Companies are constantly searching for ways to keep their best employees happy with their current positions. The good news is, most workers these days are also thinking about how they may feel satisfied and fulfilled with their work. This is where workplace or business mentoring enters the picture.

What is mentoring like at work?

For many organisations, mentoring has turned into an important means of employee retention. It’s a method for helping new hires adjust to the workplace in a more seamless way. However, your efforts must be focused on more than onboarding fresh recruits.

When done right, mentoring allows you to build a culture that is friendly to new employees and welcoming of innovative ideas. It also teaches people to set goals for their subordinates, colleagues, and themselves so they’re able to boost their commitment and performance.

Normally, mentorship is between a senior worker with more experience and a younger worker in need of support and advice, but this is an informal arrangement. Formal programs are what result in workers who are more engaged in the team and have greater potential for professional development compared to others.

How is a mentor different from a manager?

The main difference between management and mentorship is in the relationship between the people involved and the results they hope to achieve. Managing, for instance, is a professional relationship focused on accomplishing operational results. It is based on the structure of your organisation and lasts according to employment duration.

On the other hand, mentoring is beneficial to all parties and typically lasts a year or longer. Its primary goal is to teach and hone a certain skill over finishing a task. It often leads to mentors and mentees being connected outside of work as well.

How do you become an effective mentor?

While mentoring and management are different, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be both for your team. It’s possible to be a manager who also supports mental health and cares about personal development—simply consider the following tips:

Teach them to solve problems

When they feel a sense of responsibility, they are more likely to come up with solutions themselves before escalating concerns to you. Train your apprentices to think about areas that need improvement along with ways to resolve these issues during your regular meetings.

Doing so teaches them to think on their feet and manage any situations that may come up. Some of your team members will get used to it more quickly than others. Still, remember to nurture those who are trying to catch up with their more flexible colleagues.

Be present to your team

Being online on Slack or Skype is enough to be visible to your apprentices. If you make them feel like you’re too busy to respond to their chats, they might hesitate to contact you even when they’re genuinely lost. Let them know that you’re available when they need any clarification.

Additionally, make it a point to respond as soon as possible. A prompt reply will enable them to maintain their pace so they get more done. If you’re able to train more than one apprentice at a time, give it a try and allow them to grow together.

Understand their expectations

As mentioned above, mentorship is meant to be mutually beneficial, so it’s not just your expectations that have to be met. Ask your mentees what they are hoping to learn from you or what they hope to accomplish while under your wing.

Schedule a meeting where you may discuss their objectives at length. Most of the time, your apprentices are young and starry-eyed so they likely have many ideas they want to try out. Be open to their dreams and provide suggestions on how they might reach them.

Be clear with your expectations

Like with any other kind of relationship, communication is key when you’re a mentor. Informing your mentee what you’re expecting from them enables them to deliver better results. They don’t have to waste time trying to figure out how or when to contact you, so they can concentrate on their work.

Open communication leads to higher quality work for a number of reasons. For starters, they know how their role contributes to the project as a whole. Another is that they become personally involved in you and your mission since they understand what you wish to achieve.

Leverage their youthful passion

Determine why your mentees would want to follow in your footsteps and consider how to use that for building your brand. If you think about it, your apprentices are their own category of followers. What they like about you may be what attracts people to your company too.

Therefore, take every opportunity to teach them all about your mission, vision, products, and services. This knowledge helps them come up with ideas for matching your goals with the right marketing methods. They’ll also know which of your unique features to capitalise on for business growth.

Go from manager to mentor

Whether you’re a manager or a mentor, having reliable workers on your team makes your role a lot easier. Putting together an excellent team means you must choose the right people to include. We at Remote Workmate have candidates that are worth considering for virtual jobs.

Reduce the stress and hassle that comes with recruiting new employees by working with an offshore staffing agency like us. We conduct the initial screening for all candidates before we endorse them to you for interviews. Find top talents for your organisation as soon as today!