Why Workplace Mentoring Works

January 4, 2023 | Posted in Bank Blogs

There's a special feeling of pride and fulfillment that comes with helping others. And while most of us would love the opportunity to volunteer our time, busy work schedules and family responsibilities can make finding the time to give back difficult. There is, however, a unique way for you to give back while you're at work; you could become a workplace mentor.

A mentor is an experienced and trusted advisor who can lend time and guidance to help less experienced individuals in the workplace. Workplace mentors provide many benefits to the mentor, mentee, and to the company in general.

Benefits of becoming a mentor

One of the greatest benefits of becoming a mentor is the feeling of satisfaction that comes with knowing you are helping nurture the growth of someone who can learn from your skills and knowledge. Mentoring also provides an opportunity for you to show management your dedication to the company. In addition, you'll develop or sharpen interpersonal and supervisory skills that can help you get ahead in your career.

Benefits to the mentee

Younger employees who are new to a company or position can greatly benefit from the experience and guidance that a mentor can provide. A mentor can not only help an employee manage their job tasks more effectively, but also help them carve out a career path. Mentors can also provide invaluable insights and guidance on how to navigate challenging workplace situations and challenges.

Benefits to the company

Productivity is essential to the success and growth of every company and mentorship can help enhance it. Mentors can help younger employees avoid costly mistakes and implement best practices, thereby increasing productivity. Additionally, when employees have mentors, they may not have to rely as heavily on their supervisors for day-to-day guidance, freeing up supervisors to focus on other aspects of work. However, one of the greatest advantages is that mentoring provides a collaborative work environment that can help increase career growth and job satisfaction, and reduce turnover.

What it takes to be a mentor.

If you're interested in becoming a workplace mentor, it's critical that you possess certain skills, including:

• A genuine interest in helping others. Mentoring requires you to share your skills and knowledge, so you have to be willing to openly discuss your successes and failures.
• Time. If you have an extremely busy workload, you may not have the proper time to devote to becoming a successful mentor.
• Specialized and relevant knowledge or skills.

Ready to use your experience to experience the benefits of mentoring? Talk to your employer. You just might discover that mentoring works.