In recent years, we have seen many traditional practices and activities shift to an online environment: communicating with friends and family, playing games with friends, and dating – and in the world of HR and People & Culture activities, so have things like team building and mentoring.
Like all of these other activities, the reason that mentoring has moved online is a combination of the following reasons:
- It removes the barrier of physical geography
- It removes some of the difficulty and friction involved in seeking out people to connect with
- Gives mentors and mentees all the tools in one place
- And for those who are tasked with running these programs, it makes scaling mentoring extremely efficient and effective.
This can lead to some asking, what will the age of online mentoring mean for the age-old tradition of mentoring?
Making Mentoring More Accessible
The key improvement is access. In the past, where an individual worked and lived could dramatically impact their access to mentoring.
If a person worked for a company that didn’t have a formal mentoring program or hadn’t attended a university or college that had one, it was very difficult and potentially impossible for them to find and connect with great mentors. And at a time when employees and individuals need mentoring more than ever – this is a problem.
Today, because of online mentoring platforms it’s easier than ever. Not only is online mentoring making it more effective for large companies to structure their mentoring programs – it is making it possible for individuals to access industry association mentoring programs, regardless of where they live or work. Small businesses can now launch and run their own programs or even harness the power of cross-company mentoring to overcome the inherent lack of resources or participants.
More Diverse Mentors and Mentees, More Inclusive Pairings
Online mentoring, especially via mentoring software, has emerged as a powerful catalyst in fostering greater diversity within mentoring programs. The digital landscape transcends traditional barriers of geographical location and accessibility, enabling individuals from a multitude of backgrounds, cultures, and demographics to engage in mentorship opportunities. This newfound accessibility empowers individuals who might have previously been excluded due to physical limitations, socio-economic constraints, or other factors. As a result, online mentoring programs attract a broader spectrum of potential mentors and mentees, enriching the pool of participants with diverse perspectives, experiences, ideas, and expertise. Similarly, businesses can now connect their global offices and share best practices and learnings across branches, regions, countries, and cultures.
Much of the strength of mentoring lies in exchanging advice and experience with people from different backgrounds. These people are able to provide their mentee or mentor with a new lens, grounded in a completely different set of ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. Online mentoring, like online dating, makes it possible to connect with people who you otherwise would never have access to thanks to matching methods that take the human unconscious bias out of the equation.
Moreover, the inherent flexibility and convenience of online mentoring platforms play a pivotal role in promoting diversity within mentoring programs. Unlike traditional face-to-face interactions, online mentorship transcends time zones and scheduling constraints, allowing individuals from different backgrounds and circumstances to engage at their own pace. This flexibility is particularly advantageous for those who might face challenges in committing to rigid schedules due to family responsibilities, work commitments, or other obligations. As a result, individuals from underrepresented groups, who may have previously found it difficult to participate in conventional mentoring arrangements, can now readily join and contribute to online mentoring initiatives. This inclusivity not only enriches the pool of mentors and mentees but also facilitates the cross-pollination of ideas and experiences, fostering a more diverse and vibrant mentoring community.
Better Documentation And More Effective Mentoring
Streamlining the documentation process is a pivotal advancement made possible by modern mentoring software like Mentorloop, contributing to more effective mentoring outcomes. Through user-friendly interfaces and intuitive features, mentoring software helps facilitate the creation of comprehensive and organized records that capture essential milestones, discussions, and insights throughout the mentorship journey.
The technological integration into online mentoring not only enhances mutual accountability but also provides a structured framework through features like goal setting and progress tracking.
On Mentorloop, mentors and mentees are able to keep notes of their sessions, set and track their goals, as well as access resources to help them make the most out of their relationship. Mentorloop also helps them stay engaged and on-track by guiding them through mentoring milestones so mentors and mentees know exactly what to do at any stage of their mentoring journeys. By enabling mentors and mentees to effortlessly access and review previous interactions and accomplishments, Mentorloop also empowers them to build upon earlier conversations and establish a cohesive trajectory for personal and professional advancement.
Click below to learn more about how Mentorloop guides mentors and mentees throughout their journey and helps them stay focused and on track.
Having this more structured method around mentoring ensures that more people will experience effective mentoring. While people used to kind of ‘float’ into mentoring relationships, they will now be consciously engaged and invested in their mentorships, which makes for far better outcomes. Packaging all of the things you need into one purpose-driven platform means that the mentoring process becomes more streamlined and therefore more efficient.
Furthermore, this digitally facilitated documentation serves as an invaluable asset for program coordinators and stakeholders, offering insights to assess mentoring program efficacy, identify opportunities for enhancement, and customize future mentoring experiences to align with the specific preferences and requirements of participants. Ultimately, leveraging mentoring software for improved documentation fosters a culture of openness, learning, and ongoing refinement within both individual mentoring relationships and broader mentoring initiatives.
Less Admin for Everyone
Admin tasks are not fun – but they are a necessary part of building and implementing any people program. But mentoring software removes this issue by automating the time-consuming admin tasks. It removes the need to fill out spreadsheets, manually match people via email, and maintain oversight of hundreds of relationships in a document.
Like most online activities, people may say that online mentoring has the potential to remove the ‘human’ element of mentoring. But that would be wrong. Online mentoring makes the human element more accessible – and supplements it perfectly.
Online mentoring is the future of mentoring, and it is ushering in a very exciting period for the trusty old learning and development tool.
