Virtual mentoring – fostering meaningful relationships and employee connections
(Image credit: Photo by linkedinsalesnavigator on Unsplash)
Remote or hybrid work is nothing new for most organizations and businesses. Many have adapted to the modern world of working in hybrid or remote workspaces and have pivoted their working models to better support their team.
Yet, some still face challenges to this new reality, are adjusting their policies and protocols, and need innovative solutions to keep engagement up and improve the employee experience.
Virtual mentoring is an incredible way to enhance learning and development strategies. Investing in the right mentorship program helps organizations build trust with their employees, allows them to upskill their talents, fosters a sense of belonging and retains talent.
It is essential that employees acquire a wide range of skills and confidence needed to advance in their careers, including the exploration of artificial intelligence and other new technologies. Everyone deserves a mentor regardless of whether they are new to the organization, starting another position, returning to the workplace after a leave of absence, or at another critical point in their profession.
There are many forms of mentoring, however, the ones that work best in a hybrid situation are one-on-one mentoring, peer mentoring and mentoring circles.
Mentor-mentee relationships positively contribute to building connections at work in a remote or hybrid setting. It can happen with matching anyone from across generations, anytime or anywhere.
Face-to-face definitely has its benefits for building strong relationships, as does virtual connections with people, whether it's talking on the phone, on a video chat, a text message or another creative way.
Communication is also key, and businesses are experimenting with new collaboration tools to ensure that staff who are working remotely feel like they are part of the work culture.
During the pandemic, many businesses and organizations realized the importance of being adaptable, flexible, empathetic with mentor-mentee relationships.
A Harvard Business Review article gives some great advice on how to shape the future of mentorship programs by embracing adaptability, flexibility and empathy, as well as providing meaningful support and guidance to mentees to promote their personal and professional growth.
Adaptability
Be adaptable to accommodate the current environment.
Focus on building skills that are relevant and high in demand due to rapid workplace changes.
Provide mentees with access to a range of mentors with diverse backgrounds and expertise.
Ensure diversity within the mentor-mentee relationship as it is a critical component.
Incorporate technology to ensure that mentors and mentees communicate and collaborate effectively.
Explore online platforms, chatbots and video conferencing tools to match mentors and mentees, provide real-time feedback and support, and foster connections.
Flexibility
Design mentorship programs to accommodate different communication styles and preferences.
Ensure mentors and mentors feel empowered to customize their experience based on their needs and goals (for example, type of mentoring, frequency, duration and areas of focus).
Incorporate asynchronous mentoring to allow mentees to receive feedback and guidance at their own pace and convenience.
Empathy
Mentors need to provide emotional support in addition to imparting knowledge and skills.
Mentors need to demonstrate active listening skills, share their experiences and challenges to show they are also human and vulnerable.
Create a safe and inclusive environment so mentees feel comfortable sharing their challenges and concerns.
Ensure programs are diverse and inclusive to foster empathy.
Mentors should be trained to be culturally sensitive, aware of unconscious biases and provide equitable and inclusive support to mentees.
Mentors can help mentees build diverse networks and provide guidance on how to navigate workplace challenges related to diversity and inclusion.
I don't think anybody makes it in the world without some form of mentorship. Nobody makes it alone.
– Oprah Winfrey
We have gathered a variety of tips and advice to help you consider starting a virtual mentoring program or to enhance your existing one.
Here are a few from Ten Thousand Coffees:
Assess what has or hasn’t worked in the past.
Decide what goals you want to achieve with a virtual mentoring program.
Designate a coordinator or team to facilitate the program.
Find a mentoring platform that can facilitate matching and capturing data.
Implement a trial run to start the program, then reflect.
Meet both hybrid and remote workers’ needs through a virtual mentoring program.
Chronus also shared a few benefits of having an effective virtual mentorship program:
Connections rely less on geography.
Scheduling becomes simpler.
Relationships may feel more genuine.
LinkedIn posted these helpful virtual mentoring recommendations:
Choose a compatible mentee – Virtual mentoring requires a good match between you and your mentee, especially in terms of communication style, availability, and learning preferences. Find someone who is motivated, curious and open to feedback, but also respectful of your time and boundaries. Choose a compatible mentee by using online platforms, networks, or organizations that connect mentors and mentees based on their profiles, goals, and interests. Also ask for referrals from your colleagues, friends or former mentees.
Establish goals and expectations – Once you have a mentee, establish clear and realistic goals and expectations for your mentoring relationship. This will help you both stay focused, motivated, and accountable. You can start by discussing your mentee's needs, challenges, and aspirations, and then set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals that align with them. Also agree on how often, how long, and how you will communicate, as well as what kind of support and resources you will provide and seek.
Use technology wisely – Once you have a mentee, you need to establish clear and realistic goals and expectations for your mentoring relationship. This will help you both stay focused, motivated, and accountable. You can start by discussing your mentee's needs, challenges and aspirations, and then set SMART goals that align with them.
Provide feedback and encouragement – Feedback and encouragement are essential for any mentoring relationship, but especially for virtual mentoring, where you may not be able to observe your mentee's progress and performance as closely as in person. Provide constructive and timely feedback that helps your mentee improve their skills, knowledge and confidence. Recognize their achievements and strengths. You can use various methods and formats to give feedback, such as verbal, written or visual, depending on your mentee's preference and the nature of the task or goal. Also encourage your mentee to give you feedback on your mentoring style and effectiveness, to ask questions and seek help when needed.
Monitor and evaluate progress – Monitoring and evaluating your mentee's progress and outcomes regularly will help you both assess if you are on track with your goals and expectations, identify any gaps or challenges, and adjust your strategies and actions accordingly. Use various tools and techniques to monitor and evaluate progress such as checklists, surveys, quizzes, portfolios and self-assessments. Schedule periodic reviews or milestones to discuss your mentee's achievements, challenges and feedback, and to celebrate their successes and learn from their failures.
Creating a mentor culture
Here at Life Works Well, it is our passion to help new and scaling businesses create a mentor culture. That way, your employees can reach their full potential and start a ripple effect of impact in the workplace, in the community and around the world.
Everyone deserves to experience the value of mentorship, both as a mentor and mentee at various stages in life and career.
We look forward to sharing more about how to Create a Mentor Culture soon.