HRIS platforms sometimes come with a mentoring element which is great, right? Well, in most instances not really. True for many solutions in life – dresses, shampoo, bathing suits, you name it – often these ‘one-size-fits-all solutions’ come with the heftiest price tag of them all; a poor experience.
Unfortunately, the mentality of “it will do”, simply won’t.
The All-In-One, One-Size-Fits-All Trap: Compromise
There are three hallmark traits that we see in this arena;
- Mediocre User Experience
- Expected Obsolescence
- Compromised Performance
With a tailored mentoring solution, you can come to expect regular updates of interactive features, content, support articles and guidance. A concentrated effort and dedication to moving alongside – and more than often, even guiding – mentoring trends, ensures you always have access to the best experience and innovation available for your people.
Ironically, but worth noting, this also translates to mentoring itself, where often having only one mentor is not ideal. It’s no secret that being open to a variety of lived experiences, perspectives and networking opportunities is proven to enhance careers. At Mentorloop, we encourage building a personal advisory board over relying on one mentor to ‘rule them all’ and reflect this in what we offer – unlike some platforms, we’ll never limit the number of matches any individual can have – learn more about our packages.
How Your HRIS Is Holding Your Mentoring Efforts Back
Trap 1: Failing to uncover the unlikely connection (matching)
If you’re running an open program where you have empowered your participants to self-select their mentoring partner (whether it be short-term or long-term), this bottom-up approach often leads to a far more engaged cohort than those created in a stale HRIS environment due to one crucial, secret ingredient – intention.
Participants engaging through the Mentorloop platform have control over their mentoring experience, for instance, to pause on their own terms when they need a break or go on leave, creating an environment where participants can be confident that those they’re reaching out to, are genuinely looking for connection and to support one another (unlike an environment like Linkedin where requests to connect aren’t always clear or welcomed).
Likewise, for programs that are smart-matched with an algorithm, it’s vital that the right information is being captured in the first place. A HRIS record may include some key information such as skills to be developed, but are you confident you understand the goals, hopes and dreams of your employees – where do you capture that? Who should have access or control over that information? What mentoring platforms create is a unique space to allow participants to drive their learning and development by sharing their own personal goals and seek advice, experience or perspective from others.
Further to this, an equitable approach is vital here. In a remote world, equity is even more important. What role does equity and equality play in your mentoring program? Do you have access to an algorithm that constantly learns from mentoring insights collected from thousands upon thousands of people worldwide?
Trap 2: Getting stuck in the ‘old way’ of mentoring (momentum)
When you’re running a mentoring program or initiative using a HRIS, don’t hold your breath when it comes to support and resources for both you and your participants. With a dedicated solution like Mentorloop, you’ll be covered from day one to educate and inspire every participant on their mentoring journey – particularly if they’re not starting at the same time.
There are mentoring attitudes and habits that are best left in the past and we’re well beyond as a broader society – here, we’re talking about mentoring favouring the bold, those who are chosen, considered high-potentials or seen to be a younger version of a mentor’s self.
Due to these biases and challenges, most programs run through a HRIS are run poorly and only offer mentoring to a select few – reinforcing the same people moving into positions of influence and perpetuating DEI issues.
With a mentoring platform such as Mentorloop, you can be assured that everyone is accounted for, considered and set-up for success across the lifecycle of their own mentoring journey, moving through milestones and visible to you, the Program Coordinator.
Trap 3: Limitations and blind spots in measuring success (measure)
It’s no secret that it can be challenging to measure a mentoring program, especially if you’re relying on spreadsheets, limited information in an all-in-one option or waiting until the end of a program to survey and collate feedback responses.
A tool that captures critical feedback at engaged, key moments assists greatly in managing both positive and the occasional negative responses in-the-moment. Waiting to evaluate a mentoring program until it’s conclusion is one of the fatal mistakes we see time and time again in mentoring programs.
Mentorloop mitigates this by capturing this sentiment feedback at key points along the journey and aggregates this into an overall Mentoring Quality Score (MQS), so you can track your program’s success both at a macro level and dive into the details with participants one-on-one if need be.
Trap 4: Missing out on the benefits of scalability and accessibility (grow)
Another perk of utilising a mentoring platform is permissions access – often, the Program Coordinator of a mentoring program isn’t actually in the HR or People & Culture team and it might be inappropriate for them to have access to a certain level of HR data that they need to make matches.
By reserving a dedicated space for mentoring that sits outside the HRIS sphere, this creates a more open place for participants to engage and welcome one another. As a Program Coordinator, you can make a conscious effort to include certain communities within your organisation and ensure they have dedicated support along their journey.
The Ultimate Mentoring Solution?
Integrate your tools for a match made in heaven
Purpose-built with purposeful benefits, Mentorloop already has a number of apps and integrations to assist you in building a culture of mentoring in your organisation to weave mentoring into your own ecosystem with ease.
If you have a HRIS, CRM or member management you’d like to integrate with Mentorloop, it’s likely we’ll have you covered already, or very soon. Be sure to chat with one of our experts and experience a demo of the platform to learn more.
