Workplace Mentoring Program at TLP
A QUICK WRITE UP FROM NICOLE RICHARD, DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES.
Striving to do better. It’s what most of us challenge ourselves to do on a daily basis. Whether it be at work, at home, or in our relationships, we want to do our best and be our best. Achieving it on our own can sometimes seem like an overwhelming task; however, having a mentor is an excellent way to accelerate our self-development or career growth through a collaborative effort.
The benefits of an effective employee mentoring program can be exponential.
At TLP, we formalized a mentoring program about a year ago because we saw the need to link employees with senior leadership to help achieve goals but also as a way to strengthen bonds amongst our team. Some of the benefits we found with our mentoring program consisted of:
- Increased confidence
- Job satisfaction
- Greater awareness of other approaches to work
- A confidential sounding board for ideas and challenges
During the mentoring process, mentees met with their mentors biweekly. Each mentee was asked to identify a goal he/she wished to accomplish during their 6 month allotted timeframe. With the help of our mentors, mentees worked towards overcoming barriers (whether self-imposed or job related) and build awareness how seeing a bigger picture could benefit their career growth and/or personal development. Additionally, our mentors were pleasantly surprised of the benefits they gained through the relationships. This included:
- New perspectives and insight on business operations
- Development of coaching skills
- Improving morale and motivation
Initially our goal with our mentoring program was to help identify aspiring leaders but we found that it was more than that. Yes, it builds rapport with one another, but more importantly it improves confidence and self-esteem. All characteristics of a happy and productive employee. The success we found by implementing this program has been so beneficial and provided additional benefits that we couldn’t have even anticipated. It’s been a win-win for us and for all of our team.
Want to learn how you can join the TLP team? Check out our open positions by clicking here.