In the fight to keep employees engaged and satisfied with where they work, employers have been pushed to consider everything from a
Career mobility and skill development can be key to keeping a workforce engaged — and it’s not just a matter of virtual video training or checklists, but deep relationships with those already in the company, says Gracey Cantalupo, chief marketing officer at MentorcliQ, a company that facilitates mentorship programs for businesses across the U.S.
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“It’s not just a quick cup of coffee, but employees developing relationships that keep them engaged,” she says. “If you’re engaged, you're going to want to stay and grow with the company.”
The Labor Department estimates that four million Americans are quitting their jobs each month. While lack of flexibility is often named one of the top reasons for this employee migration, the recruitment tech company, Beamery, reported that 83% of employees believe that companies should help with career progression, citing growth as a deciding factor in whether they stay or go.
Mentorship may directly confront a lack of employee engagement, which has become more challenging since many workplaces are now virtual, Cantalupo explains. Seventy-one percent of Fortune 500 companies have mentorship programs, while National Mentoring Day reported that of those with a mentor, 97% found it valuable.
“There's mentoring happening in your organization naturally, and your employees want it,” Cantalupo says. “It’s time to capitalize on that momentum and let us apply the technology it takes to give participants the content, guidance and milestones they need.”
MentorcliQ works with the talent development teams, DEI teams and HR teams to conduct an initial audit on what mentorships are already taking place in the company. From there, MentorcliQ will move these relationships to a virtual platform, where teams can track how often mentorship is happening and the goals participants are working towards. This software will also note promotion and retention rates.
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However, data analysis will only take a mentorship program so far — at the heart of this solution is people making lasting connections. That’s why MentorcliQ’s platform provides mentor labs, which train potential mentors while having mentees take personality surveys so the system can set up optimal matches, Cantalupo explains.
“Programs like this are company-led but employee-driven,” Cantalupo says. “The employees are really pulling through and advocating for more of these specialized programs. They are not interested in just making quick connections anymore.”
And these relationships can prove to be powerful. For example, KeyBank, one of MentorcliQ’s customers, saw a 76% decrease in employee turnover. CardinalHealth, another company that worked with MentorcliQ, saw over 50 high-potential promotions become possible due to its program.
To take employee engagement even further, mentorship programs can also be considered another tool in an employer’s DEI arsenal.
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MentorcliQ helped clinical network company LabCorp develop a program where junior employees of diverse backgrounds could connect with senior leaders, getting exposure to experiences and skills they otherwise would not have access to in their own role. Both companies won a Brandon Hall award for their program.
“If companies don’t take action around diversity, equity and inclusion, employees will feel they work at a company where they don’t belong,” says Cantalupo. “That’s why mentorship programs like reverse diverse mentoring can make companies actually take action.”
As companies look for the secret weapon to fight the growing attrition rate in the U.S. workforce, more employers may find that nothing can act as a substitute for human connection — and encouraging leaders to listen and guide members of their company’s community could be a big step towards building relationships.
“It’s really the voice of the employee that is going to inform the future of work,” Cantalupo says. “The companies that are thriving now and are going to continue to create a great culture are the ones listening to the voice of the employee.”
