10 Examples of Successful Professional Mentoring Programs

At Together, we build software to help every employee find and learn from peers, mentors, or experts at their company. 

We’ve powered employee connections at companies with hundreds and thousands of employees. Manually matching employees takes too long, so they use our matching algorithm to quickly match mentors and mentees, ensuring every employee has someone to learn from.

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We’ll walk you through 10 examples of companies that have run corporate mentoring programs using our software. Plus, we’ll give you a quick look at how you could build your workplace mentoring program.

1. Louisiana Office of Public Health closes skills gaps with mentoring

• Company: The Louisiana Office of Public Health
• Industry: Public health
• Size of the program: 70+ employees
• Type of programs: 1-on-1, Colleague Connect

Mentorship addresses pain points of employee turnover and skills gaps

Working in public health is an intense experience that takes its toll on workers: Stress and burnout are the top two reasons why employees leave public health, according to the Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey (PH WINS).  

Through an internal pulse survey, the Office of Public Health (OPH) in Louisiana also discovered a need to connect with others and a gap when it came to leadership skills training. These challenges—employee turnover, talent gaps left by retiring staff, and an emphasis on employee well-being and connection—led the OPH Workforce Team to explore mentorship.

“The idea of a mentorship program originally came up in the 2019 cohort of our OPH Leadership Development Institute as a solution to improve retention. Once we realized that it could help us reach other organizational objectives, like closing skill gaps and boosting employee engagement, we knew that a mentorship program would be worth the investment,” said Jennifer Taylor, Deputy Director of Workforce, Louisiana Department of Health.

OPH defined several goals for their mentorship program, including: develop key public health skills, increase retention, and improve succession planning. They also chose several key performance indicators related to themes like mentee development, program engagement, and org impact to measure the success of the program.

How mentors and mentees feel about mentorship at OPH

Since starting the program in 2021, 100% of participants have found the mentorship program valuable. 

One mentor said, “Being able to share those experiences, the good things that I’ve learned, the mistakes that I’ve made, with my mentee and hoping that they will be able to learn from those experiences, that’s been really fulfilling to me as a mentor.”

And one mentee shared, “The mentorship cultivated a greater sense of self assurance for me and my abilities and enabled me to approach challenges with poise and confidence.”

OPH’s results: Making major strides to close the skills gap

The transformation at OPH is undeniable: Prior to the mentorship program, only 16% of employees said their skills were at the “practical application” level. And once they’d been through the mentorship program, 83% of employees said they’d achieved practical application level. You can learn more about the results of OPH’s mentorship program in the video below.

2. Avison Young’s mentorship program for women

• Company: Avison Young 
• Industry: Commercial real estate
• Size of program: 500+ employees
• Type of program: 1-on-1, groups

See what Joan Skelton, Global Director, Diversity & Inclusion at Avison Young has to say about how much time it took to manually match mentoring program participants before implementing Together:

Improving diversity and inclusivity in leadership roles

Avison Young, a global commercial real estate firm, launched a company mentorship program to improve diversity and inclusivity, particularly in leadership roles. Their focus was on advancing women into senior positions.

The program connected seasoned employees and organizational leaders with members of various employee resource groups (ERGs), which supported women and other underrepresented groups. Mentorship provided these women with the guidance needed for leadership roles.

While participation was limited to specific ERGs, such as the Black Professionals Resource Group and LGBTQ+, mentors came from different areas of the company. Avison Young's employee mentorship program highlights how mentoring within ERGs can create a more equitable workplace.

Check out the kind of results Avison Young saw with Together in this video:

Feedback from mentors and mentees 

Mentee

"My mentor is awesome. She gives me little nuggets that are priceless and relevant to my current responsibilities."

Mentor

"I am thoroughly enjoying my time with my mentee. We share similar challenges and concerns and work through our experiences and thoughts."

Future corporate mentoring programs at Avison Young

Avison Young plans to expand its professional mentoring programs in the future. They’re testing mentoring groups to increase collaboration and knowledge sharing. The new program will focus on helping women in leadership positions and giving them the tools they need to succeed.

This is an exciting development for Avison Young, which continues to be a leader in diversity and inclusion initiatives. The new professional mentorship programs will help more women reach their potential and create a more diverse and equitable workplace.

3. New York Life’s Empower Mentorship Program

• Company: New York Life
• Industry: Insurance
• Size of program: 500+ employees
• Type of program: 1-on-1

Connecting ERGs with senior leadership: The Empower Program

New York Life (NYL) created the Empower Program to connect members of the organization’s ERGs with senior leadership. This nine-month workplace mentor program paired members of specific employee resource groups with mentors from other ERGs. To date, they have conducted over five Empower Mentoring Programs.

Using Together’s mentoring platform, NYL leveraged pairing features and mentorship resources to achieve their goals, which included:

• Guiding and supporting mentees to reach their goals through mentor expertise.
• Encouraging mentors to share their professional journeys and career progress.
• Cultivating connections among employees from different parts of the organization.
• Facilitating peer learning.
• Enabling mentors to refine their coaching skills and provide meaningful learning experiences.

Feedback from mentors and mentees

Mentee

"Another great touch-base with my mentor. I found our time spent informally catching up and then diving into a situational discussion on conflict resolution really helpful in better understanding how to use leadership skills to drive more effective influence."

Mentor

"The sessions with my mentee went extremely well. She had particular work issues to deal with and through brainstorming and action planning in our sessions, she was able to work through the issues."

Impact of New York Life’s Empowerment Programs: 53% diverse pairings

The results of their efforts demonstrate how any organization can start and succeed at building a diversity and inclusion mentorship program.

53% of all the pairings in their professional mentoring programs included matches where both participants shared a diverse background. Doing this allowed for a stronger bond between mentors and mentees as they could share common experiences in the workplace. 

The program also gave leaders a fresh perspective and ERG members opportunities as it opened up conversations with more junior employees with diverse backgrounds. NYL has also set out to experiment with creating mentorship programs in the workplace for specific groups of employees like managers, connecting different managers from different offices for knowledge sharing.

4. Cooley’s company mentorship program sets up new associates for success

• Company: Cooley Law 
• Industry: Law
• Size of program: 500+ employees
• Type of program: 1-on-1, groups
  

Accelerating onboarding: Cooley’s CAMP program

Cooley, a global law firm with over 1,500 lawyers, designed the Cooley Academy Mentoring Program (CAMP) to onboard new attorneys and prepare them quickly for their roles. By connecting new hires with experienced colleagues, the program provided a robust support system, helping new employees become competent in their roles faster.

As part of the experience, Cooley introduced the “Cooley Mentoring Competition” to strengthen existing mentoring relationships and build new connections among colleagues in a fun and engaging way.

Cooley’s approach demonstrates that incorporating creativity and friendly competition into mentoring programs can significantly boost employee engagement and enjoyment.

Feedback from participants

Mentee

“We are both new. It's a good fit in the sense that we are both feeling out our space within the firm although from very different perspectives!”

Mentor

"It was great to meet my mentee and be her mentor for the summer program. She is eager to learn to try new things. She is passionate about connecting with new people and trying out different assignments." 

Future of mentorship at Cooley: New mentor programs and experiments with group mentoring

Cooley is launching a number of programs for interns and new hires, as well as experimenting with group programs. 

Mentoring is becoming a core part of their training, with a program for each office. This is part of their larger effort to build a mentoring culture within the company.

5. King Games supports diversity in the workplace

• Company: King Games (a division of Activision)
• Industry: Video games
• Size of program: 200+ employees
• Type of program: 1-on-1, groups

Empowering diversity: King's Kicking Glass Program

King Games, renowned in the mobile video game industry for hits like Candy Crush, recognized the need to boost internal inclusivity to stay competitive and creative. To reflect the diversity of their gaming audience, King launched an initiative to support female and non-binary employees.

Members of the employee resource group Women@King expressed concerns about a lack of confidence and access to opportunities, making the case for a mentoring program. In response, King created the Kicking Glass professional mentoring program for female and non-binary employees.

With the help of Together’s mentoring software, King matched over 250 employees with mentors to foster inclusivity and support. This mentoring initiative helped break down barriers and promote a culture of belonging.

Feedback from participants

Mentee

“My mentor taught me a lot about confidence, how to plan for the future and organize my thoughts. Very happy to have been paired with her!”

Mentor

“I really enjoy mentoring my mentee. She is a very smart and eloquent person who has fantastic skills and is a real asset to King.”

Expanding mentor programs at King: 250+ employees empowered

The Kicking Glass program at King continues to grow, expanding to include new employees and fostering inclusivity. Alongside this, King is developing high-potential leadership programs to further support career advancement.

The success of the Kicking Glass program, with participants rating it 3.9 out of 4, demonstrates King’s commitment to supporting employees and helping them reach their full potential. These corporate mentoring initiatives will help ensure that King remains a top employer for years to come.

6. Cruise accelerates engineer training for future transportation

• Company: Cruise Automation 
• Industry: Self-driving cars
• Size of program: 300+ employees
• Type of program: 1-on-1
  

Upskilling for engineers: Cruise’s professional mentoring programs

Cruise Automation, a leader in developing self-driving vehicles, recognizes the need for its engineers to stay on the cutting edge of technology. To achieve this, mentorship is a key component of their strategy.

Using Together’s platform, Cruise is scaling its employee mentorship program to include over 1,000 engineers. Initially, they ran a pilot program aiming to engage 200 engineers but exceeded expectations by recruiting nearly 300 participants.

Managing hundreds of mentoring pairs is challenging, and ensuring high-quality matches is another reason Cruise relies on Together’s mentoring software. This program is crucial for keeping the team updated on automated driving technology and helping new hires understand the intricacies of the creation process.

For Cruise, starting corporate mentoring programs to support upskilling among employees is critical for success in the rapidly evolving field of self-driving technology.

Feedback from participants

Mentee

“My mentor is a very experienced senior manager who understands the pain point of an IC and gives really constructive advice.”

Mentor

“I'm letting my mentee drive the topics with what is top of mind for him. He is engaged and taking action based on what we discussed, so I think our mentoring relationship is working well.”

Future of mentorship at Cruise

As Cruise continues to grow, they are committed to expanding and improving their engineering mentorship program. This initiative is designed to help engineers develop their skills and knowledge, ensuring they are well-prepared for the future.

7. The Forum’s company mentorship program empowers female entrepreneurs

• Company: The Forum
• Industry: Entrepreneurship incubator
• Size of program: 900+ employees‍
• Type of program: 1-on-1

Scaling mentorship for female entrepreneurs

The Forum, a Canadian non-profit organization, aims to help female entrepreneurs connect with resources and the community to thrive in business. One of their key initiatives is connecting members with mentorship opportunities.

Over the past 20 years, The Forum has connected over 2,000 women with career-changing mentoring experiences. To expand and offer tailored mentorship to more female entrepreneurs, they needed to automate the matching process. 

Discovering Together’s mentoring platform allowed them to grow their program to four times its original size. The software expedited the matching process and provided an easy way to monitor pairings, enabling meaningful mentorships for more entrepreneurs.

Feedback from entrepreneurs

Mentees

"I really enjoyed getting to know my mentor. She has a ton of great experience and skills to offer. We plan to meet again."

"My mentor is amazing and actively invested in my journey. She gives insightful feedback, encouragement, and insights and is my best mentor to date. I feel more confident in achieving my milestones ahead with her in my corner, and I am grateful to have been paired with her."

Mentor

"Great session. We discussed how to implement a social media strategy and the mental blocks behind sharing more with the world."

Future of professional mentoring programs at The Forum

The Forum has partnered with Scotiabank to deliver a series of mentorship events aimed at helping early-stage and women entrepreneurs elevate their businesses. With Scotiabank’s support, The Forum will help more women entrepreneurs access mentorship, resources, and community needs, gaining first-hand insight from experienced business owners.

The Forum exemplifies how leveraging technology can scale professional mentoring programs, fostering professional growth and development opportunities for female entrepreneurs.

8. UNT's Mentoring Evolution with Together

• Company: University of North Texas (UNT)
• Industry: Education
• Size of Program: 1,000+ employees
• Type of Program: 1-on-1

Making UNT’s professional mentoring programs more effective and efficient

The University of North Texas (UNT) has a long-standing tradition of mentoring through its Professional Leadership Program, which has been a cornerstone in developing participants' skills since 1994. As the mentor program matured, the need for a more advanced and efficient mentoring platform became clear, leading UNT to seek a new solution.

The challenge

UNT's previous mentoring software presented significant challenges and failed to meet the needs of the program. 

Jose Grimaldo, UNT’s program administrator, highlighted the issues, stating, "The previous vendor had a platform that was very, very clunky, and not user friendly." The situation necessitated an excessive hands-on approach, where most of the software development and programming had to be managed internally. Grimaldo noted, "We almost had to do most of the development and programming ourselves, which created a bottleneck."

The continuous challenges made any upgrades or training extremely cumbersome. Grimaldo shared, "There were various challenges throughout using the system, and just trying to go through any type of upgrades or tutorials became very, very cumbersome as well." This led to considerable stress within the office, as he recalled, "Eventually, we were all stressed out in the office because we needed real-time solutions and they weren't able to provide it."

The solution

The introduction of Together's mentoring software was a turning point for UNT. Grimaldo expressed, "We were very, very pleased with the transition [to Together]." 

The platform not only transitioned UNT’s program effectively but did so in a remarkably short timeframe. "Together was able to get our program transitioned in just a couple of weeks," Grimaldo noted.

The support and assurance provided by Together’s team were also notable. Grimaldo mentioned, "Together gave us a lot of comfort and confidence. Your team was a welcomed relief." He further added, "Support from Together has been very positive, and non-stop."

Feedback from participants

"The program exceeded my expectations. It was an amazing experience that significantly enhanced various soft skills crucial for personal and professional development. Notably, I found a lifelong mentor who has been instrumental in providing guidance and support. The program has been a transformative journey, leaving a lasting positive impact on my skill set and networking opportunities."

"Going through the program, I have developed confidence, communication, and networking skills, which are very helpful for my career."

"My communication skills have improved by talking with my mentor."

"Participating in the program has been transformative for me, significantly enhancing my confidence, public speaking abilities, teamwork, and leadership skills."

Impact + future of mentorship at UNT

The adoption of Together's software resulted in a significant improvement in the professional mentorship programs’ efficiency and effectiveness. The platform's user-friendly interface and improved matching algorithm have been instrumental in fostering more meaningful mentor-mentee relationships. The mentor programs have benefited from enhanced data analytics, facilitating continuous improvement and expansion.

Key Metrics:

• Average Feedback:
  • From mentors: 3.89/4
  • From mentees: 3.98/4
• Satisfaction Scores:
  • 95% of mentors
  • 100% of mentees

UNT's experience with Together highlights the transformative impact of the right technological solution in professional mentorship programs. The shift not only resolved existing challenges but also improved the program's impact and future potential. Together's software has proven to be an invaluable asset for UNT, enhancing the mentoring experience and setting a benchmark for future educational collaborations.

Jose shared, "I'm glad to have our relationship with Together, and I'd encourage anyone to make the switch."

9. A Fortune 500 transforms enterprise-scale corporate mentoring with tech

• Company: Fortune 500 Enterprise Organization
• Industry: Various
• Size of Program: Enterprise-wide, available to 100% of employees
• Type of Program: 1-on-1, Cohort, Evergreen

Centralizing enterprise professional mentoring programs

In a Fortune 500 enterprise organization, the Learning & Development (L&D) manager faced the challenge of revolutionizing an ineffective, manually-run mentorship program. Previously, mentorship programs were decentralized, managed by isolated departments, and handled through antiquated manual methods. This led to inconsistent participant experiences, excessive resource allocation, and a lack of actionable data.

The challenge

The L&D manager and her team grappled with the scattered structure of the existing employee mentorship programs. Managing these programs manually was extremely time-consuming. The program lead remarked, "Our admins were overwhelmed. They had to individually approach employees for program recruitment and create numerous support resources."

The decentralized nature of these programs failed to address individual learning needs or promote cross-departmental interactions. The team explained, "Often, mentors and mentees were mismatched, not aligning with the mentees' needs or the mentors' skills."

Gathering useful analytics and insights was nearly impossible due to the absence of a centralized system. They shared, "We wouldn't know what was going on. There were no analytics."

The solution

In search of a solution, the team evaluated various vendors, including their existing HRIS system, SuccessFactors. Despite a pilot test and no additional cost, SuccessFactors did not satisfy their needs.

After thorough consideration, the organization chose Together's mentorship platform. The L&D manager enthused, "Together met all our needs and was the most cost-effective."

Impact + future of professional mentoring programs at the organization

Together's platform drastically improved the organization's employee mentoring program:

• Launched 4 new programs in 2 years
• Exceeded goals for mentor participation by 2x
• Achieved a high commitment from mentors (2.5 mentees per mentor on average)
• Scaled mentor program to be enterprise-wide, now available to 100% of employees

Participants reported significant value:

• Satisfaction Scores:
  • From mentees: 3.94/4
  • From mentors: 3.84/4
  • 95% of mentees made progress toward mentoring goals
  • 92% of mentors believe their skills were improved
  • 97% of participants agree that mentoring is a good personal development goal

This success was largely due to Together’s structure, which aligned mentors and mentees based on their strengths and aspirations and encouraged interactions across business groups. The team shared that Together was instrumental in knowledge transfer across the organization, a key goal for the company.

The company mentorship program has proven particularly crucial amid disruptions such as the pandemic and company-wide layoffs. The team lead shared, "Something like a mentoring program that you can literally connect with someone globally has been immensely helpful."

The team was thrilled to share that the employee mentorship program “essentially runs itself,” which has dramatically reduced the burden on their time.

Despite budget cuts in learning and development, the organization remains committed to the mentor program, recognizing its growing importance. Plans include continued use of Together's platform and introducing a new program for summer interns.

The L&D manager concluded, "I would recommend Together to others... I don't see us using a different company because it's working so fantastically."

10. Compass Group creates connections with a dual-track mentorship program

• Company: Compass Group 
• Industry: Food services and facilities management 
• Size of the program: 90+ employees
• Type of programs: 1-on-1, Peer mentoring

Scaling mentorship across a dispersed workforce at Compass Group

Eurest and ESFM, divisions of Compass Group, operate across numerous client locations nationwide. Eurest delivers food services and ESFM provides integrated facilities management to the business and industry (B&I) sector. This widespread operational footprint led to a recurring challenge: how to foster meaningful connection and support professional development among managers scattered across different regions, many of whom worked in isolated environments. 

According to Kelly Pope, Onboarding and Development Program Manager at Eurest, managers consistently expressed a desire for more support and connection. They wanted mentorship—not just in the traditional sense of career coaching, but also in the form of peer-to-peer support to troubleshoot daily challenges, share best practices, and feel a sense of community within a vast organization.

Together enabled Compass Group to reimagine mentorship with flexibility at its core. After surveying past participants to better understand what “mentorship” meant to them, Compass Group designed two distinct yet complementary programs within the platform: 

1. Connect Program - Casual, Lightweight Peer Support

This evergreen program allows participants to connect informally, primarily for short-term advice or knowledge sharing. There is no two-sided approval; mentees can browse a pool of mentors or peers and select a match from recommended profiles or full directory listings. Sessions can be one-time or ongoing based on the participants’ preferences. The goal is to create opportunities for connection without the weight of a long-term commitment.

2. Grow Program - Traditional, Career-Focused Mentorship

This program caters to employees seeking structured, long-term career development. It uses two-sided approvals: mentees submit a shortlist of preferred mentors, and mentors accept matches. Additionally, Compass Group built rules into Together’s matching engine to discourage matches within the same geographic region, encouraging broader exposure and cross-regional collaboration. This setup ensures mentees receive mentorship from someone outside their immediate context, bringing new perspectives and learning opportunities.

How mentors and mentees feel about mentorship at Compass Group

One of the strongest indicators of Compass Group’s program success has been the qualitative and quantitative feedback from participants. In survey responses and follow-up conversations, employees highlighted how approachable the platform felt, how easy scheduling was, and how beneficial the resources were for both mentors and mentees. One participant said, “This program fits perfectly into my lifestyle. All of us are very busy, and it is excellent to have this platform and resource to connect meaningfully, troubleshoot tough workplace challenges, and grow in my career with Compass Group.”

Compass Group’s results: Strong program participation and sky-high ratings

Eurest and ESFM’s mentoring programs saw a major spike in activity thanks to a promotional campaign called “New Year, New Mentor.” The campaign included internal marketing, a team video, and a prize draw for those who completed a mentorship within a set timeframe. The results: 

• A 39% increase in scheduled sessions during the campaign period
• Over 60 hours of future sessions booked, indicating sustained engagement beyond the promotional window. 

Notably, participants didn’t just “show up” to win prizes. They stayed engaged, scheduling additional sessions independently—demonstrating the long-term value they found in the experience.

Plus, mentors and mentees rated their experience highly in both programs. The average scores were:

• 3.86/4 from mentors in the Grow program
• 3.91/4 from mentees in the Grow program
• 3.96/4 from peers in the Connect program

The program’s success has led to ambitious plans for the future, including integrating the program into new hire onboarding, expanding access to hourly employees, and potentially launching a third program to meet emerging needs. 

Invest in professional mentoring programs to retain top talent and grow the company’s bottom line

Ask any leader what kind of employees they want to build their companies, and they'll list qualities like ambition, creativity, collaboration, empathy, and the capacity to innovate.

But high potential employees that possess these qualities also want things from their positions. They want opportunities to grow and develop; they want people to invest in them, expand their networks, and open new doors for their careers. Essentially, companies with mentoring programs provide the support they need through each stage of their employee life cycle and journey toward a fulfilling and successful career.

As you build your company mentoring program, keep our best practices in mind. We've seen many companies build and scale successful professional mentoring programs. 

Ready to launch a mentoring program that delivers results? Book a demo to see how Together can help you scale mentorship across your organization.

Corporate mentorship program FAQs

1. What do the best company mentoring programs have in common?

As you can see from the examples we’ve shared here, there are countless ways that companies can approach mentoring programs—there’s no single one-size-fits-all approach. But the companies with the best programs do share a few key characteristics. 

• A mix of structure and flexibility. The best programs create structured yet flexible mentorship guidelines that align with both the business’s goals and individual employees’ career aspirations. They also allow mentees to guide the conversations, but provide resources that are always available whenever mentors or mentees need them.
• Using technology strategically. Effective mentoring programs use technology to scale their programs efficiently. This way, the core of the program is always about the personal relationship between the mentor and mentee, but program administrators can track participation, measure outcomes, and make adjustments based on data. 
• Integrating learning into the company culture. Successful companies understand that mentoring is an ongoing investment. They build learning into their culture through regular touchpoints and continuous support.

2. How can you get started with career mentorship programs?

Here are a few steps to help you get started with a career mentorship program. 

Step 1: Determine your mentorship program’s goals

A good mentoring program aligns with your overarching business goals. Start by understanding what your business is trying to achieve (e.g. lower turnover rates, a stronger pipeline of future managers) and then look for ways a mentorship program can align with those goals.

Step 2: Get buy-in and generate interest in the program

Get company leadership on board by sharing the goals you’ve defined. Encourage them to sign up as mentors, help spread the word, and encourage others to sign up for the program. 

Step 3: Match mentors and mentees

There are different criteria you can use when matching mentors and mentees, such as shared backgrounds, overlap in goals or work experience, or similar personality traits. Remember: It’s possible to match participants manually, but most program administrators find that once program participation exceeds ten mentor/mentee pairs, it’s much better to use software to handle matching and other program admin tasks.

Step 4: Support a successful mentorship program

Just as you’ve defined goals for your mentorship program, you’ll want to encourage participants to define their own goals. What are they hoping to achieve from being a mentor or mentee? How will this align to their greater professional or personal goals? 

Beyond goal-setting, consider how you can offer resources to help mentees and mentors succeed, whether these are goal-setting templates, questions to cover during their initial meeting, or recommendations about how often and how long they should plan to meet.

Step 5: Report on your program’s progress

Make sure you monitor how participants (both mentors and mentees) feel about the program as well as any outcomes you can trace back to your mentorship program, such as career advancement (promotions or role changes) or skill development (new certifications or improved soft skills). Share this data with company leaders so they continue to see the value of investing in this program.

3. How do companies with mentorship programs manage all the administrative tasks of their programs?

Companies that have mentorship programs will generally have a person or team that oversees the administrative tasks of the program such as managing communication, matching participants, and tracking results. However, it’s rarely a full-time job for someone to manage a mentorship program—they’re often an HR or L&D team member who has tons of other responsibilities. So even though administrative tasks can be done manually, most companies find it valuable to automate these tasks with dedicated software. 

There are several reasons why it makes sense to use dedicated software for managing a corporate mentorship program. First, it can save you hours every week, so instead of doing manual tasks like matching mentors and mentees or reminding participants about their upcoming sessions, you can think more strategically about your program and how to improve it. This makes it much easier to scale your program, so you can make it widely available to anyone in your company who would like to join. And a dedicated platform can also give you access to data and insights about how your program is performing, which means you can prove the ROI of your program and identify any areas for improvement before they become major issues.

4. What are some common examples of mentorship goals?

At Together, we recommend using the SMART-ER framework for mentorship goals. In this framework, each letter of the word “SMARTER” provides guidance about how to set goals.

• Specific – Target particular leadership competencies
• Measurable – Include quantifiable outcomes
• Achievable – Set realistic expectations
• Relevant – Align with business objectives
• Time-bound – Establish clear timelines
• Evaluated – Build in assessment checkpoints
• Readjusted – Allow for program evolution

Applying this framework, here are a few example goals:

• For an upskilling/reskilling mentorship program: "Increase retention of high-turnover roles (e.g. customer support) by 30% within 18 months by developing emotional intelligence and conflict resolution skills through structured mentorship relationships."
• For a new manager training mentorship program: "Increase new managers’ ratings by their direct reports by 30% within 18 months by developing communication and team management skills in new managers through structured mentorship relationships."

5. How can you make the case for corporate mentoring if you don’t currently have this type of program?

One way to make the case for investing in a mentoring program is by calculating the return on investment (ROI) of your program. You can use a formula like this one: ROI = (Program benefits – program costs) / Program costs x 100

Example ROI calculation: Let’s say you have 100 participants in your mentorship program.

Retention improvement

20% reduction in turnover saves $500,000 (assuming $50,000 average replacement cost)

Productivity gains

15% improvement in performance equals $750,000 in value

Total benefits

$1,250,000

Program costs

$200,000 (platform, staff time, materials)

ROI: (1,250,000 – 200,000) / 200,000 x 100 = 525% ROI

You might try adjusting some of the numbers so they make sense for your company, but this will give you some approximate data you can share with your company’s leaders and finance team to make the case for investing in a mentorship program.

6. How can corporate mentoring programs strengthen corporate culture?

Corporate mentorship programs can truly transform workplace culture by fostering strong connections and a sense of belonging among employees.

Here’s how they make a difference:

• Enhanced interpersonal relationships: Corporate mentorship programs encourage interactions beyond immediate teams, creating a more cohesive and collaborative environment.
• Skill and knowledge transfer: Experienced mentors share valuable skills and insights with mentees, promoting ongoing professional development and raising the collective expertise of the company.
• Increased employee engagement: When employees get support and guidance, they’re more likely to be engaged and motivated, positively impacting the company's culture and productivity.
• Cultural consistency: By pairing new hires with seasoned mentors who embody your company’s core values, corporate mentoring programs help instill and maintain the organization's principles across all levels.
• Boosted morale and job satisfaction: The supportive nature of mentoring improves job satisfaction, as employees who feel valued and like their company invests in them are more likely to stay committed to their organization.
• Networking opportunities: Corporate mentoring creates vital connections within the workplace, fostering a sense of community that strengthens corporate culture.

7. What are some best practices for building successful corporate mentoring programs?

Based on the successful examples of  mentoring programs in the workplace we've observed firsthand here at Together, here are some key practices to keep in mind when building your own:

1. Define clear objectives: Clearly outline the goals of your company mentoring program, whether it's improving diversity and inclusion, accelerating onboarding, developing leadership skills, or fostering cross-departmental collaboration.
2. Leverage technology: Use mentoring software like Together to streamline the mentor matching process, monitor pairings, and gather actionable data. This will save time and resources while enabling you to scale your mentor programs effectively.
3. Encourage diverse matches: Connect mentors and mentees across different departments, levels, and backgrounds to promote knowledge sharing, fresh perspectives, and a more inclusive workplace culture.
4. Provide structure and support: Offer orientation sessions, training, and resources to help participants understand their roles and develop the skills they need to succeed. Consider providing checklists or guidelines to facilitate productive mentoring relationships.
5. Experiment with different formats: In addition to traditional one-on-one mentoring, try peer mentoring, reverse mentoring, group mentoring, or project-based programs to cater to various learning needs and preferences.
6. Gather feedback and measure impact: Regularly collect feedback from mentors and mentees to assess satisfaction, progress towards goals, and areas for improvement. Track key metrics like participation rates, retention, and skill development to demonstrate the value of your employee mentorship program.

8. How do you choose the right format for your corporate mentorship programs? 

There are many different ways to design your mentoring programs in the workplace, including:

• Traditional 1-on-1: A more experienced mentor is paired with a junior employee in this mentorship. The focus is often on helping the mentee set and reach professional goals. 
• ‍Remote mentorship: Ideal to keep employees who work from home connected. Remote mentorship can effectively design a company mentorship program to connect mentors and mentees from a distance. ‍
• Group mentoring: Sometimes, initiating a mentoring group session is the most effective way to help employees learn a new skill or create connections. It can also be used in the onboarding process. ‍
• Peer learning: Your employees have a lot to learn from each other and teach their peers. Staff working in the same department or at the same level will better understand their challenges. This mentorship style can build bonds among your employees and be used as a skill learning or onboarding experience. Using tools like Together’s Colleague Connect can help you set up an impactful peer mentoring program.‍
• Reverse mentoring: There are times when new and younger employees have something they could teach senior leaders or executives. That is where reverse mentoring comes into play. Using the remote mentoring style, most workplace mentorships focus on skill development, particularly technology. Your younger employees are usually more knowledgeable about new technologies, so they can help more senior employees understand them. Reverse mentorship is also used as a toolkit for diversity. It gives underrepresented employees face time with leaders to give them a new perspective.‍
• Employee resource groups: Creating an inclusive and diverse workplace requires some effort from employers. Encouraging employees from diverse backgrounds to create ERGs can lead to informal or even formal mentoring opportunities. ‍
• Flash mentoring: Not all mentees need months of mentorship to gain the knowledge they want. Flash mentoring is a good way to pass along information or wisdom fast. It's best used with participants who don't have a lot of time to commit or mentees who have very specific questions that can be answered quickly.

When choosing the format that will work best for your organization, consider your program goals as well as the potential pool of mentors. These factors will guide you toward the best format for you.