Attracting and retaining employees has proved a challenge in the wake of unprecedented levels of employee resignations and an increased desire for hybrid or work-from-home options. Mentorship is crucial to ensuring the success of newcomers: it provides opportunities for emulation, fosters employee relationships, and encourages integration with company values.
- Mentoring is different from Managing: The most critical element of becoming a mentor is getting to know the mentee on a personal basis.
- Be Non-Judgmental When Offering Help: Being there to support your mentee in the moments during which they doubt their own abilities is essential to fostering their growth rather than their downfall
- Be Intentional with Your Time: Mentors need to deliberately seek out the younger employees, take time, and be available to them.
- Culture is King: Make sure your mentee is familiar with school values
- Familiarize Newcomers with the Entire Company: Assimilating into a new or first company can be challenging and intimidating for a younger, less experienced employee.When mentoring is taken seriously, the positive impact on all parties involved cannot be understated.
Acknowledgement: Ryan Campagna, “5 Mentorship Tips for Recruitment and Retention” in CFO, August 2022
This is an amended version of the article in a recent issue the Principal’s Digest.