Mentoring is a crucial for success of every company and to achieve long-term business goals. In a digital era, human resource department is faced with various challenges such as how to increase workforce performance, boost employee productivity, improve employee retention, as well as prepare for career succession.

To tackle these challenges, HR leaders should be prepared with ample mentoring strategies. But how to conduct mentoring right for superior employee performance?

Listing mentoring on the company’s schedule is not just a mere nice-to-have program, but a must-have. However, successful mentoring programs cannot be done overnight. It needs time and dedication from all elements of the organisation. Mentoring provides an opportunity for junior employees to learn from their seniors.

On the other hand, veteran employees could help succession planning by forwarding necessary skills to the new staffs before finally handing over the leadership.

According to a white paper by the Millennium Group International, 77 percent companies report mentoring programs are effective in increasing retention. Meanwhile, 35 percent employees who do not receive regular mentoring, look for another job within 12 months.

Management productivity also increased by 88 percent when mentoring was provided, however wide gap was observed, with just 24 percent increase when companies only provide training. These statistics should not be seen as a sheer number, but an indication to initiate effective plan of action for a mentoring strategy.

See: Delegating Right: Tips and Techniques for Senior Leaders

If you need some insightful tips to begin with, here are two vital elements to conduct mentoring right for superior employee performance:

The right time to assign a mentor

The first question you should ask before planning company’s mentoring program is whether you have time for it. Make sure that you have sufficient time, specifically allocated to implement the program.

If you see that the company is on tight schedule and deadline, that everyone is hassled in getting their tasks done, then you cannot include a mentoring program to add-on to the already tight schedule of employees.Effective time management is vital in organising successful mentoring program.

As a leader, you should be able to analyse the pattern of company’s off and peak season. Especially the time frame when tasks keep piling up, it leaves no time for the HR to focus on mentoring to be include in the training agenda.

So, you should choose the right time to conduct mentoring session for employees. Not only will this provide more time to work on the mentoring tutorials, but employees will also not be overwhelmed as well.

As an alternative when you can use online mentoring tools to conduct live mentoring sessions. Simple and easy, online mentoring tools such as Graduway and Chronus Mentoring Software will be of great help for managing and facilitating better mentoring programs. These systems allow managers to monitor employee development and progress.

The right people to train and mentor

Successful mentoring program is supported by the right people, both mentors and mentees. Mentoring can be done using several methods, such as group mentoring, peer mentoring, or one-to-one mentoring. As a leader, you should be able to pick the right employees to be effective and dedicated mentor for other employees.

Before directing them to right mentors, you should carefully observe their competencies, motivation levels, and align their individual growth objectives along with the company vision. To help you select the right mentor, you can look up for employee’s track records and find someone with excellent background and history.

Make sure that you have communicated well the intention to appoint them as your mentor, such that they will be prepared when needed.

While each company has their own distinctive style in implementing mentorship programs, choosing the right time and people to conduct the program is fundamental.

Mentoring cannot be delegated to just anyone with critical skills are crucially-needed to bridge the information gaps. If mentoring is done right, superior employee performance will no longer be a dreamy idea.

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