A formal or informal mentorship program can reduce turnover and boost productivity. Whether your company is big or small, employee development is necessary to keep your business improving.  

Perfect for New Hires

A mentorship program matches less experienced employees with more experienced employees. As a part of employee development, a mentorship program is an excellent way for new hires to build professional relationships within the industry. You could assign a mentor to ensure the trainee is supported during the onboarding process while getting used to the new job. Mentorship programs are excellent ways to increase diversity and uplift women and people of color professionally. They create environments of learning and accountability that foster long-term growth in skills and professionalism. 

Scheduling

Throughout the mentorship program, there should be scheduled interactions, at least in the beginning. Even requiring a certain number of meetings each month or quarter can help foster a space for the mentorship to flourish. Before COVID, there would be mentorship program mixers where all mentees and mentors were able to mingle, hang out, and or go to an activity together. Now that most businesses have moved online, it can feel harder to schedule group activities where people feel comfortable enough to build relationships. Fortunately, online team-building activities have grown out of the pandemic. There are tea tasting programs, fitness classes, games like bingo, and much more available options for your mentorship program. 

Important Notes

When creating your mentorship program, keep in mind how it will look in practice. Monitoring the mentor and mentee relationship will be hard to do remotely. You should always connect your other employee development efforts to the mentorship program. That way, mentees have the opportunity to seek enrichment outside of their mentor. 

Goals of the Program

As with any professional program, your mentorship program should have short and long-term goals. Some short-term goals may look like improved communication or productivity. Long-term goals for your mentorship program can be whatever fits your company but should include increasing your retention rate, lower outsourcing efforts, and building community. 

About Lewis-Price & Associates Inc.

Lewis-Price & Associates, Inc., is a fast-growing mission solutions company supporting federal agencies through premiere training, program management and IT services. Serving federal agencies across the government spectrum, from defense to civilian, we ensure the success of ongoing federal agency operations through effective curriculum development, professional coaching, program management, and administrative and technical services. Lewis-Price is committed to providing high quality, effective and on-time solutions to partners and customers through a team that values integrity, intention and excellence in everything we do. Learn about how we can bring our unique approach to success to your organization today at lewisprice.com, and please follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.