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Virtual mentoring isn't second-best to in-person mentoring. It has distinct advantages. We break down how to leverage those benefits and mitigate the downsides. This guide has all the best practices for virtual mentorship.
When given the choice of work location, a majority of workers — 60 percent according to Gallup — prefer hybrid work to being required to work onsite full-time. While location flexibility brings benefits like higher productivity and freedom to choose when or how we work, it can also mean a weaker sense of connection and reduced communication with our coworkers.
One of the biggest areas of concern is how junior employees can grow their skills and prepare to take on leadership roles. In hybrid or remote work environments, how can less experienced employees get the support they need? One solution: Virtual mentorship programs.
For some of these organizations, virtual mentorship is unfamiliar terrain. However, many global organizations have been doing it for years to connect dispersed teams.
Just as in any mentorship program, there are a few things program managers need to determine:
- What does success look like?
- What are the objectives of the program?
- When the program concludes, what should the employees have gained?
When you know your goals, we can help you sort out the best practices for virtual mentoring that will help you achieve them.
In this article, we'll explain everything you need to know about virtual mentoring, alongside its benefits and challenges. We'll go over the best practices for setting up a virtual mentoring program to help your company foster relationships and improve employee development.
💡Starting a virtual mentoring program? See how Together’s mentoring software can help. Book a demo with a member of our team.
Mentoring from a virtual office: A high-level overview
It’s become increasingly rare for a company’s employees to all be working out of the same office. Gallup finds that 26 percent of US workers are exclusively remote and 55 percent are hybrid. Whether people are working from home, a coworking space, a branch office—or even an airport lounge or hotel room—employees are now scattered across different locations and time zones.
This reality is what makes mentoring from a virtual office such an appealing option: It means that mentors and mentees can meet regularly no matter where they are. Plus, for younger employees whose careers began during the pandemic, meeting via an online platform might actually feel more comfortable and straightforward than an in-person meeting.
In addition to location and scheduling flexibility, online mentoring programs can easily be adapted to different types of mentor/mentee relationships, including onboarding for new hires, executive mentoring or succession planning for future managers, or group mentoring for interns or new graduates.
Why should a company invest in virtual mentoring programs? These relationships can be fulfilling and meaningful for both participants, giving them the chance to focus on personal and professional development. Since the trend of remote and distributed teams is here to stay, virtual mentoring offers a way to create connections that can flourish regardless of physical distance.
Is virtual mentoring second to in-person mentoring relationships?
When it comes to the effectiveness of mentoring relationships, there is no clear consensus. Some experts believe that virtual mentoring can be just as successful as in-person mentoring, while others argue that the personal connection and face-to-face interactions of in-person mentoring are essential for building trust and developing a strong relationship.
A study by Marianna Tu and Michael Li revealed that virtual mentoring helps eliminate the bias that comes with in-person mentoring. Flexibility is also not always present during in-person mentoring.
Further, the Department of Education at the Connecticut University believes virtual mentoring can be used to enhance student performance.
Finally, over the past four years, we have seen hundreds of successful mentoring programs connected virtually via the Together platform. We list a few below:
- Randstad ReloadYourStrengths program, which aims at developing employees' leadership skills.
- The Cooley Academy Mentoring Program helps young lawyers become competent for their new roles in the workplace.
- New York Life's Empower Mentorship Program helps specific ERGs’ employees connect with executive leadership.
- King Game supports diversity in a workplace mentoring program for female and non-binary employees.
What are the benefits of mentoring someone virtually?
In this section, we will explain the aforementioned benefits of virtual mentoring.
Cost-effective
Mentoring someone virtually reduces the cost of travelling to meet and other miscellaneous expenses. For instance, some companies provide an allowance for food or drink during mentorship meetings. However, this can be avoided during online meetings.
Flexibility
With the various available online work tools, it is easier for mentoring program participants to hold meetings at their convenience from anywhere in the world. There are no constraints to a specific day or time in the week, nor are they restricted to a particular meeting setting.
Increase efficiency
Virtual mentoring doesn’t require any commuting time. Instead, mentors and mentees can hop on a conference call wherever they are and start engaging with one another.
A larger pool of mentors and mentees
Virtual mentorship provides a larger pool of participants because of its flexibility. It allows people to connect with like-minded people and learn from one another without having to be in the same space, especially during group mentoring.
Authentic relationship
One of the benefits of mentoring someone virtually is that it improves communication between employees and enables them to build authentic mentoring relationships. It helps them know one another better. A lot of people are more open in a remote setting. For example, for protegees who are always frightened to express themselves during in-person mentorship with their superiors, using an online mentoring platform will make them more comfortable and expressive.
Can connect asynchronously
Virtual mentoring provides people with multiple means for communicating and connecting. Besides, all the participants do not have to be online at the same time to take part in the program. It offers asynchronous communication channels, providing everyone with ample time to think through their questions and answers.
What are the challenges of mentoring someone virtually?
Virtual mentorship programs have their strengths. However, when you compare face-to-face and digital mentoring, a few elements in the latter make it harder to establish a connection. These include:
Virtual mentoring can be less engaging
As with any virtual communication, there can be a lack of engagement. It is hard to connect online, but there are ways to combat this challenge.
How to mitigate this challenge
Here are some strategies that can help make virtual mentoring sessions just as engaging as in-person ones:
- Ensure your mentors and mentees have access to video platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams so their calls can feel more dynamic and interactive.
- Make sure mentors and mentees set clear goals and structured agendas for each session. You don’t need to dictate what happens in every session, but you can offer guidance in the form of templates or prompts.
- Encourage mentees to clearly outline their goals so mentors can make their conversations as meaningful as possible.
- Use tools with badges or progress trackers that incorporate elements of gamification to make sessions more engaging and rewarding.
Lack of non-verbal communication
Much of our communication is non-verbal, but non-verbal communication has its limitations, too and one of them is it is hard to pick up on virtually. This is especially true when mentoring occurs over emails, chats, or even phone calls. A lot can get lost in translation.
How to mitigate this challenge
- Encourage mentors and mentees to have video calls.
- Offer additional training or guidance on non-verbal communication to both mentors and mentees.
- Provide opportunities for mentors and mentees to learn about and practice active listening techniques that can reduce miscommunication.
Technology issues
One of the challenges of mentoring someone virtually is making sure you have the right tools. If your company doesn’t have the right mentorship platform or conferencing tools, it can make it harder to connect.
How to mitigate this challenge
- Provide a mentoring platform that will help mentors and mentees manage their relationship.
- Encourage program participants to schedule their sessions on the platform so they include customizable agendas.
- Remind participants to connect the mentorship platform to their calendar and/or email so they’re always reminded of upcoming sessions.
Wrong pairing
Despite the strong matching algorithm that most mentoring platforms use, participants can still be wrongly paired for several reasons. The learning styles of the paired team may not match, or the connection is just not there.
How to mitigate this challenge
- Allow mentors and mentees to provide feedback on their match.
- Promptly rematch participants when there isn’t a good fit.
Frequently asked questions about online mentoring programs
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about online and virtual mentoring programs.
How does virtual mentoring work?
Virtual mentoring connects mentors and mentees across the globe via digital platforms. Using tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Slack, participants can schedule video calls, send instant messages, and share documents. This creates a collaborative and supportive environment, similar to in-person interactions, but with the convenience and flexibility of being online.
What are the benefits of virtual mentoring?
Virtual mentoring offers flexibility, making it easy for participants to arrange sessions that suit their schedules. It also means mentors can be paired with mentees who live in different places so there’s no geographical limitation on participation. Companies might also find virtual mentoring programs more cost-effective since there’s no need to cover travel expenses or the logistical challenges that can sometimes occur with in-person meetings.
How do you create an engaging and successful virtual mentoring program?
One of the keys to making a mentorship program engaging—whether it’s virtual or in person—is having participants define clear goals and expectations at the outset. Mentors and mentees should discuss their preferred communication style and format. Generally, the mentee should be the one to bring the topic or question for each session. Encourage mentees to make this type of personal investment so they’re more likely to be engaged and feel the program is meeting their needs.
How do you measure success in virtual mentoring?
Before launching a mentorship program, your HR or L&D team has likely defined some goals you’d like to achieve or metrics you’d like to track. These goals can generally be shared across both in-person and virtual mentorship programs and might include things like:
- Goal achievement: What percentage of mentees have reached their set objectives?
- Feedback surveys: How do participants rate their experience and the impact it’s had on them?
- Participation rates: What percentage of participants have met during a given time period, such as in the past quarter?
- Retention or promotion rates: What percentage of participants are still with the company in a given time period (e.g. six months or one year) after the program has ended? In the same time period, what percentage of participants have been promoted?
Examples of virtual mentoring at work
You can have members in a mentoring group meet monthly to discuss challenges and learnings. Here, they can have formal and informal conversations, discuss and set goals, and help each other achieve these goals.
Or, you could have a mentoring program specifically designed to uplift the women in your workforce. Here, women from diverse backgrounds meet virtually as an employee resource group and share common experiences and advice.
You could also have one-on-one mentoring. For instance, an executive sets up conference calls monthly with a rising star in the company to discuss their career track, goals, barriers, habits, and more. Or, you may pair new and seasoned employees together to help the new ones with their onboarding process.
7 best practices for successful virtual mentorship programs
We’ve already covered some of the challenges that come along with virtual mentorship. Here are some best practices to keep in mind as you set up your company’s virtual mentoring program.
1. Encourage both parties to be prepared and make a plan
Before their video or voice call, make sure mentees create a plan about what they would like to discuss. You can share this list of questions to ask your mentor or provide them with sample topics, like their career goals, what they want to get out of the program, and what issues they’d like to tackle. While it’s generally expected that the mentee will drive the conversation, you can encourage mentors to prepare a few potential topics as well.
2. Suggest setting SMART goals
Setting specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-sensitive (SMART) goals will ensure mentors and mentee have a clearly defined plan for the path ahead. Mentoring activities and sessions can then revolve around these goals. Mentors and mentees should check in on these goals every few sessions in case the mentee has achieved a goal or would like to re-prioritize.
3. Make connecting often a priority
Both parties must make a commitment to remain accessible. It helps if they develop a reliable schedule that allows them to connect on a regular basis.
4. Ask participants to commit to staying focused during meetings
For virtual mentoring to succeed, both parties must be focused on their conversation. They should take steps to reduce distractions and interruptions like blocking off time on their calendars, finding a quiet space, and pausing push notifications on their phones and computers. Both parties should also practice active listening tactics like nodding and summarizing what they’ve heard to confirm their understanding.
5. Promote open-mindedness and flexibility
Mentors are generally expected to impart knowledge and advice to their mentees. However, information can flow both ways. Some conversations may naturally evolve into reverse mentoring (where the mentee is sharing their knowledge or expertise). Let participants know that there’s nothing wrong with the occasional role reversal!
6. Emphasize the importance of honest and actionable advice
The most meaningful mentor and mentee relationships are based on sharing real-life experiences and actionable tips rather than management theory. In your orientation or training for mentors, be sure to emphasize the importance of grounding their advice in their lived experiences.
7. Collect feedback
Because mentorship is based on the idea of learning and growing, you can encourage mentors and mentees to seek feedback from each other about their partnership and how it might be improved. But as an HR or L&D professional who’s running the mentorship program, you’ll also want to collect feedback about your program on the whole. What’s working well for participants? What suggestions do they have for improvement?
Virtual mentoring activities
Your virtual mentorship program may be based on one-on-one meetings, peer interactions, or group meetings. Either way, your teams will need activities to add to their agenda or use as ice-breakers. Here are some virtual mentoring activities for the type of program you run:
One-on-one mentoring activities
Your virtual mentorship program may be based on one-on-one meetings, peer interactions, or group meetings. Either way, your teams will need activities to add to their agenda or use as ice-breakers. Here are some virtual mentoring activities for the type of program you run:
- Check-ins – Mentors can begin by asking mentees to share a positive or negative experience from their week.
- Asking questions to break the ice – Mentors can ask questions (like the ones from this list of great questions to ask mentees) as they get to know each other.
- Skill development – Mentors can run a mini-workshop on a skill their mentee wants to learn or improve.
- Career mapping – Mentors can help their mentee map out the steps needed to get to their ultimate career goal.
- Job shadowing – Mentors can invite their mentee to shadow or accompany them as they complete a task.
- Project-based learning – Mentors can give their mentee the opportunity to work on a project they’re curious about.
- Small victories – Mentors can set achievable milestones to help their mentee celebrate small wins.
- Current events – Mentors can create a safe space to discuss current events within the industry or the state of the world.
Peer mentoring activities
If you choose to pair employees of similar rank or positions together, you may need some peer mentoring activities to help them get started:
- Elevator pitch sessions – Participants can help each other craft the right elevator pitch through feedback and revision.
- Problem-solving sessions – Participants can meet up regularly to brainstorm solutions to workplace challenges.
- Knowledge-sharing – Participants can share skills and knowledge with each other.
Group activities
Group mentorship programs help teams improve their relationship, cooperation, and teamwork. This is also a good space for feedback, knowledge-sharing, and community-building. Here are a few group mentoring activities:
- Career exploration – The mentor can help mentees explore different options available, such as job research and networking.
- Team building – The mentor can help mentees identify common goals and work towards them together through brainstorming and problem-solving.
- Industry news – The mentor can keep the group up-to-date on current events related to their industry or position through articles, videos, and other materials.
Planning a virtual mentoring program at work?
If you're starting a remote mentorship program, it is important to guide both mentors and mentees through the virtual mentoring experience. From setting boundaries to managing expectations to increasing accountability, here are some ways to improve and enhance a virtual mentoring program:
Have clear expectations
Mentors and mentees should establish their expectations when starting a virtual mentorship. This is particularly important if the mentorship is transitioning from an in-person one to a virtual one. They should discuss how often they will communicate or meet, what communication format to use, and availability.
Set goals
As mentioned above, having goals is also a vital part of the virtual mentoring experience. Mentees should be transparent with their mentors about what they want to achieve during the mentorship. Mentors should help them identify what challenges they need to overcome and what milestones they want to reach.
Then, the mentor and mentee can create a plan to accomplish these goals. It’s important to note that for the goals to be realized, there has to be an effective pairing. Together’s platform uses an algorithm that helps organizations pair their mentors and mentees based on aligned goals and skills.
Accountability
Stress the importance of not missing meetings or neglecting messages. The mentor and mentee need to understand how the mentorship is mutually beneficial and be respectful of each other's time and needs. In the end, with Together's reporting feature, you can measure the numbers of those who sign up, complete their goals, whose pairing is effective, and much more.
Establish boundaries
Boundaries are a key component of any relationship, and mentorship is no different. A mentor and mentee should establish clear guidelines covering communication, meetings, and conduct.
And since mentorship does not have to focus solely on professional issues, mentees should feel comfortable sharing personal challenges with their mentors. Boundaries can help keep the mentorship program on track and focused.
Be proactive
A connection can be challenging to cultivate when it comes to remote-first workplaces. And keeping track of the progress of each mentorship can be trickier from a distance.
So, mentors and mentees should try and be proactive regarding staying in touch. They can periodically send a quick message or email to check in with one another. Workplace mentoring program managers should also check in on mentors and mentees.
Utilize technology and software
As an organization, you should provide access to technology and software for those in a virtual mentoring program to succeed. Mentoring software like Together can make it easy to manage your remote mentoring program. With the capability to integrate with video tools your organization already uses, Together makes running a virtual workplace mentoring program easy by bringing you everything you need in one place.
Get feedback from participants
Virtual mentoring program managers have various tools to collect feedback from participants. This feedback can help improve the mentoring program and shed light on any challenges or issues that need to be solved. Mentors and mentees should be invited to share their thoughts and comments via an online form or email.
Get started with Together’s virtual mentorship platform
Regardless of the style of mentoring program you currently have, there is always a way to add digital or more face-to-face elements to it. This can help cultivate the mentorship and add a new level of connection between the mentor and mentee.
Together makes it easy to run a mentorship program for your remote-first workplace. You can build a program that works for your team’s needs. Within one online platform, you can assign pairs or groups, suggest agendas and activities, track mentorship, and collect feedback. Want to learn more? Contact us for a free demo today.
