The phrase diversity and inclusion has been thrown around a lot in recent years. So much so that we can sometimes lose track of what it really means. So think of it like this: Imagine that you’re a left-handed baseball player. You’ve been selected to play on a team of all right-handed players. Before you begin your first practice, you … Read more
While women now account for 47 percent of the workforce, they are still greatly underrepresented in leadership roles with only 19 percent occupying C-level positions. Learn why creating more gender diverse teams is essential for your organization to perform at its best in our new infographic. Bonus: We’ve also included three ways your organization can enable women to thrive in … Read more
Starting a mentoring initiative at your organization is exciting. You’ve researched the options for best program format and put together a solid plan for your company. Perhaps you’ve even put together a return-on-investment (ROI) analysis. However, there’s always the final stage of the process before committing to launch—pitching career mentoring to stakeholders and securing their approval. Gaining leadership approval for … Read more
An Award-Winning Student Mentoring Program Australia’s RMIT University, was recognized by the Victorian International Education Awards for their student mentoring program aimed at international students. RMIT received the award for Excellence in International Student Employability and Career Development, solidifying their reputation for producing graduates who are highly valued by employers worldwide. RMIT’s mentoring program matches industry professionals and alumni with … Read more
Professional associations connect professionals within an industry in order to share industry insight and encourage learning and networking. But recruiting and retaining younger members is becoming a challenge for many associations. A study by Horizons found that 87.3 percent of respondents agreed attracting younger members to their organizations is a growing problem. Without a steady flow of new members to … Read more
Jump-start your university mentorship programs and put them on the path to success with these key program-planning tips. 1. Define your university mentoring program objectives and secure leadership support You would be surprised by the number of university mentorship programs without clear objectives or strong buy-in. Such programs often struggle because there is no consensus of what success looks like … Read more
We sat down with several participants of the Ste. Michelle Wine Estates mentoring program to ask them how mentoring has impacted their lives. Almost every person’s recollection could be traced back to something in their former school days. Little instances here and there that impacted them over the years. A conversation with a teacher, a coach, or a professor. It … Read more
Youths who have mentors are more likely to succeed in many areas of life. According to Youth.gov, young people with at least one caring mentor in their lives are more likely to graduate high school and attend college. They are less likely to fall victim to substance abuse, and less likely to be incarcerated. Research from “The Mentoring Effect” says … Read more
All it took was five seconds. This past summer, I saw my small cousin waddle over to a phone, unlock the device, and within moments, navigate to cartoons from the comfort of his play pen. As a one-year-old, he had more trouble walking to the device than using it. That’s the trend of things today. The present and upcoming generations … Read more
When launching a new mentoring program, having an administrator that’s ready and able to manage the program, stakeholders, and tools can be a huge factor in the success of the program. In fact, it can mean the difference between a program that thrives and grows into a best practice, or one that fizzles out after a pilot. According to a … Read more
Humans naturally tend towards learning. We will do so almost subconsciously. Consider a child picking up the accent of their parents, or learning a song without ever looking up the lyrics. At the workplace, the learning culture consists of the expectations, rhetoric, and support that determine whether and how individuals learn. Whether your organization is deliberately building a learning culture or not, some … Read more
Smartphones have transformed the way we live, work and play. The Pew Research Institute says 92% of adults own a cellphone, 68% own smartphones, and almost half own a tablet. More and more of our day-to-day tasks are accessible via mobile because it’s a lot more convenient than sitting down with a laptop or desktop. And this trend isn’t going … Read more
There’s a lot of buzz around mentoring lately, but that doesn’t mean mentoring is simply a passing fad. So what’s the big deal? Mentoring is quickly becoming one of the go-to methods for increasing employee engagement, development and retention. Over 70 percent of Fortune 500 companies offer corporate mentoring programs to their employees. Let’s take a deep dive into what … Read more
So you’re having a problem keeping millennial employees engaged and thriving at your company, right? It’s okay, many do. In 2015, only 32% of employees were considered engaged at work. Low engagement is tightly correlated to increased turnover, and the cost of turnover is substantial. Gallup estimates that millennial turnover costs the US economy $30.5 billion annually. There’s got to … Read more
We all know the workforce is changing. According to Forbes, millennials make up 40 percent of the workforce today and are predicted to make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2026. This massive shift means it’s a must for employers to attract, develop and retain millennial talent. With this in mind, what then are organizations doing to attract millennial … Read more
Onboarding a group of new employees can be a challenge. With employees spread across departments, locations, and competencies, managing this process efficiently takes work. Not to mention onboarding programs have multiple stakeholders – each with their own goals. If employees aren’t engaged and don’t feel that they’re making meaningful contributions, they may be tempted to seek a position elsewhere. Over … Read more
I’m willing to bet you, dear reader, have come across an article (or ten) about the importance of employee engagement. We’ve been hearing a lot about this topic with people saying it’s crucial, companies that have engaged workforces see lower turnover and higher profits, and we’d all do well to invest in programs that promote employee engagement. But here’s something … Read more
One of the most crucial factors to success with mentoring programs is measuring outcomes. After all, how do you know if your goals were accomplished if you don’t take a hard look at the results of your program? But how do you know what to measure? How do you know what questions to ask in order to ensure success? We … Read more