Benefits of Offering Mentoring to Fellow Employees

Mentoring programs are great for helping younger and more inexperienced workers get up to speed and improve their skills. We know that when we are new to a position or to management we don't know even half of what we should know. We are like fish out of water and everything takes twice as long to accomplish because of our inexperience.

Implementing mentors and mentoring relationships within your business or career can have a profound affect on your organization. Both the mentor and the protégé receive benefits from such relationships (Kent, 2006). The protégé gets financial, emotional and professional support while the mentor gets satisfaction, productivity and additional networking opportunities.

Every couple of weeks the protégé can sit in his or her mentor's office and discuss both personal and professional problems they face. Tricky decisions become easier when people with higher levels of experience are able to give advice as an independent viewpoint. The mentor can help guild the worker to more productivity and success in his or her life.

A mentor program can also reduce employee turn over and increase loyalty to the organization (Ten Points, 2007). It is difficult to leave an organization where you have someone coaching and guiding you along to greater heights. The employee will feel more fulfilled, engaged and productive. The benefits of working at a particular company will outweigh its costs.

Despite all of these benefits many mentoring programs are not used progressively. A study conducted by Compensation and Benefits for Law Offices found that 52% of the 300 respondents said that mentors were only used by 5% of employees or less (Data Show Coaching, 2007). Not all employees are trusting enough, progressive enough or open enough to having someone give them advice.

Companies should not be so concerned about this 5% participation because we know that the majority of people won't do much with their time or lives unless prompted. Businesses can increase this participation by making it widely known that mentorship is available, requiring initial participation and/or developing a mentorship program within their business.

The key to developing strong mentor and protégé relationships is outlined in five key factors: deep understanding of work environment, mutual esteem society, openness to new ideas, mutually beneficial relationships, and avoidance of discrimination (Murphy & Ensher, 2006). Keeping the mentor relationship full of integrity will have a long term impact on your company. You will find that employees will stay longer, learn faster and have deeper respect for their companies.