training & development
STOP
WAITING
The role of human resources within
a company has drastically changed
over the years, evolving from “simple”
functions such as payroll and
benefits to more complex strategies such
as talent management and leadership development.
As part of these new responsibilities,
many organizations have
implemented mentoring programs
within their companies, matching
employees of different skill sets,
backgrounds and experiences
in order to foster employee
engagement and a strong corporate
culture. In fact, studies
have shown that more than
70 per cent of Fortune 500
companies now offer mentoring
programs.
This article outlines five different
benefits that mentoring
programs can provide for both the
employee and employer, and how
these benefits can result in increased
employee retention, a more effective
workforce and heightened performance
for both the employee and the company.
CAREER PLANNING &
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
While employees often have their own
goals and objectives for their careers, mentoring
programs can help identify how
these individual career goals can align
with the company, critical for retaining
valuable workers and developing leaders.
Mentoring serves as a simple platform to
offer career development opportunities
By Steve O’Brian,
Chronus Corporation
FIVE REASONS TO START BUILDING A WORKPLACE MENTORING PROGRAM
and guidance to employees looking to advance
professionally, as well as enhances
the quality of leadership and individuthrough
mentoring, helping students land
that first job. In enterprise, for example,
one of Chronus Corporation’s large retail
office supply customers is now able to
offer career development to their entire
workforce, rather than just the select few,
to create a true learning culture at all
levels.
ONBOARDING NEW
EMPLOYEES
When dealing with increasingly
dispersed teams in a
global economy, it’s more
important than ever for
enterprises to help new
hires quickly gain the
skills and knowledge required
to become effective
employees. New hire turnover
is expensive, and keeping
these new hires engaged is
essential from the start. In fact,
90 per cent of employees make
their decision to stay in the first six
months (Aberdeen Group, 2006). Assigning
new hires to an experienced mentor
is an efficient method to reduce the
time to competency for new employees
and reduce attrition. Linking new hires
to specialists, peers and managers can
help new hires feel welcome and productive
quickly. The various knowledge
bases that are accessed by new employees
through a mentoring solution can be a
critical driver of success for an onboarding
program.
als within the company. The very nature
of mentoring relationships ensures that
it focuses equally on the development of
individuals as well as the development
of interpersonal links between individuals,
forming a cohesive organization. One
example is how some academic customers
are connecting students and alumni
Illustrations by rafal_olechowski & neyro2008 / Photos.com
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ JANUARY 2014 ❚ 43