5 Ways To Make The Most Of Online Mentoring
Online mentoring is one of the top 2017 trends for corporate e-learning. Mentoring has been a part of corporate learning for awhile now, but as e-learning tools progress, mentoring has moved out of the office and onto the Internet. Moving mentoring relationships online can benefit your company and your employees in many ways. However, it is important that you understand the ways to maximize your outcomes when shifting your mentoring programs online. Below are just a few of the ways that you can make the most of online mentoring.
Pair Your Employees With Mentors Outside of Your Company
Moving mentoring online has many benefits. Mentors and mentees can pair up when it is convenient for them and they do not have to be in the same location. Many businesses use this to pair mentees up with mentors who work at a different branch than them. However, you can take mentorships a step further and pair your employees up with people who are not from your company. There are several websites that pair people up for short term mentorships based on specific skills that are needed. This is a great way to pull knowledge into your company from outside sources without having to create an internal development module.
Sign Your Employees Up As Mentors
The benefits of being a mentee are clear. However, many people do not recognize the benefits of being a mentor. Mentors get a mental break from their daily tasks and reinforce the knowledge they have. This is especially useful if some of your employees have basic knowledge that they do not use on a daily basis but may need for future projects. Signing your employees up as mentors encourages them to exercise those skills and helps boost their confidence.
Have Your Employees Make Goals and Learning Plans to Follow
It can be easy to get lost in a mentorship, especially if it is online. Before your employees seek out a mentor or a mentee, have them create a list of concrete goals for their mentorship. This will help them keep their mentorship on track and make the most of the time they spend online with their mentor or mentee. These goals should be as specific as possible and should build on each other to develop skills that your company needs.
Consider an On-site Mentorship Consultant
If mentoring is going to be a big part of your employee development plan, you should think about assigning one of your office managers to take on the role of a mentorship consultant. This person should regularly check in with any employees that are involved with a mentorship to make sure they are sticking to their goals and following their plans. Having a face-to-face person to discuss the mentorship with can help the lessons learned through an online relationship more permanent. This will also help your employees apply things they are learning in their mentorships to their work at your company.
Help Your Employees Reflect On What They Are Learning
Mentorships are a great way to develop individuals. But to maximize that learning for your company, you need to take the time to bring what your employees are learning off of the Internet and into your corporate culture. You can do this by having a monthly meeting where your employees involved in mentorships discuss what they have learned with each other and share best practices with your entire staff.
There are many types of e-learning, and it is important for companies to utilize several of the best options for their particular situation. By maximizing online mentoring, you can strengthen your company and boost your employees' skills with minimal investment. If you'd like more information, companies like elearning, Inc can help.