Guide To Using Corporate Mentoring Programs

Updated June 24, 2022

People use mentoring programs to identify opportunities, adjust to changing environments and build a culture of continuous learning that drives success. They can give employees the support they need to grow within their position and develop strong leadership skills themselves. Implementing a corporate mentoring program and adapting it to your department's needs can help your entire team improve communication and teamwork while also developing individually.

In this article, we review the importance of connecting coworkers through mentorship programs as a method for boosting morale and productivity.

What are corporate mentoring programs?

Corporate mentoring programs are company procedures that connect employees to share knowledge and encouragement. They can range in scope and style, from informal mentoring between managers and their teams to highly structured programs with industry-specific assignments that employees complete together. Corporate mentoring programs use interpersonal connections as a strategy for encouraging and growing everyone's skills in the workplace.

Why are corporate mentorship programs important?

Corporate mentorship programs can support employees in different ways, from investing in their long term professional development to giving them additional support and advice when they encounter a challenging situation at work. Understanding the ways employees need support and how a corporate mentorship program can fill those needs will help you plan an effective mentorship program, or adjust an existing program to give more value to your team. Here are some of the key ways corporate mentorship programs can add value to a company and support staff:

Building community
Creating structure
Developing best practices
Providing personalized attention

Building community

A strong workplace community is the foundation for growth and success, allowing experienced employees to share institutional knowledge with novices looking to grow in their field. Corporate mentorship programs connect employees, encouraging them to share their skills and discuss both successes and challenges regularly. The social aspect of a mentorship program can improve morale and create an open line of communication for employees to analyze and solve problems.

Related: How To Find a Mentor

Creating structure

Corporate mentoring programs provide scheduled times for employees to touch base with one another, report their progress and adjust their daily schedule to improve productivity. They provide opportunities for people who don't work together regularly to touch base and collaborate in a structured way. If a company is going through any sort of policy changes or takes on a new project, corporate mentoring programs can give everyone a sense of stability and normalcy to guide them through adjustments.

Developing best practices

Well-structured corporate mentorship programs allow employees to learn from one another and share knowledge as people learn more about the best way to do business. Mentorship programs often involve journaling and regular written reports, which are both a great opportunity to record methods for overcoming challenges in the workplace and give employees a chance to reflect and learn from their experiences.

Providing personalized attention

Corporate mentoring programs provide employees with chances for structured one-on-one conversations with people who understand their line of work and the trajectory of their career. Everyone deals with unique challenges in the workplace depending on the environment they need to be happy and productive, what motivates them most and what interferes with their success. A mentorship program where people have an experienced colleague to talk to can help them manage stress and get advice that is specific to their situation.

Many mentorship programs pair mentors and mentees based on common interests, goals or other life experiences, making mentorship an ideal avenue for providing company support in remote work or work from home settings. By connecting with someone who can empathize with their needs and goals, people can remain motivated and continue developing their career goals even during times of isolation or physical distance.

What are the different types of corporate mentorship programs?

Companies can structure corporate mentorship programs in many different ways as long as they provide some sort of structure that connects employees to share knowledge and grow their skills. Some of the common corporate mentorship programs that you can incorporate into your workplace include:

Mentoring circles

Mentoring circles are groups of five to eight people who meet regularly to discuss topics relevant to their interests. In mentoring circles, people can benefit from sharing knowledge in a more informal environment based on open conversations instead of a hierarchical situation with an assigned mentor and mentee.

Peer mentoring

Peer mentors have the same seniority level or work on similar tasks. They often trade-off being the mentor and the mentee, with both parties giving and receiving advice during mentoring sessions. Peer mentorship programs allow people to benefit from one-on-one mentoring in a low-stress environment that also empowers them to become a leader for one of their peers.

Leadership mentoring

Leadership mentoring pairs employees that demonstrate a high level of potential with successful, top-level employees at their company. Both the mentor and the mentee devote time and energy to getting to know the other person and growing a strong personal and professional relationship. When working from home, people can connect with their mentor to provide structured guidance during scheduled calls or ask for casual advice if something comes up while remote.

Affinity or diversity mentoring

Diversity mentoring, also known as affinity mentoring, occurs when people with a similar background work together as a mentor-mentee pair. Depending on the needs of their employees, companies might develop a corporate mentor program where people of the same ethnic background or gender can share guidance based on shared life experiences.

Situational mentoring

Situational mentoring programs usually have a start date and an end date and revolve around improving someone's ability to handle a specific task through mentorship. Situational mentors are experts in one particular task and know how to build their mentee's skills in that area through different activities and discussion topics.

Reverse mentoring

Reverse mentors are new employees who bring a completely new skill or perspective to their company. They work with long-term employees to train them on new skills and often spend a significant amount of their onboarding period forming individual relationships with their new team.

What are the best mentoring topics?

Mentorship meetings can cover a wide variety of topics depending on the needs of the mentee and the experience level of the mentor. They provide everyone in the program with a chance to discuss topics that might not come up organically in conversation but still have a big impact on their professional success. Here are some discussion topic ideas for corporate mentorship programs that can help encourage open communication and a growth mindset across an entire organization:

Work-life balance
Teamwork and communication
Setting up a productive workspace
Self-accountability

Ultimately, each workplace has different strengths and weaknesses, so it is important to crowdsource meaningful subjects to focus on during mentoring sessions. Get feedback from others on what subjects would help them most and encourage mentor-mentee pairs to focus on topics most relevant to them.

Tips for establishing a corporate mentoring program

When establishing a corporate mentorship program at your workplace, consider implementing these tips to create a lasting program with a positive impact on employee growth:

Consider your overall goals

Before implementing a mentorship program, consider the specific goals of your company and what the desired results of mentorship would be. Think about whether mentorship should help people learn management skills, improve their everyday work habits, gain industry insights or simply provide team-building opportunities. Understanding the ideal outcome of mentorship can help you pair mentors and mentees, design activities that promote your goals and evaluate the success of the program later on.

Create a schedule

Set a regular schedule that outlines how often mentors and mentees should meet. Regularly checking in with a mentor for a certain amount of time allows people to mentally prepare for each meeting and come with useful questions and suggestions. Corporate mentoring programs should seek to help everyone create and maintain sustainable daily habits for reduced stress and increased productivity.

Encourage feedback

Develop a method where mentors and mentees can share praise and positive feedback with one another. Encouraging everyone involved in a corporate mentorship program to support one another and recognize successful practices can help refine your mentoring program over time and improve morale across the company.