One of the largest changes with how companies are managing employees has to do with career guidance. In the past, the traditional approach was for every employee to go through a similar training process.
Usually, this training was performed by a manager using preapproved methods established by the company. In other cases, the employee did not have a manager to guide him or her, instead of learning through videos or instructional pamphlets. This method was deemed effective because it meant a large number of employees could be trained at once.
In recent years, businesses began exploring a more personalized form of training through mentorship programs. Mentorships are a form of training where a mentor takes an apprentice under his or her wing, guiding the apprentice through both the job and the general company structure. Mentorships allow the mentor to develop unique training methods to cater to each employee’s personal needs and motivations. Information on how mentoring is making an impact in the 2024 workplace is detailed below.
Managerial Advantages
There are two main managerial benefits to using mentorship over older training methods. The first benefit relates to existing managers. Managers are typically responsible for guiding new employees through their roles. If the employee has questions, he or she goes to the manager. Managers are meant to be workplace guides, but they have other important responsibilities as well. The more time managers spend training new employees, the less time the manager has for other tasks.
Additionally, training may take longer with more complex jobs, requiring that managers put aside other work to answer questions or guide new employees through certain procedures. By assigning these roles to senior employees, managers are free to focus more on important duties. New employees typically learn faster as well, since they are not waiting on the busy schedule of a training manager to learn the ropes.
Related Article: Tips for Delegating Tasks at Your Workplace
The other managerial benefit of mentorship focuses on the mentors themselves. Mentorship is an excellent way for senior employees to develop leadership training, preparing them for managerial roles in the future. This is especially important if your company runs multiple projects at once since experienced mentors can fill valuable team leader positions. In recent years, many companies have used mentorship training to groom future managers and help fill positions that are normally more difficult and expensive to hire externally.
Employees Care More
One of the major differences in the 2024 workplace compared to previous years is the value being placed on individual employees. Turnover rates are a problem for businesses, even large corporations who have a huge pool of applicants to draw on for future jobs. Training new employees take time and resources, even with a mentorship program in place. Even if the applicant has all of the necessary skills, he or she needs the training to adjust to how the company handles business compared to his or her previous job.
Related Article: Five Ways to Motivate Your Team
Having employees who care about the business means they are more likely to stay with the company. These employees work towards a promotion instead of applying for a higher position job elsewhere. Not only are employees who are trained by mentors more likely to stay with the company, but they often go on to become mentors themselves to help new employees transition.
Mentors Care Too
Mentorship is not only about the apprentice. There are numerous benefits for the mentor as well, such as:
- The mentor becomes more invested in work. This is especially helpful if you have senior employees who have been in a professional rut or seem bored with work.
- The mentor has someone to help him or her with work. Apprentices are not assistants, but their roles often overlap with their mentors, so having a trained apprentice often reduces the amount of work for the mentor.
- Apprentices can teach mentors as well. Not all apprentices come into a job without prior experience. Apprentices often end up knowing different techniques or having new ideas to improve workplace efficiency that the mentor never considered.
- Mentors feel more important to the company. Being asked to mentor someone shows upper management recognizes how knowledgeable the mentor is.
Reducing Workplace Stress
Another focus in 2021 is making workplaces less stressful. Many workplaces have tried leaning away from traditional office settings in an attempt to make employees feel comfortable. While this method works well for some businesses, it is by no means a universal solution, and may even hurt workplace productivity. Some employees even feel more stress in these environments, especially if they are new to the company and not used to working professionally in a more informal environment.
Instead of changing the workplace itself, the best way to reduce stress is to make employees feel comfortable with one another. A mentorship program means the employee has one person he or she is comfortable with. New employees often have a difficult time at a new job because they feel they are being judged with more scrutiny. It is not uncommon for the newest hire to worry a mistake may result in him or her being seen as incompetent and being fired. Having a mentor not only gives the employee someone to report to and get help, but someone who can reassure them the mistake is not a big deal. Instead, mentors can guide their mentees so that they do not repeat the same mistake.
A mentorship program looks better to new hires because it shows the company cares about giving new employees a personalized learning experience. In addition, new hires are exposed to other employees working together throughout the day. This creates a nurturing atmosphere that rewards employees for working and learning together. After graduating from a mentorship program, employees are more likely to help out other employees in a similar fashion, since it feels like a natural part of the workplace.
Related Article: 7 Creative Ways to Make a New Hire Feel Welcome
By Admin –
