Benefits of a Mentorship Program

Many people, especially student interns or people just entering the workforce, have questions or can feel overwhelmed when starting a new position or trying to navigate their field.  Companies often attempt to help people by initiating mentorship programs and pairing younger employees with those who are more experienced in their careers.  Below are eight tips about the benefits of implementing a mentorship program in the workplace:

 

1. Places an emphasis on learning. Younger employees will be more open to asking for help, gaining knowledge, getting out of their comfort zone, and bringing innovation to the workplace when they have a designated mentor to collaborate with.
2. Promotes cohesiveness and company chemistry. Employees will get to know more colleagues than just the ones they work with on a daily basis. This can lead to employees making friends at work which can improve overall happiness. Getting to know more people can also lead to collaboration on similar tasks.
3. Leads to more idea creation. Many people come up with their best ideas when talking to other people. The process of bouncing ideas off of one another can lead to innovation through discussion. 
4. Leads to the sharing of skills. Recent hires are likely to ask more questions about how to perform certain tasks and use tools within the company.  In addition, this may cause the mentee to share their knowledge as well, creating more well-rounded workers on all sides. 
5. Provides senior employees with more job satisfaction. The mentorship program will provide more senior employees a sense of giving back to the company by sharing their skills and knowledge with younger workers. 
6. Promotes a hands-on way of training new employees. Along with normal training methods, new employees can shadow their mentors to gain experience with their jobs. These hands-on experiences will allow new employees to learn the ins and outs of a business in a more personalized way.
7. Build employee confidence. Having a mentor can increase confidence in new employees by giving them someone to consult with and learn from. It helps to develop skills in a one-on-one setting so that the new hire can practice and make sure that they are comfortable with their new tasks before applying them company-wide.
8. Increases employee retention rate. Increased learning and confidence in younger employees ensures that they are enjoying performing work-related tasks. Younger employees also can look forward to becoming mentors in the future, creating the desire to thrive at the company. Senior employees also exhibit higher rates of job satisfaction when they recognize that they are making a difference in the livelihood of their colleagues.