How to Improve Productivity Through Mentoring

Did you know that the top 1% of productive individuals add about $5,000 in profits for an organization every year? This is because 38% of individuals with above-average productivity are engaged. Mentoring is a tool that many organizations find useful for increasing employee engagement and ultimately improving employee productivity.

Mentoring engages individuals by targeting their specific needs. This creates more productive individuals, as they feel that the organization values them while they become a more invested member of the team.

Increasing engagement isn’t the only way that mentoring can improve productivity for your organization. Here are 5 additional ways to improve productivity through mentoring:

1. Mentoring to Increase Knowledge Sharing

Knowledge sharing is the exchange of information, skills, and expertise through individuals. It promotes innovation, fills knowledge gaps, and encourages leadership. As knowledge sharing brings innovation to the organization, you start to see individuals become more resourceful in solving problems. This in turn, improves productivity.

Mentoring provides a platform for individuals to effectively share knowledge, as mentees have real support and accountability. When there is validation that they are receiving the correct information, mentees can focus on productively using their knowledge to give back to the organization.

2. Mentoring New Team Members to be More Productive

Onboarding is a time for new hires to become acquainted with the company culture and to understand their role as productive assets to the organization. Traditional onboarding techniques have proved the state of employee retention to be inadequate, as one third of individuals quit within the first 6 months of a new job. How can organizations expect individuals to be productive if so many want to leave within half a year?

Implementing a mentoring program for onboarding increases productivity by allowing individuals to use their mentor’s network to familiarize themselves with the company culture. This means less time figuring everything out on their own, and more time focusing on quickly improving necessary skills.

3. Mentoring for Career & Leadership Development

An individual that knows their role and is properly trained is more productive because they know that they can accomplish more for the organization. A mentor can provide this training, as well as expose the mentee to other opportunities throughout the organization.

With encouragement from a mentor, individuals are motivated to pursue these opportunities. They are confident in their ability to keep progressing and lead others.

4. Mentoring with a Focus on Diversity

Diversity increases workplace productivity, especially when the organization is focused on innovation. Diversity encompasses a mix of age, gender, race, education, and more. All of these elements are what allow individuals to bring their unique expertise to the table.

When your organization implements a mentoring program focused on diversity, you’re providing individuals with the ability to share ideas that can solve issues in unexplored ways. This improves productivity, as individuals learn how to work collectively to fill in any knowledge gaps.