Micro-coaching or traditional mentorship? What's right for your org?

Mentorship programs in the workplace are becoming an increasingly popular way for employers to develop their employees and transform how their organization works. Mentoring can skyrocket employee satisfaction, with 91% of mentees saying they feel satisfied at work. Successful mentorship programs even serve as a pillar of support for diversity initiatives, help employees get promoted, increase workplace accountability, and improve talent retention.

With several types of mentorship programs to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which is right for your organization. Learn more about the different types of mentorship programs in the workplace and see which one fits your needs.

Traditional mentorship programs

While there are plenty of trendy new mentorship styles, traditional mentoring is still popular among mentors and mentees alike. Traditional mentorship is usually one-on-one between a young professional and a more experienced mentor who has been at the organization for some time.

Traditional mentorship is well known for establishing effective accountability, as there are fewer barriers between the mentor and mentee. It’s also highly engaging, especially if done in-person on a regular basis as it creates a strong relationship between the individuals involved. Traditional mentorship can be a powerful tool for quickly developing skills and transferring knowledge in a direct and distraction-free coaching environment.

This mentorship style can deliver value to your organization if your workforce is still mostly on-site and if in-person mentoring is essential for the development of hands-on skills.

Micro-coaching

Micro-coaching has seen increased use in today’s fast-paced world of work and is a great alternative to traditional mentorship. Micro-coaching involves short but frequent mentorship sessions that are focused on answering questions, collaborating, and offering guidance when needed. It’s typically more informal and less structured than other mentorship styles.

Micro-coaching can be done in-person or virtually and is based on the idea that regular check-ins will help keep a mentee on track while making them feel more comfortable reaching out to their mentor without scheduling long-winded meetings.

This mentoring approach is useful if your organization’s mentors have busy schedules, or if your employees need several short guidance sessions a week to resolve issues.

Virtual coaching

The world of work has become more virtual and remote than ever, and mentorship is no exception. Even if your employees aren’t at the office, they can still benefit greatly from virtual coaching. This is a hugely popular mentorship style due to its flexibility. Research shows that 31% of workers want more control over their training programs, while 50% prefer video training.

This kind of coaching brings mentors closer to their mentees despite remote working arrangements and is a great option for organizations that manage a nationwide or global workforce.

Adecco recently partnered with EZRA, an Adecco Group Company, to offer meaningful mentorship that can improve onboarding, retention, and performance. Our mentorship platform connects your workers with a certified coach that adapts to their work goals and their schedule. It’s a powerful tool to boost your existing DE&I, leadership, performance, and wellbeing programs.

Learn more about how our EZRA virtual coaching platform can transform how you approach mentorship.

Peer mentoring program

A peer mentoring program varies from traditional mentoring as it involves two people with similar experience and seniority levels. The main premise behind this kind of mentorship is for workers to give and receive support, exchange knowledge, and develop strong workplace bonds.

This style of mentorship is much less formal than other options, as it may involve regular meetings where both individuals discuss current projects and brainstorm to help each other tackle problems. This is a mutually beneficial process that results in a high level of responsibility and accountability.

Peer-to-peer mentoring programs can be valuable for onboarding processes, remote teams, collaborative projects, and tasks that require company-wide networking.

If you need support implementing mentorship programs in your organization, Adecco can help. Our team is experienced in helping companies like yours transform their workforce, find talented candidates, and effectively improve how they operate. Contact us today to find out how we can help you!