Mentoring

 

 

As part of a graduate business management class, the assignment came to write a paper on an issue relating to change in a company’s operating procedures. My personal experience and observations were that many American businesses operate on the “sink or swim” method of new employee assimilation. Therefore, I felt like this aspect of change was an important investigation to undertake.

 

Usually there are attempts to orient the new associate into the new place of employment with mandatory human relations and safety classes.  And, frequently some short period of observation is felt necessary to determine if the new person is plugging in satisfactorily.  But to truly mentor the new person by assigning a long-term coach or team of people is rare.

 

Remember back to one of your first jobs and recall how you had to learn the culture and true expectations of the company by trial and error.  How awkward, time consuming and nonproductive where those first 6-12 months of employment?

 

My research yielded several well done, long term investigations into different methods of new employee assimilation and productivity issues.  Even though training in formal classroom settings was very common, retention of new associates and productivity was significantly higher in situations where the new associate was provided an experienced mentor with the communication skills and interest to guide the person through the first year of employment. 

 

(G. Seale, New Employee Assimilation: How Cultural Assimilation

Impacts New Employee’s Adjustment and Performance,  Southwest Texas State University, 2000)

 

Before an individual can be trusted as a viable source if information, they must first be seen as caring, accurate, and willing to serve the inexperienced associate with insightful information that conforms to the company policies and expectations.

 

As a manager who is responsible for the well-being and productivity of the company and consequently the productive assimilation of new employees into the firm, it is critical to use the best methods possible to achieve that end.  The failure to use the most efficient methods is a sign of neglect and highly detrimental to the long-term health of your employer. 

 

During 1976, I was able to experience first-hand the attempt at a professional job mentoring program.  My first job after college was with an oil field drilling supplies company in Houston, Texas.  The company had established a program of hiring new college graduates to move into management roles after completion of a 12 month manager trainee program.  This was an excellent idea on paper.  The relatively low paid associates would be exposed to every department before being selected for their full-time job.  Both the employee and the company got a long hard look at each other before the final job placement decision was made.  

 

Unfortunately, the program did not go much further than having a schedule of departments to move to each month.  Depending on the type of department and the individual manager, there may or may not have been any training or coaching provided.  The Purchasing Manager, who was in charge of the trainee program, did not exhibit much interest in the program either.  Unfortunately, the new associates in this program rarely stayed more than two years at the company after their completion of the program.

 

Later in my career, I was able to reflect on the waste of time, money and energy that the program consumed.  It was too long, lacked direction and lacked a mentor to guide the new associate in his career path.  The program could have been a true success with preemployment aptitude tests, an assigned mentor, and a significantly shorter orientation program.

 

In contrast, my experience with the 3M Company was radically different.  There was a detailed process of product knowledge acquisition and sales training provided.  Each new associate was monitored closely by a supervisor who had no more than 8 direct employees reporting to them.  Detailed assignments, personal observation and benchmarks were established that let the new associate know exactly where they stood in the assimilation program. New sales associates were placed into territories within 10 weeks of their hiring date with well-defined objectives, while being closely monitored by their direct supervisor.

 

As these examples and research suggest, well run mentoring programs can make a significant difference in new employee retention and productivity.  With little additional cost, a mentor can be assigned, and program established that will yield dividends for years to come.