The workplace mentoring program is a powerful talent development tool that is mutually beneficial to both the employees and their employers. Excellent strategies for mentoring programs make employees enthused and engaged at work, increasing productivity. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all.

Here are the top five types of workplace mentoring program:

1. Career Mentoring

It’s typical that when you make a new hire, you want to make the recruit feel comfortable with their surroundings. You could assign a buddy to ensure they’ve got someone to guide and listen to them and align their goals with your company’s objectives.

As they learn, the employees get a learning and development opportunity. In the end, this helps them take a more active role in the company, build their knowledge, become better people, and advance their careers, which all positively impact the wellbeing of your business.

2. Reverse Mentoring

Millennials are tech-savvy and possess social media prowess that may be vital for your business. Reverse mentoring allows the younger generation to help their older counterparts, passing valuable skills.  Also, this helps create a cohesive work environment and enhance communication and understanding among your employees as they understand each other’s needs.

3. Diversity Mentoring

A workplace brings people from different walks of life together. But for your business to move forward, all the employees need to understand, trust, and support each other. Diversity mentoring creates a level playing field by enabling different opinions, and ideas, knowledge, and create an inclusive corporate culture. Employees don’t shy to share their concerns allowing them to deliver at their optimal best.

4. Peer to Peer Mentoring

Your company can pair the same level employees who share common interests and develop them together as a group in what we call a mentoring circle. Generally, up to 10 employees meeting up frequently constitute a circle. They share their ideas and insights, which promote cross-departmental communication and expand the knowledge pool. Since all these employees have varying skillsets but all interested in solving the same problem, a business gets improved solutions and innovation.

5. Group Mentoring

A single senior or experienced employee can guide a group of employees over a specified period. This move is, in particular, useful if you have a bunch of new employees but limited mentors. The arrangement is a perfect fit for you if your business has grown considerably, with branches across the country or region. You can have one mentor handling each region.

Alternatively, you can take advantage of technology and pool your employees together in an e-mentoring program.

Benefits of Mentoring Programs in Organizations

Some of the benefits of a mentoring program in your organization include:

1. Improved employee performance by enhancing their satisfaction.
2. It creates a cohesive work environment where employees appreciate each other’s diverse backgrounds.
3. Accommodating new employees, making them feel appreciated, adjust quickly and become efficient.
4. Helps in company hiring, retention and succession planning by identifying and grooming potential leaders.

Generally, every organization, regardless of its size, needs a mentorship program to improve productivity. But a suitable model will depend on your company size, values and the nature of your business. When deciding on the program, choose one that aligns with your organization’s objectives. You can always talk to professional career consultants or coaches to help you identify the best system that works for you.