creating professional mentorships and understanding how a good mentor-mentee relationship works, the details aren’t always clear.

An employee mentorship program aims to spark these valuable relationships through support, training, and a framework designed to help each match grow. Often included as part of broader talent development strategies, a majority of companies (64%) have some sort of mentoring program in place; among Fortune 500 companies, that number jumps to 92%.

In this article, we’ll consider:

• What is an employee mentorship program?
• Different types of mentoring
• The benefits of an employee mentorship program
• 8 steps to help you build a mentorship program
• Common challenges for mentors and mentees

Let’s look at what you can do to get a mentorship program off the ground.

What is an employee mentorship program?

An employee mentorship program connects experienced employees (mentors) with less experienced employees (mentees) in ways that support ongoing growth opportunities and development. Organizations often take a structured approach, using mentorship to support their needs, including:

• Onboarding new hires
• Developing leadership skills
• Sharing knowledge and improving soft and hard skills
• Engaging employees more deeply with the company and each other
• Helping employees figure out their career paths

Mentorship is often confused with two other valuable initiatives: coaching and sponsorship. However, while these three initiatives can overlap, they aren’t the same thing:

• Coaching is about empowerment and pushing someone to reach their potential, working alongside them if needed.
• Employee sponsors are advocates who are invested in their protege’s advancement and success within the company.

Mentors offer understanding and insights along the way and sometimes see strengths or opportunities that a mentee may not be able to see in themselves. At any stage in a career, a mentor can be a teacher, friend, or counselor. What participants gain from the relationship can depend on the type of mentorship program that’s set up.

Different types of mentoring

When we think about mentorship, we often think of a common example: an older employee helping a younger employee or new graduate to navigate company life. However, career mentoring can be used in many ways to help identify, develop, and retain talent. Here are a few examples.

One-on-one mentorship

A one-on-one mentorship is the type of membership you’re likely most familiar with; it’s direct and highly personalized. While one-on-one relationships often focus on the mentee’s career development, they can also become an exchange of knowledge, perspective, and experience that benefits both people.

Peer-to-peer mentorship

Peer-to-peer mentorships match one or more people with the same level of experience as they work toward similar career goals, such as learning a new skill set or pursuing a career milestone. Because peers often face similar challenges, these relationships can be an effective way to share experiences, inspire friendly competition, and process new information.

Reverse mentoring

Reverse mentorship flips the traditional mentoring narrative around, with a less experienced person taking on the role of mentor to a more experienced mentee. Reverse mentorship can be an effective way for people with different backgrounds to exchange information and context about new technology and trends, such as generative AI or getting back to work after a break. As a one-on-one relationship, it can help build genuine connections to bridge the generational or digital divide within an organization.

“[Reverse mentorship] has fresh potential to help companies overcome the new challenges of hybrid working, diversity and inclusion, and unpick stereotypes that underpin generational divides.”

'Reverse mentorship': How young workers are teaching bosses - BBC Worklife

Group mentorship

Group mentorship is a one-to-many model where a more experienced mentor provides guidance to a cohort of mentees who share a similar goal or situation. For example, group mentorship can form part of the onboarding process for new hires. Or it can be combined with peer mentoring to help managers work through typical situations with their team members.

The benefits of an employee mentorship program

An effective mentorship relationship can help accelerate an employee’s career, but both mentors and mentees can benefit from these relationships.

Transfer knowledge and expertise

In a mentoring relationship, information goes both ways. More experienced professionals pass along lessons they’ve learned that are difficult to find anywhere else. At the same time, less experienced mentees bring fresh perspectives and unique insights to the business. It’s a symbiotic relationship that can ultimately strengthen everyone involved and help close skills gaps.

Create opportunities for advancement

A mentor offers both behind-the-scenes information and access to a network that can be a catalyst for growth and advancement. By sharing what they’ve learned about the corporate landscape, a mentor can help a mentee understand internal politics, company culture, and how to position themselves for their next promotion.

Improve employee retention

A mentor can transform how someone sees their work and themselves, a positive shift that makes the mentee much less likely to head out the door.

According to one survey, employees who have a mentor aren’t just happier in their jobs (91%), they’re also more likely to:

• Say they’re well paid for their work (79%)
• Believe their contributions are valued by colleagues (89%)
• Feel their company offers good or excellent opportunities to advance their careers (71%)

These components support overall happiness at work, leading to a more satisfied workforce that’s less inclined to search for a new job.

Source: 2019 CNBC/SurveyMonkey Workplace Happiness Survey

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Increase productivity and employee engagement

Mentorship that is focused on knowledge transfer and skill building can have a direct impact on someone’s capacity to do their job and manage their work more effectively.

However, mentorship can also have an indirect impact on day-to-day work by providing a means for employees to:

• Build a network of coworkers they can turn to when facing a challenge or crossroad
• Be exposed to a range of perspectives that can change how they solve problems and innovate
• Set their own accountability systems in order to move forward on personal and career goals

Foster diversity and inclusion

Combined, workplace mentoring and sponsorship are some of the most effective evidence-based categories of practice to help all workers thrive. Mentorship isn’t just part of an inclusive environment where people feel seen, respected, understood, and empowered to go further. It’s also a key support system that can set every employee up for future success.

Strengthen workplace culture

A career mentoring program can help reinforce the values and attitudes that are core to your company’s culture, such as encouraging a learning environment, fostering a sense of belonging, and creating a stronger foundation for teamwork and cooperation. A mentorship relationship can also help build new connections within the organization that can help facilitate future collaborations.

Develop future leaders

More than advancement, mentorship can be a valuable way to teach and strengthen leadership skills—for both the mentor and the mentee. By leading through example, a mentor can show the processes and attitudes that can make a difference in varied situations. The mentor can also help less experienced leaders hone their skills by supporting them in navigating new problems.

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8 steps to help you build a formal mentoring program

While the nature of every mentorship relationship is highly personalized, an effective mentoring program starts with a plan that can provide direction and a framework for a successful mentorship program as you move forward.

Step 1: Determine the objectives of the program

The first question to answer is what the employee mentorship program should achieve. With a defined goal in mind, you can better identify both your ideal mentor and mentee—information that will help you as you start to recruit, screen, and match participants.

A few questions to consider include:

• Why are you starting this mentorship program?
• How will the program meet its objectives?
• How do those objectives support the company’s goals?
• What support do you need for the program to succeed?
• Who should be involved in the program?
• How does the program align with your organization’s talent management strategy?

Step 2: Identify potential mentors and mentees

Recruiting mentors is often the first challenge for a new mentorship program, especially given the need for mentors to carve out available time. Ideally, mentors will have a mix of professional expertise, personal attributes, and interpersonal skills that support the program’s goal.

Some traits and capabilities to watch for include:

• Experience and knowledge that aligns with the mentorship program’s objectives
• Good listening skills
• Effective communication skills
• Respectful demeanor and ability to maintain confidentiality
• Adaptable mindset
• Positive attitude

A mentor should also be committed to both the success of their mentees as well as the mentorship program, so they’re willing to invest time and energy to make the relationship work.

Step 3: Match mentors and mentees

Getting a good match between mentors and mentees is key to the success of the program. Chemistry is a big component and it’s hard to predict. You could introduce mentors and mentees based on shared interests and goals. Or start with a less structured format that brings smaller groups of participants together to connect and consider their own match.

Ultimately, it’s up to the people involved to make the right match—and speak up if something isn’t working.

First Round Capital, a US-based venture capital firm, launched a mentorship program and then studied 100 mentor-mentee matches to learn what worked. They identified eight questions—four for mentors and four for mentees—that have been impactful for their program.

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Step 4: Develop mentorship guidelines and expectations

Provide some direction as participants of the mentorship program start to come together.

First, consider general guidelines for mentor-mentee relationships. While your program may have slightly different requirements, sharing a set of basic guidelines can help participants understand what they’ll contribute. For example:

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Second, mentors and mentees should set expectations within their own relationship. Points for discussion may include:

• Is the mentee clear about the help they would like to receive?
• How often does the mentee want to receive feedback?
• What are the preferred methods of communication? Frequency?
• Is the mentee comfortable if the mentor shares discussions with others, if relevant and with discretion?

Step 6: Provide training for mentors and mentees

Mentorship training can give mentors and mentees the tools, skills, and confidence to build an effective employee mentorship program. Structured training helps illustrate what mentorship looks like when enthusiasm, organization, and commitment are in sync.

Training helps ensure everyone involved is on the same page in terms of expectations and the overall framework. It also gives mentors and mentees an opportunity to connect with each other and form a larger network they can turn to for support and advice.

A training session typically reviews:

• The structure of the mentorship program
• Roles, responsibilities, and expectations
• Essential skills, such as active listening and effective communication
• Strategies for establishing a safe space for conversations
• Potential topics for discussion
• What it takes to be an effective mentor or mentee

Keep in mind that some mentees may benefit from additional support before getting started with their mentor, such as getting clarity around career development goals or sharpening communication skills. This is particularly true for those who are new to the workforce; with COVID-19 and remote work shaping their education as well as the early years of their career, many younger professionals are struggling with office etiquette and soft skills.

Step 7: Regularly measure and update the program

Measuring an employee mentorship program can be tricky in the short term because so much of mentorship is future-oriented. However, you can look for metrics to help track whether the program objectives are moving forward.

Matchmaking process

• How many people signed up to be mentors and mentees?
• How many successful matches were made?
• How many matches have since ended?

Individual progress

• How many mentoring sessions have taken place?
• How many goals have been met?
• How do job satisfaction scores compare between mentorship program participants and non-participants?
• Have performance ratings changed among program participants?
• What kind of feedback have you received from managers of participants?

Organizational impact

• Have retention rates changed among program participants?
• Have promotion rates changed for program participants?

Another invaluable source of information is direct feedback from both mentors and mentees. Regularly solicit their feedback and ideas to help improve and iterate on the mentoring experience as the program grows. In addition, use a structured survey to periodically assess satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and get feedback when program changes are made.

Step 8: Consider mentoring tools to guide relationships and scale your program

For a guided experience that makes it simpler to grow your program—and easier for you to focus on results rather than administration–consider exploring the different types of mentorship software in the marketplace.

Mentoring tools can bring consistency to the relationships in your organization through clear processes, templates, and resources to support mentors and mentees. Some solutions can even help with implementation, analytics, or matches.

Common challenges for mentors and mentees

A new employee mentorship relationship is bound to have a few snags, such as communication issues, mismatched expectations, or lack of trust. Professional development will be affected until the relationship is on solid ground, so it’s best to address any issues as soon as possible.

Many issues can and should be resolved directly between a mentor and mentee, but sometimes having extra guidance or an outside facilitator who brings a fresh perspective can be helpful.

Communication issues

Ability to communicate comfortably and effectively is at the heart of mentorship. If problems arise, early identification of the disconnect can keep the program on track:

• How does each participant prefer to communicate?
• What response time is reasonable?
• How frequently will the mentor and mentee meet?
• How often will they check in between meetings?

Another communication issue that can be tricky to navigate involves the dynamics between senior employees and junior employees. Being honest and open when you’re intimidated by the person on the other side of the conversation can be hard. It’s normal for a level of comfort to take time and familiarity. Moving the conversation to “neutral ground,” such as meeting away from the office or outside of typical office hours, can help, especially at the beginning of the relationship.

Uneven levels of commitment

If there’s a perceived lack of commitment from either side of a mentoring relationship, you’ll need to figure out why. For example:

• Have the mentee’s goals shifted?
• Is the mentor or mentee stressed out by the commitment?
• Does everyone have an appropriate amount of time available?

Sometimes, good intentions don’t sync with existing commitments. Availability can change over time. Address any commitment issues early in order for everyone’s time to be used well.

Unsuccessful matching

At the end of the day, don’t force a relationship if it doesn’t spark. An effective mentorship takes a high degree of comfort and trust. It’s OK to acknowledge that a mentor-mentee relationship isn’t working!

While any new relationship deserves a chance, the mentor and mentee shouldn’t feel locked into something that isn’t valuable for either of them. To help participants make the best choice for themselves, create a clear and easy way for a mentoring relationship to end.

Mentorship can be powerful—but it isn’t a sure thing

An employee mentorship program takes time, commitment, and structured processes; it isn’t a guaranteed win. However, given a chance, a successful mentoring program can sprout valuable relationships that lead to a more adaptable and productive organization that’s strong enough to grow. Mentors and mentees alike can reap long-lasting personal and career benefits.

When you’re ready to grow the size and skills of your team, start your search on Upwork. You can find the top talent you need, see what it’s like to work together, then decide whether you want to make a hire. Get your new hires off to a good start by engaging them in your mentoring program from the beginning.

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