" Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” - Benjamin Franklin _________________________________________________ NSW State Manager, Omesh Jethwani discusses the importance of mentoring in the workplace and how to set up a successful mentoring program.

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JANUARY/MARCH 2014
THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKPLACE MENTORS
NSW State Manager, Omesh Jethwani discusses the importance of mentoring in the workplace and how to set
up a successful mentoring program.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and
I may remember, involve me and
I learn” Benjamin Franklin.
Emma Willing, Professional Development & Promotions Coordinator;
Michelle Bass, Skills Development Manager
What is Mentoring in the Workplace?
Workplace mentoring is a learning
partnership between employers and
employees for the purpose of passing and
sharing institutional knowledge, technical
information and insights. In today’s
business world more and more companies
are embracing the concept of mentoring
as a professional development tool.
Through mentoring, organisations are seeing
improvements in efficiency and productivity
and leadership skills from one generation to
the next. Mentoring began with the Ancient
Greeks, making it one of the oldest forms
of influence and knowledge sharing.
How To Set Up A Mentoring
Program in the Workplace
Depending on the structure and culture of
the organisation, a mentoring program can
be set up either formally or informally.
Management support and approval is
one of the main ingredients. Involving top
management contributes positive energy
and seriousness to the initiative. In fact
top management should be participating,
encouraging and getting involved from
the very beginning of the initiative.
Make the mentoring program part of the
organisation’s policy, culture and annual
review process. The mentoring program
can be accessible to all employees
irrespective of their positions.
Define and establish clear and precise
objectives — an organisation should
know exactly what it is trying to achieve
through its mentoring program.
Recruiting the right mentors is crucial to
the success of the mentoring program.
It is beneficial to have both male and
female mentors from different walks of life
who have the right skills and experiences
and who are also culturally sensitive.
Matching a mentee with the right mentor
is crucial to the success of the program. It
is like an arranged marriage. Knowing the
objectives and goals of the mentee would
be beneficial as it will assist in matching
with a mentor’s skills and expertise within
the same area, trade or occupation.
explaining why employees should participate
in the program and how it will benefit them.
Mentoring relationships should be formatted
when the pairing is completed. Introducing
some basic steps would help both parties.
The first step would be to establish an
agreement, followed by the mentor and
mentee having a conversation about
their expectations, confidentiality, and the
boundaries of their relationship. The next
step is establishing the agreement phase
whereby the mentor helps the mentee work
out a plan with clear tasks for achieving
goals. Last but not least the mentor supports
the mentee in following the plan as well as
providing feedback and accountability.
Generally most organisations value their
employees and tend to be committed to
providing career opportunities to retain
employees and allow them to grow within the
organisation. These organisations are ideal
candidates for initiating a mentoring program.
When an objective or goal has been
established, an organisation has to find
ways to measure whether or not the
program is making progress. One way is
by surveying mentors and mentees on
how their experiences were achieved.
A mentoring program can only be successful
if an organisation has an internal structure to
support the program. These can include but
are not limited to a performance management
program, management development
program, diversity training, strategic business
objectives, developed competencies
and a successful planning process.
One last note to remember is that there
is no template that you can take from
one organisation to another as two
organisations are never the same.
Communication is vital to the implementation
and success of the mentoring program. It
builds employees trust, relationships and
provides clarity as well as collaboration
with the employees. When an organisation
communicates smoothly, it can improve workflow
and overall productivity. By making an effort
to improve an organisation’s communication
processes, it can build a stronger organisation
that will have staying power in the market.
The CAMS project is a nationally coordinated
approach to supporting apprentices in
the building and construction industry
delivered through Master Builders’ network
of 33 offices around Australia, including
major regional centres. CAMS is being
implemented by Master Builders around
Australia, with funding assistance from the
Department of Industry, Innovation, Science,
Research and Tertiary Education under
the Apprenticeship Mentoring Program.
Do not make the mentoring program
mandatory. Rather take the approach of
By Omesh Jethwani, NSW State
Manager Apprenticeship Mentoring.