How to Implement Peer Mentoring in the Workplace in the New Year

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Looking to step up your employee development in the New Year? Then peer mentoring is a good place to start. Indeed, if you want to create an adaptable workplace environment that champions continuous learning, then peer mentoring is a prerequisite.

It’s a strategy that helps to nurture talent and support employees in achieving their potential, strengthening workplace relationships along the way. Naturally, this also contributes to the overall success of a business.

Importance of Peer Mentoring in the Workplace

Peer mentoring, a partnership between people of close age or at a similar stage in their career, is a means by which you can actively encourage the professional growth of your employees. It’s an initiative well worth launching in the new year for the positive influence it has on knowledge sharing, communication, collaboration, and employee engagement.

But what are the benefits of employee engagement? You get a more motivated and dedicated team, of course, but it also causes employee turnover to go down and productivity to go up–saving your organisation both time and resources.

How to Implement Peer Mentoring in the Workplace

Use these steps to get peer mentoring up and running in your organisation.

1. Define program objectives aligned with organisational strategy

You need to outline exactly what you’re hoping to achieve with your peer mentoring program, in alignment with the company’s overall objectives. This will also help to provide direction as you move forward with the program.

Say, for example, you want to improve employee retention in your company, then you’d define how a peer mentoring program would support this aim. Establish metrics to measure your success. For instance, if the goal is to increase skill development, you might track the number of training workshops that are delivered in a specific skill.

2. Assess workplace culture and gain stakeholder support

What is your existing workplace culture like? Take an honesting accounting of how everything is currently operating. This means assessing leadership styles, company values, interpersonal dynamics, and communication standards. Do these things align with the goals of the mentorship program? Or might there be conflicts?

Next, your peer mentoring program needs support from the relevant stakeholders. This will require putting your case forward in a compelling manner, highlighting how the program will build a thriving learning culture and benefit the organisation as a whole.

3. Set transparent criteria and design a flexible structure

Make a plan for the criteria that will be used to pair mentors and mentees. This might be based on experience, expertise, or interests. You should also consider different models to decide what will work best for your team, such as one-on-one mentoring or group mentoring.

There are also differing approaches you can take to peer mentoring. A formal structure dictates meeting schedules and objectives. Whereas an informal approach gives participants the freedom to choose their own agenda. However, whilst a framework is helpful, remember that circumstances can change, so allow room for flexibility so mentors and mentees can adapt schedules and goals as needed.

4. Provide support resources and conduct training for mentorship

If your mentorship program is going to succeed, participants will need plenty of support. Providing training is one of the essential human resource management functions related to peer mentoring and you should aim to place particular focus on skills they’ll need, like active listening, giving constructive feedback, and good communication.

In addition, offer a range of resources like guides and handbooks on topics like peer mentoring best practices, to give mentors and mentees even greater confidence. Honing their skills and supporting them every step of the way will help mentoring relationships to thrive.

5. Match mentors and mentees with diverse skills and personalities

Your instinct may be to pair the mentors and mentees who seem most compatible, with similar personalities and interests. However, there is much more to be gained from matching employees with different experience and diverse skills.

Take for example a person who has limited leadership skills but has strong technical acumen. They would be best paired with someone who has greater managerial experience, cultivating an enriching mentoring dynamic.

6. Facilitate regular check-ins using technology for communication

Remote and hybrid working are now the new norm, as such, adopting the right communication tools is vital to make your peer mentorship program accessible for all employees.

Use the technology that works best for your company, whether it be video call software, messaging apps or PushFar. The idea is to make it as easy as possible for mentors and mentees to keep up regular mentorship meeting cadence, without any obstacles caused by differing schedules or location.

7. Monitor with defined KPIs, collect feedback, and make improvements

Your mentorship program should be continuously monitored in the context of defined KPI’s to understand how it is performing. Possible KPIs you might consider are promotion rates and satisfaction levels among participants.

Feedback should also be actively sought and recorded. The insights you gain from monitored KPI’s and feedback will help to identify any areas that aren’t working well, so improvements can be made for the future.

8. Celebrate achievements and integrate recognition systems

When the peer mentorship program produces a win, celebrate it! Milestones both big and small should be recognised to boost morale and demonstrate the value the program is delivering.

To inspire participants even more, integrate official recognition systems with the program. You can then give out awards for achievements, providing a big incentive but also instilling a sense of pride in participants.

9. Encourage ongoing learning and share success stories

Share success stories from your mentorship program via company meetings or newsletters. This is a great way to promote the program internally, while highlighting its achievements and positive impact.

Consider it also as a learning opportunity. Encourage discussion around these stories. What were the participants' strategies? What were the challenges? Did they learn any lessons? Discourse can help other mentors and mentees in their own endeavours.

Conclusion

The new year is the perfect time to implement a peer mentorship program. As people relish a fresh start and think of their goals for the future, participation in a mentorship initiative can support them.

Supported employees are more engaged and satisfied in their roles, helping your business to retain talent and achieve its objectives. It’s a win-win.

Author Bio

Jesse Liszka is the Senior Communications Specialist at Paylocity, leading providers of cloud-based payroll and human capital management software. She is a highly experienced communications, client marketing and content specialist, with more than 12 years of experience. Jesse has written for other domains such as Remote Tools and Plecto.