What You Need To Know
Mentoring can help a new employee adjust to a new work environment. Younger workers can be paired with older and more experienced workers in similar positions.
Coaching is a way to teach employees specific skills and information relevant to their jobs. Workers can be included in training sessions, internal courses, and on-the-job training until they are able to do their job without any assistance.
Why You Need To Know
Both mentoring and coaching are important in a workplace. They can help develop new employees and re-energize longer-term workers.
A mentorship program can be established fairly easily in a company. It needs structure, however. Mentors need to learn how to mentor. Mentees need to prepare themselves to be mentored. The objective is to develop the capabilities of the mentee, with benefits to the mentors as well. Mentors focus on developing the whole person, not just specific skills.
The program needs a dedicated manager to support the mentors and mentees develop a healthy effective relationship.
Coaching, on the other hand, is task focused. Employees with expertise and skills to share may need to learn how to teach effectively.
What You Need To Do
Look into starting a mentoring program in your workplace. Identify employees who might be good mentors. They should not be line supervisors or make decisions that could affect a mentee’s career.
Similarly, identify individuals who could be coaches, teaching specific skills.
Training programs will help mentors and coaches perform these roles well.