INSIGHT - WFH Mistakes - Are you at risk of losing your people?

With 2 weeks of social distancing under out belts, working from home is starting to become the new norm. However, the excitement of a team zoom meeting is wearing off and suddenly we are feeling more distant from our colleagues.

Whilst most organisations are getting on top of their crisis management strategies, their attention is turning to what they have left and want to hold onto. Now is the time to start shifting our focus to one of our most valuable assets, our people.

How do we keep our people connected and engaged in times of isolation?

Mentoring provides the prefect framework to connect and engage people, specifically in these challenging times. Good mentoring is more than just a natter over coffee, it is about employees looking out for each other, holding each other accountable, setting and achieving goals together and staying connected.

Imagine a workforce where, without having to invest in expensive coaches and motivators;

• Every employee knows that someone is invested in their progress.
• They have a written action plan and are working towards a set goal that is aligned with their organisation’s goal. Those goals are tracked and refreshed on a regular basis.
• Someone will call them regularly to check on their progress and help hold them accountable.
• They have access to lived experience and wisdom of their colleagues.
• Managers and leaders still have time to progress work-streams and strategies knowing that their teams are engaged and connected.
• Employees feel a sense of belonging and experience the company culture from someone who is an embodiment of it.
• Employees who become mentors get the opportunity to develop their leadership skills and feel their own sense of satisfaction and engagement.
• Above all everyone feels connected and motivated to continue their role, even if agile working is forced upon them.

Mentors who are developed to feel confident and competent and who follow an efficient system are able to provide the human connection and accountability that will be needed now and in the uncertain future that we are heading into.

What do to next?

• Decide how your Mentoring Programme is going to work - we use the 5 P's of Mentoring to develop a framework that considers the Purpose, People, Practicalities, Protection and Promotion of a mentoring programme.
• Produce a Mentoring framework document to explain how the programme will work and share that within your organisation.
• Identify Mentors and equip them to take charge
• Match Mentors and Mentees
• Structure the Mentoring so that it follows a process where Mentors contract with Mentees at the start; agreeing a goal, time-frame and frequency of contact for example.
• Encourage time effective and meaningful conversations on a regular basis that keep everyone connected.
• Measure the impact and continually develop your mentoring programme as your commercial needs and environment evolve.

Want to learn more and get the right support to implement Mentoring?

Goal 17’s deliver award winning mentoring solutions. We can:

• Design the correct mentoring framework for your organisation.
• Develop your people into effective and efficient mentors.
• Equip your people with the tools and process they need to make mentoring efficient and effective.
• Implement a successful Mentoring Programme that generates robust commercial returns.
• Evidence the impact of Mentoring with robust data to support the commercial logic
• Provide ongoing support and ensure Mentoring momentum and engagement remains high.

We are fully mobilised to deliver result remotely and working with clients to engage and retain their talent through these challenging times.

For a free advice and a discussion with one of our mentoring experts please email: [email protected]