5 Benefits of Mentoring in the Workplace

The Mentee Learns Valuable Skills

For a mentee, especially one at the start of their career, having an experienced mentor can be hugely beneficial for them. With a mentor’s guidance, they can learn the ropes from someone who has already been there and done that, which is extremely valuable for success and advancement. A mentor is able to share their knowledge about a variety of topics such as the responsibilities specific to a job role, the state of a whole industry, the ins-and-outs of the company’s organisational structure, policies, practices and business methodologies. A mentee willing to absorb all of the knowledge their mentor has to offer them, will then have the foundation to set out a long and successful career for themselves.

The Learning is Reciprocal

Whilst mentoring primarily benefits the mentee, the mentor is also able to learn valuable new skills during the mentorship process. A prime example of this is an older employee who wasn’t raised with modern technology mentoring a young employee who is a digital native, who then learns the full potential of the internet and technology from the experience of their mentee. Mentors can also take some credit and have pride in taking an employee under their wing and teaching them to become better employees, and then seeing that come to life right before their eyes.

Develops a Multi-Generational Culture

By matching a mentor with a mentee, a relationship is developed by between the younger and older generations within your business as they work together and share knowledge with each other. The older mentor sets the example of a role model employee for the mentee, whilst the mentee brings fresh enthusiasm and passion to the workplace to inspire the mentor to continue to give their all for the company and love what they do. This relationship contributes to creating a positive company culture and combines the qualities of each individual, regardless of age.

Creates Networking Opportunities

Having a mentor will also open the mentee up to meeting a lot of people within the professional environment whom they may never have had the chance to meet otherwise. This allows the mentee the develop their professional network and make themselves known to people in their company and field. These connections can provide great opportunities to secure future jobs in the mentee’s career as they will already have one foot in the door with many of the recruiters. The mentor can further aid the mentee by providing them with things like recommendations on the mentee’s LinkedIn profile and invite them to events and other networking opportunities to connect them to the right people.

Reduces Stress and Anxiety

A mentor can also be helpful for the mentee’s mental health as well. A young, relatively inexperienced employee is likely to make mistakes and get things wrong sometimes which can knock their confidence and potentially make them fearful of being fired. Having a mentor to reassure them that everyone makes mistakes and that making a few mistakes isn’t going to cost them to job can be more useful than you might think. This helps put the mentee’s mind at rest, which allows them to focus on their work and learn from their mistakes, so they are less likely to make them again.

Skills for Growth – SME Support can help you upskill your employees and examine your organisational structure to identify any skills gaps within your team. Click here to apply for our fully funded support service or call 0161 237 4444 and speak to a Skills Coach today.