How Workplace Mentoring Can Be Beneficial

How does the mentee benefit?

Often the mentee benefits the most from a professional mentoring program – for example:

• Experience: He/she has someone with greater knowledge and experience to turn to for advice.
• Goal setting: Mentors help young people set career goals and start taking steps to realize them.
• Problem solving: When faced with a problem, the mentor may demonstrate a task, guide the employee through solving a problem, or critique the employee's work.
• Socially: A mentor may help an employee feel less isolated at work by encouraging him/her to interact more with co-workers.
• Guidance: Mentoring guarantees a young professional that there is someone who cares about their personal and professional growth within the company.
• Networking: Mentors can use their personal contacts to help young people meet industry professionals, locate job opportunities, etc.
• Resources: Mentors introduce young people to professional resources and organizations.
• Financially: Mentoring statistics found that professionals who have a mentor, earn between $5,610-$22,450 more annually, than those who didn't have a mentor.

How does the mentor benefit?

Yes, the mentee tends to gain the most from a mentoring relationship. However, mentors profit from the relationship, too. 

• Job satisfaction: The opportunity to teach or advise an employee can increase the mentor's confidence and improve his/her job satisfaction. 
• Communication skills: While listening to the concerns of the employee the mentor will form a better understanding of employee issues while developing stronger communication skills.
• Managerial skills: If the mentor is a supervisor/manager, mentoring can improve his/her supervisory skills.
• Networking: Even if a mentored employee leaves the company, the mentor and mentee may maintain a professional connection, thus expanding the mentor's reputation and connections.
• Perception: Communicating with employees outside of your normal team can help you understand how other individuals within the company perceive you.
• Personal satisfaction: For some, the feeling of helping another human succeed is worth the time/resources commitment needed to cultivate a successful mentoring relationship.

How does the company benefit?

Successful mentoring relationships can have a direct affect on a company’s bottom line. For example:

• Productivity: The employer of a mentored employee gains from greater productivity in the workplace.
• Efficiency: As employees turn to their mentors for advice, they make fewer mistakes on the job making them increasingly efficient.
• Decreased turnover: Employees in a successful mentoring relationship tend to feel a greater loyalty to the company.
• Attract new employees: Finding the right mentor can sometimes be an exhausting process. Offering prospective candidates the option to participate in a pre-established mentoring program can be extremely valuable.
• Skill refinement: Mentoring can have long-term benefits as employees become more self-directed and develop stronger communication and problem-solving skills.