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“71% of Fortune 500 companies have mentorship programs.”
Stephanie Puryear Helling returns to the podcast to chat with Mindy about mentorship programs. Stephanie notes that professional development programs are often the first to go when companies need to make cuts, and this has certainly been the case as a result of the pandemic and the Great Resignation. For companies who do make efforts to establish a mentorship program, they often face challenges such as not having the right talent available to mentor others and not having a consistent structure to the program.
For instituting and running a successful mentorship program, Stephanie advises starting with a clearly defined strategy. She emphasizes how important it is to know the current state of your organization and how a mentorship program is going to help. She also notes the significant next step of understanding the monetary component that will allow for the time, human capital, and materials necessary to run the program.
Finally, Stephanie reflects on the positive effects such mentorship programs have on a company’s morale. These programs can help to retain talent, give employee’s a critical sense of belonging, and provide emotional support to nurture longevity. While remote work and Zoom meetings can certainly be useful, mentorship programs help to provide a human-to-human connection that can make all the difference.