Riia O’Donnell* says employees are coming to realise the importance of having a mentor, so it’s up to employers to help bring mentors and mentees together.
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More than three-quarters of workers said they think mentors are important, but only 37 per cent have one and only 56 per cent had one at another point in their careers, according to a new survey of more than 3,000 people by Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois.
The majority of mentees, 57 per cent, are at the junior level, according to the study.
Mid-level mentees account for 35 per cent of those being mentored.
Senior-level mentees make up only 8 per cent of individuals with mentors, the study said.
Science, government and education are the top three industries for mentorships.
Broken down by gender, almost 70 per cent of women report their mentors are women, compared to 82 per cent of men who say their mentors are men.
More than half of respondents reported their mentorship evolved naturally, while 14 per cent specifically asked someone to be their mentor.
A quarter said their mentors offered to mentor them.
The average mentor and mentee spend four hours talking each month for 3.3 years, Olivet found.
About 40 per cent report it’s difficult or very difficult to get time with their mentor.
Formal and informal mentorship programs are a perk employees say they desire.
Such programs can help boost an organisation’s ability to attract talent, one report found.
For women and minorities, mentorship programming can be of significant value to a career’s trajectory, according to research from Heidrick & Struggles.
And Yale University findings suggested that speed mentoring is a way to fast track the relationship to the benefit of both parties.
For millennials, who are more critical of development programs than their generational counterparts, mentorship may provide the learning opportunities they need.
While they may be happy with their work, they may be concerned about their career pathways.
Mentorship may provide a solution, but the challenge for many can be a lack of understanding about how the relationship should benefit the employee.
That’s where HR can help, standardising programs and helping mentors and mentees make the most of their time together.
* Riia O’Donnell is a HR professional and contributor to HR Dive.
This article first appeared at www.hrdive.com.
