Mentoring and sponsorship are essential strategies for retaining talent and advancing diversity. Mentoring and sponsorship programmes help businesses grow by creating more inclusive teams, improving communication, increasing visibility, and fostering trust within networks.
If your company wants to retain talent and encourage diversity in the workplace, it must implement a systemic strategy that begins with a focus on equity. A well-planned mentorship with the help of a mentoring platform and sponsorship programme is an excellent way to make people of various identities and backgrounds feel supported, respected, and involved.
Why Is Diversity Important Today?
According to research, a more diverse workplace promotes innovation, creativity, employee satisfaction, and increased profits. According to a recent Great Place to Work study of S& P 500 companies, those that increased their commitment to diversity and inclusion before, during, and after the 2009 recession outperformed less inclusive competitors by a factor of four, achieving 14% gains.
In addition to the bottom line, successful DEI programs contribute to higher levels of total employee satisfaction, engagement, and workplace belonging. When human understanding and connection appear to be in short supply, mentoring from a mentoring platform can be a critical component of a practical DEI approach.
Benefits of mentoring from a mentoring platform
Underrepresented employees may face challenges at work in terms of inclusion and professional advancement. When individuals move into leadership roles or new responsibilities within a company, mentoring can provide networking and skill development opportunities, which can help alleviate some of these issues.
Compared to other strategies, mentoring effectively improves diversity in businesses. Mentoring from a mentoring platform increased minority representation among managers in the workplace by 9 to 24 percent compared to other corporate strategies, according to a 2016 study published in the American Sociological Review (such required diversity training, grievance procedures, or job tests).
Mentorship Programs with the help of mentoring platform That Can Improve DEI
When determining which type of mentorship is best for your organisation, aligning with the overall DEI goals is critical. Once your objectives have been established, a variety of mentoring methods may be used to support your initiative.
Mentoring in reverse
Reverse mentoring pairs more experienced workers with newcomers who are younger and less experienced. The younger employee serves as a mentor, educating senior employees on the most recent business innovations, providing open feedback on the level of inclusion within departments, and providing new perspectives on employee experiences at the company.
Job Coaching
As part of a comprehensive DEI strategy, this traditional one-on-one approach strongly emphasises professional development and progress. It demonstrates early organisational engagement in workers and can point them toward career advancement by highlighting opportunities for stretch assignments, promotions, and higher pay. A careful consideration must be given to the design of these programs to ensure adequate diversity representation among mentees and mentors of mentoring platforms. Otherwise, it risks becoming yet another work-related programme that feels exclusive.
The Buddy System
Implementing a buddy program, in which a recruit is paired with an experienced worker to formally share expertise, is an effective way to increase new hire retention. Early on, underrepresented employees must feel a sense of connection and belonging to the company, especially if those ties are virtual. This type of mentorship program with the help of a mentoring platform can foster relationships at work, increase engagement, speed up production, and help marginalised people integrate into corporate culture.
Advisory Groups
Employees can discover coworkers from different backgrounds than their own and share experiences in a peer-to-peer setting called a mentorship circle to understand workplace interactions better. Many organisations use employee resource groups (ERGs) or other support groups to bring people together based on shared identities to foster community and networking within underrepresented groups. Mentoring circles are excellent tools for breaking down organisational barriers, addressing bias, and cultivating more compassionate relationships.
How can mentoring from a mentoring platform be used to promote inclusion and diversity?
First and foremost, it is crucial to distinguish between diversity and inclusion:
Although diversity and inclusion are frequently discussed together, there may be a conflict in how these topics should be approached.
For example, if you want to run a mentoring programme to increase diversity, you could target a specific minority group and pair members with mentors to achieve a goal. However, if the programme is only available to that specific population, it will not be inclusive.
Be aware of this before putting them in a group and creating a “Diversity and Inclusion Mentoring Program.”
Mentoring programmes for diverse youth
Mentorship programmes for diversity aim to empower and encourage minority personnel in their professional development to strengthen leadership succession.
To diversify the talent pipeline within organisations, high potential employees from minority groups are typically paired with senior management level personnel.
Businesses that want to launch a diverse mentoring programme from a mentoring platform must first establish the program’s goals, just like any other mentoring programme. In this sentence, try to be more specific than “fostering a culture of diversity.” For example, maybe you want to encourage more black women to take on leadership roles or increase minority employee retention. Before you begin, define your goal and decide how you will track your progress.
Conclusion
Employees who are mentored can improve themselves, their careers, and their performance in today’s increasingly difficult environments. We would encourage all organisations to consider developing mentoring programmes, whether for expressing concerns about diversity and inclusion, conversing with people in similar situations, or discussing career advancement opportunities.
