We are mentoring advocates first – and a mentoring software company second. We would love to live in a world where every company does mentoring right and goes about it using best practices. But unfortunately, mentoring is often one of those invaluable people programs that often ends up in the check-box category; implemented to fill a void or gap in an organisation’s People and Culture quota – but never really invested in, measured, or emphasised as a tool for creating real change for employees or company.
This is a real shame. Because companies and individuals who are involved in the best company mentoring programs see very real and tangible results – results like increased engagement, increased satisfaction, and increased diversity.
So to give you a bit of inspiration on your way to building a better mentorship program, here are a few of the best examples of company mentoring programs on Mentorloop.
iGrow - Philip Morris International
iGrow is a grassroots initiative created by employees, for employees at Philip Morris International.
The goal of the iGrow mentoring program’s team of volunteer program coordinators started this initiative to empower their fellow PMI colleagues from across the world by giving them an opportunity to hone their leadership skills, expand their network, grow as individuals, and be supported by someone outside of their immediate team.
iGrow started in 2020 in Neuchatel Switzerland with only a handful of participants and in just 2 years, expanded into a truly global program with participants from PMI departments all over the world. iGrow’s participants span the entire spectrum of the professional cycle. They have mentors and mentees from members of the senior management team, mid-level management, and to new people within the organization.
The iGrow mentoring program is a stellar example of a truly grassroots program that addresses an organization’s collective demand for mentoring. iGrow has since gotten even more support from the leaders at Philip Morris International and continues to grow and expand globally.
Many mentoring programs like PMI’s iGrow is now delivered remotely. Download our guide to remote mentoring to get the lowdown on best practices for program coordinators, mentors, and mentees.
Ziff Davis
The Ziff Davis mentorship program allows employees within the Ziff Davis brand to connect with colleagues from all over the world.
This program uses a hybrid matching approach – allowing self-matching for role-specific skills while also making smart matches based on compatibility and general mentoring goals available.
This has encouraged employees to meet new people within the Ziff Davis brand. Through the program, junior employees have gotten more exposure to senior leaders who are able to guide them in growing relevant skills and progressing in their careers. This has also encouraged leadership teams across all divisions to commit to shaping and guiding those who are looking for mentorship.
Hear from some of the mentors and mentees in the Ziff Davis mentorship program:
The Ziff Davis DEI & HR programs team continues to find ways to improve upon this program and it’s still going strong today.
Arup Americas
Arup Americas launched their mentoring program in early 2023 to address a critical need: navigating employee isolation. Leaders recognized that connection and development opportunities were key to retention, wellbeing, and professional growth. So their people team started a mentoring program that empowered employees to connect with colleagues in other teams and offices.
Since launching in 2023, the program has grown from 485 participants to over 700, while maintaining an impressive mentoring quality score of 4.71 and a 94.2% participant satisfaction rate. The program is now embedded at every stage of the employee journey: from new hire orientation to summer internships and employee resource groups (ERGs). One of the most exciting developments has been the use of Mentorloop in Arup’s Graduate Experience Program, where they piloted mentoring circles with 139 graduates and 28 volunteer mentors, giving new hires a safe space to share their early career experiences.
Hear from the program coordinators of the Arup Americas mentoring program:
Arup promotes mentoring as part of their culture as a humane organization, and plans to further expand the program globally, connecting employees in the Americas with colleagues across other regions.
The Secret Sauce: There Isn't One
These are just examples of what the best company mentoring programs look like. They also illustrate that each mentoring program should and will be different because each will align with the overall goals and culture of the company – as well as the specific goal of your people programs (succession planning, diversity and inclusion, learning and development etc.).
While there is no perfect formula for your creating the best company mentoring programs for your particular organization, these examples prove that the key to creating a good mentoring program and great employee outcomes is the same as creating a good anything: invest the necessary time, money, and effort into making it work.
Mentoring shouldn’t be a checkbox category – because it can make a real difference. You can start building an enviable mentoring program by checking out some of our best mentoring program resources.
And if you are interested in seeing how the Mentorloop platform can help you build an exemplary mentoring program, explore how it works or get your own program started by chatting to a mentoring expert and see a demo.
