Being a new employee is like being a new college student. Like in college, a new employee not only has the actual work to tackle but also has to learn about a new work environment; the people who are going to affect their work life; the rules of engagement and the company culture. These are things which are experienced and cannot be addressed with just a simple briefing by the HR.
This is why companies invest in mentorship programs – the idea being that a seasoned employee would help the new recruit navigate the company as well as be a sounding board for them.
Typically, companies develop mentorship programs where senior employees are assigned to help a batch of new employees. Upon closer examination, this model turns out to be quite ineffective: The senior employee is usually bogged down with work and is also not given a choice about their participation in the mentorship program. So, they neither have adequate time to devote to the new recruits under their wing nor reject the role of a mentor.
What ends up happening in many companies, is that the mentor sends out an introductory email saying, “Hey guys, if you have a problem, let me know.” And more often than not there is no follow-up by either side and the mentor-mentee “relationship” dies a natural death. This also makes it difficult for the company to evaluate the program and find out if there’s any real value to it.
Now, what if companies took a page out of college mentorship programs? Instead of assigning a senior employee to a batch of new recruits, why not make the mentorship program voluntary? In addition, mentors who participate should be employees who have joined the company just a few months or a year earlier. By making these small tweaks, the company can ensure that mentors are invested in the process and they are more likely to create real value for the new hires.
Guidelines to Implement
Mentors should be volunteers: Resist forcibly assigning mentors to new hires. While the number of mentors may be small at the start, keeping it voluntary will ensure there is a greater level of commitment. People who’ve just joined the organization and want to help newcomers overcome the challenges they might have faced make for quality mentors.
Show mentors the ropes: Organize an orientation program for mentors to share information, help them develop the right perspective for mentoring, and set expectations about the outcomes of such a program. It can be a face-to-face orientation or something that’s done online as well. Help mentors view the program as not just an opportunity to develop their coaching and mentoring skills, but to also identify their own potential for leadership.
Keep it small: While it is typical that not everyone wants to be a mentor, everyone on the new batch needs a mentor. In the beginning, when the program has just been implemented, it’s okay for a mentor to have more than one mentee. However, stipulate an upper limit of mentees a mentor can take on – three, for example – to ensure value and quality is not compromised.
Facilitate, not assign: Besides ensuring mentors are volunteers, another component that will help this program succeed is to facilitate how mentors and mentees pick each other. Not everyone would be on the same wavelength and the program could backfire if a very straightforward mentor is paired with a new hire who is used to tact – for example. While it may be a long-winded process, it will be more effective in the long run if mentors and mentees find each other on their own.
Formalize the program: Even if the participants are volunteering to be mentors and the pairings are not mandated, the company needs to ensure it invests in a formal “onboarding and offboarding” process that guides how the mentors volunteer and how they pair up with the new hires. If a mentor is unable to take on this load, it is important that there is a process to hand over the mentee to another mentor. Finally, the program should be complementary to other practices in the organization, such as periodic town-hall meetings with senior management.