We explore why organisations should consider mentoring and how, when done well, mentoring and reverse mentoring contribute to inclusion and enhance overall wellbeing in the workplace. The start of the year is a timely point to think about mentoring, particularly through an inclusion lens, with January being National Mentoring Month and February marking LGBT+ History Month.

What is mentoring in the workplace?

Mentoring in the workplace is usually when a more experienced colleague shares their knowledge to support the development of a less experienced employee. Mentoring goes beyond the normative approach of a senior colleague supervising a less experienced individual. The unique feature of mentoring is that the mentee does not report to the mentor in the same way as a line manager. The mentor will encourage the mentee to take ownership of their development and, while the mentor acts as a "sounding board", the focus is on the mentee self-managing their development. This can lead to greater fulfilment and sustained progress for the mentee.

An effective mentoring relationship is where there are learning opportunities for both mentor and mentee, which encourages joint sharing and learning. Objectives and outcomes of a typical workplace mentoring scheme could include:

• assisting performance management;
• sharing career stories and lessons learnt;
• expanding personal networks;
• preparing and supporting people through change;
• supporting self-directed learning and development;
• sharing curated resources;
• signposting to advice and further help;
• helping set goals; and
• helping with career progression.

What is reverse mentoring?

Reverse mentoring is where a less experienced employee mentors a more experienced employee. Benefits of reverse mentoring include senior employees learning new ideas, or refreshing and updating their skills and bridging the gap between senior and junior colleagues generally. Reverse mentoring may also help to create a more inclusive and open workplace for employees. One reason for this is it challenges the assumption that more experienced employees do not have anything to learn from less experienced employees.

Mentoring for wellbeing and inclusion

For mentees, having a trusted mentor to discuss challenges, reflect on goals and build resilience with can help foster mental and emotional wellbeing. Mentors, in turn, gain a sense of purpose and fulfilment by playing an important role in someone else's growth. This mutual support strengthens workplace cultures by prioritising wellbeing and creating spaces where individuals feel valued and supported.

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace mean more than just representation – it involves valuing differing perspectives, experiences and skills from all backgrounds. Mentoring can play a critical role in creating an inclusive environment, by actively encouraging interactions where participants acknowledge and value differing skills or perspectives. For underrepresented groups, mentoring may provide a bridge to leadership, networks and opportunities that might otherwise seem daunting or remain inaccessible.

Starting a mentoring scheme

If you wish to launch a mentoring initiative in your workplace, first think about what you want the scheme to achieve and, if you intend the scheme to have a focus on inclusion, do some research with the target audience in advance about what they need and would value. Think about how you will select mentors and pair them with mentees. Also, consider how you will evaluate the scheme so you can improve it in future iterations.

The impact of mentoring

The impact of mentoring extends beyond individual relationships. Depending on the focus of the scheme, it may also help develop the organisation's leadership pipeline and, in all cases, is likely to have a positive effect on employee engagement and promote knowledge sharing across the business. Mentoring may also improve staff retention due to the investment in individuals' careers and development that it demonstrates. And, with an inclusion focus, it can help drive cultural change within organisations.