Thursday, October 12, 2006

Writer: Clif Boutelle, 419/353-0032, Boutelle@siop.org
Contacts: Lillian Eby, 706/542-0378, leby@uga.edu; Philip Lee Williams, 706/542-8501, phil@franklin.uga.edu

UGA psychologist to report that business mentoring programs are on the upswing as firms seek to keep their best workers

Athens, Ga. – Mentoring can be a powerful tool in introducing employees to an organization’s climate and help them progress in their jobs. It can be extremely beneficial to have someone who has your best interests at heart and can explain the facts of business life and offer valuable advice.

Informal mentoring has been going on forever, but companies are increasingly recognizing that mentoring programs can provide significant benefits for both the employee and the company, says Lillian Eby (right), an associate professor of psychology at the University of Georgia and an authority on corporate mentoring.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to establish a formal mentoring program is that mentored employees have stronger commitment to the organization and are less likely to leave. “A key benefit of mentoring is retention. Turnover costs can be staggering. That’s one reason why organizations include mentoring programs as part of their business objectives,” Eby says.

Also, there is evidence that mentoring can lead to more satisfied employees.

Eby will discuss the benefits and potential pitfalls of mentoring in organizations during the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s Leading Edge Consortium entitled “Talent Attraction, Development and Retention” Oct. 27-28 in Charlotte, N.C.

“While companies recognize the value of mentoring programs, the reality is that there are no clear guidelines on how to create them,” Eby says.

Research on mentoring has shown informal relationships are more effective than formal ones. “When people get together informally or spontaneously, they do so because they want to. The mentor genuinely wants to help an employee who he or she feels has the qualities to be successful. The person being mentored wants someone to provide counsel, offer tips in performing their job and helping to find work solutions,” she points out.

However, formal mentoring programs can be equally successful if done right. First, Eby says there must be management support for mentoring. “Managers need to be committed; without that commitment the effort will not succeed.”

She also suggests that formal programs need to be monitored to ensure that both parties are benefiting and that the mentoring is meeting its goals. Training for both mentors and protégés should be provided that sets clear expectations.

It is important, as well, that managers and protégés be given a voice in the selection of mentoring partners. “A mentoring program which has a poor fit between mentor and protégé which could be a mismatch in personalities, values or work styles, is likely to fail,” she says.

Most experts say mentoring is a sound management practice but great care needs to be taken to ensure the quality of the relations.

The Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) is an international group of 6,300 industrial-organizational psychologists whose members study and apply scientific principles concerning people in the workplace.

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Note: The writer of this release is a public information officer with SIOP.