The Role of DEI Mentoring in Creating an Inclusive Workplace

"The business world is no longer about the big beating the small; it's about the fast beating the slow. Adaptability is the key to staying ahead." - Nathan Blecharczyk, Co-founder of Airbnb.

The landscape of today’s workplace is different than it was even three years ago. Unpredictable events such as the pandemic flipped it upside down. In certain companies, the workplace is virtually unrecognizable compared to what it was in early 2020 before the lockdowns.

Predicting these changes is not always possible. The best way businesses can stay ahead is to be willing to adapt, change, and react positively to the environment without losing their core values and profitable strategies.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have emerged as critical factors for success. Not incorporating DEI into company culture can have disastrous social and professional consequences. Conversely, if handled well, DEI programs can boost profits and become the foundation of a thriving company culture.

So, what does mentoring have to do with it? There are underrepresented and minority groups in every sector of the corporate ladder. Understanding what life is like for these groups without being a member is impossible. All the education and study in the world will never replace experiencing it. That doesn't mean companies can't have empathy and take strides to create a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive environment that is welcoming and productive for everyone.

Mentoring breaks down barriers. It provides a platform for underrepresented groups to connect with experienced professionals. These connections provide guidance, support, and opportunities. With mentorship, people within the workplace structure who wouldn't normally interact with each other form meaningful relationships and networks.

Build a Diverse Talent Pool

Today, job seekers want to work in an environment that takes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion seriously. In a recent study, 70% of job seekers weigh DEI in their evaluation of potential jobs. That's because they want to work in a culturally acceptable and comfortable workspace.

Mentoring opens the door to DEI and culture building. Your existing employees cross-network with people completely outside their comfort zone. Barriers such as race, gender, etc., are broken down, and cross-connections are established throughout the organization, making a diverse workplace.

Employees want a stimulating workplace culture. Mentoring diversifies the workplace by the simple act of exposing employees to different types of people and creating new opportunities to learn. Over time, mentoring also transmits knowledge from the top of your company (mentors) to junior employees (mentees). Mentoring builds a knowledge-based company culture where information enriches people of every group and every corner of the workplace.

Retention and Employee Turnover

Companies work hard to attract talented workers, and they spend huge sums to get the best people into their respective workforces. All the effort and money go to waste if the talented workers that were acquired quit in short order.

Millennials are the largest generation in the workforce. Major corporations such as Deloitte incorporate mentoring programs as part of their DEI efforts. According to Deloitte's 2020 Millennial Survey, Millennials were more likely to stay with a company that made diversity a priority.

Mentoring builds diverse teams and connections. Positive DEI environments are happy environments that play a pivotal role in employee satisfaction. Happy employees stick around. Retention rates get a nice boost.

Burnout

Burnout is inevitable. No matter how passionate, no matter how much dedication to the job, everyone experiences it. When employees experience it too much and lose motivation, their quality of work suffers.

We spend the majority of our time at work. Burning out at work means we are burnt out for most of our time. The effects of this are not only detrimental to the workplace but also to the personal well-being of employees.

Mentoring is not a cure-all for burnout. But building a DEI workplace culture with mentoring creates an environment that naturally works against employee burnout. Mentoring programs can be tailor-made with DEI-specific goals in mind. Pairing employees from underrepresented groups strategically in a mentoring program can be done in a few ways. Mentoring Programs can pair people who are similar to one another or who are very different. 

The key is to have lots of connections between people who wouldn't normally interact. These diverse relationships sprinkled throughout an organization create a stimulating and engaging workplace that eradicates employee burnout before it takes a toll. 

Wisdom Share Mentoring Software

Our powerful software seamlessly integrates mentoring into any organization. It can be tailored to handle any unique challenge. It offers a range of key features and benefits designed to drive measurable results.

1. Customizable Matching Algorithms: Wisdom Share employs cutting-edge matching algorithms that efficiently pair mentors and mentees based on shared goals, interests, and expertise. This ensures optimal mentor-mentee matches, facilitating productive and impactful relationships right from the start.
   
   
2. Seamless Communication and Collaboration: Our software provides user-friendly communication tools, including chat, video conferencing, and virtual meeting spaces, enabling mentees and mentors to connect and collaborate effortlessly. This seamless communication fosters a sense of belonging and support, facilitating valuable knowledge transfer and growth.
   
   
3. Goal Tracking and Progress Measurement: With Wisdom Share, mentees can set clear objectives, track their progress, and receive feedback from their mentors. This feature enhances accountability, motivates mentees to strive for their goals, and enables mentors to provide valuable guidance and support along the way.
   
   
4. Resource Library and Knowledge Sharing: Our software offers a comprehensive resource library, housing a vast array of valuable materials, articles, and best practices. Mentees can access this centralized repository to expand their knowledge, gain insights, and continuously develop their skills, promoting ongoing learning and growth.
   
   
5. Data-driven Insights and Analytics: Wisdom Share provides data-driven insights and analytics that offer a deep understanding of mentoring relationships, program effectiveness, and the impact on key metrics. These actionable insights empower organizations to make informed decisions, optimize their mentoring programs, and measure the tangible benefits they bring to employee engagement, retention, and overall company performance.

Reach out to us today for a Free Demo of Wisdom Share and start using mentoring to harness the true power of your business.

Mentor Resources can help any company to leverage technology to create tailored career development programs that are cost-effective. Our mentoring software - Wisdom Share is a cloud-based program that is simple and comes with guided workflows. Included are tools for administrators to attract, enroll, connect, and guide participants. We also provide analytics to ensure you can monitor your employee development program and easily see ROI metrics.

Reach out to us today for a Free Demonstration of our software.