How to Build a Mentorship Program for New Employees

As the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Given the high cost of hiring and onboarding, this advice isn’t just for cocktail parties or first dates—it’s critical for your employees too. When onboarding, you have just 44 days, on average, to influence an employee’s decision to stay long-term. 

New employee mentoring programs help recent hires thrive by pairing them with experienced team members who provide support, guidance, and a smoother transition into the role. The right program will set incoming employees up for a long-term relationship with your company. 

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of new hire mentoring programs, tips for how to structure yours, and best practices for implementation.

And if you’re looking to launch your own new hire mentor program, let us help you get up and running fast. Book a quick, low-pressure chat with us to discover how Together mentoring software supports mentoring new hires.

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Why new employees need mentorship  

We’ve all felt that first-day (or first-week, or even first-month) uncertainty. After investing so much in hiring the right person, the support shouldn’t stop once they accept the offer.

Mentorship helps new employees find their footing, build confidence, and feel connected right off the bat. Consider that 87% of new hires hope to make a friend at work (Bamboo HR). A new hire mentor program helps them build those relationships while navigating company culture—especially in remote or hybrid settings.

Beyond making connections, mentoring new hires accelerates learning. New employees gain skills, confidence, and a clearer sense of how they fit into the team. This accelerates their ramp-up time and boosts retention by making them feel valued and supported.

In a nutshell, mentoring new employees helps them settle in faster, contribute value sooner, and stay longer. It’s a win-win for engagement and growth.

The benefits of a new hire mentor program

A new employee mentoring program, launched at onboarding, has a lot of advantages for organizations, including:

• Exposure to company culture. A mentor helps new hires navigate not just policies and procedures, but also the unwritten rules of your workplace. They gain insight into company values, communication styles, and workplace norms—like how teams collaborate, what meetings are essential, or whether a quick Slack message is preferred over an email. Without a mentor, new employees must figure this out on their own, which can slow their sense of belonging and integration.
• Improves employee retention. Research has shown that employees with mentors are more likely to stay with their current employer for longer. Their findings also show that mentorship is a powerful tool for keeping employees fulfilled at work.‍
• Inspires loyalty early on. Being chosen to join your organization is exciting for new hires, and mentorship takes that feeling further. It shows your commitment to their growth and success from day one, which reinforces their decision to join and builds long-term engagement. In fact, 86% of new hires say they appreciate support from an onboarding buddy.
• Accelerates productivity. 65% of new hires cite unclear points of contact as one of their biggest onboarding frustrations. A strong mentorship program counteracts that. Instead of struggling to figure out new tools, passwords, or who to reach out to for what, they have a go-to person for questions, which reduces downtime and boosts confidence. With fewer roadblocks, they can focus on their core responsibilities sooner.

Ways to structure your new employee mentoring program

One of the first steps in building a mentoring program for new hires is to think through the structure. There are several ways you can design your onboarding buddy program, such as:

• Traditional 1-on-1. Traditional mentorship pairs a senior employee with a junior one. The focus is on employee development and growth. 
• Group mentoring. In a group mentoring experience, there may be one or more mentors and several mentees. Group mentoring is particularly good for new hires, as it allows them to develop their skills, connect with peers, and experience diverse perspectives.   
• Peer mentoring. Matching your new employee with someone in a similar position who has more company experience is considered a form of peer mentoring. It can be ideal for new hires as they’ll learn the ropes from someone who understands what they may be experiencing. Peer mentoring for new hires is also another way to build friendships among your employees.  
• Reverse mentoring. We typically think of mentorship as a senior employee guiding a junior one—but reverse mentoring flips the script. In this model, newer hires share their knowledge with more experienced employees. This is especially valuable for managers and executives looking to stay current with evolving technologies. Younger employees, often more fluent in the latest digital tools, can help senior leaders adapt and innovate. A well-structured reverse mentoring program creates a two-way learning experience that benefits both parties.‍
• Virtual. Mentorship programs must adapt to fit remote and hybrid work environments. Any mentoring style can be tailored for a virtual setting using video calls, chat platforms, or collaborative tools. Remote mentoring also helps global organizations build meaningful connections, where employees can benefit from mentorship regardless of location.
  

How to build a program for mentoring new hires

Ready to create an onboarding mentorship program for new hires? These steps will help you design one that’s effective and aligned with both organizational and individual goals.

Here’s what to consider: 

Goals

Start by defining your mentorship program’s goals. Identify the key skills new hires need and align their development with both their interests and your company’s objectives. Clear, well-structured goals create a strong foundation, ensuring mentees gain the guidance and support they need to grow and succeed.

Matching

The matching process is one of the most important factors in creating a great experience for mentors and mentees. You’ll need to develop a strategy for matching pairs, considering:

• Skills and experience. Connect new hires with mentors who possess the skills or experience the employee aspires to gain.
• Similarities. Consider matching based on communication style, interests, or career background.
• Participant expectations. Understand what both parties expect from the mentorship and how they envision a successful relationship. What are their ideas on how to build a successful mentorship? 

To manage this effectively, especially as programs grow, consider using a mentor matching app to achieve the best possible results.

These apps can build matches based on standard criteria like skills and departments—but also around shared interests, hobbies, or goals. Fully automated matching saves time, but you still have the option to personalize or customize specific matches when it makes sense.

Resources 

Support the mentoring relationship by equipping mentors and mentees with valuable content and resources. Share articles, TED Talks, sample questions, or discussion prompts to spark meaningful conversations. This helps break the ice and also keeps each session engaging and productive.

Mentoring platforms like Together have template agendas on various topics like problem-solving, goal setting, and career development. Resources are available for all programs and include mentee, mentor and colleague handbooks, email templates, program agendas, and personalized discussion points for every match.

Here’s another option when mentoring new hires—encourage participants to create employee development plans. A development plan allows the mentor and mentee to agree on logistics like when they’ll meet and how they can prepare for each session. It also outlines expectations for the mentorship, such as who will ask questions and what they expect to learn. Development plans can focus on leadership, performance, personal development, or even ad hoc needs. 

Mentorship guidelines

Give mentors some basic guidelines to help them understand what’s expected and what makes a successful mentoring relationship. The specifics will depend on your organization and goals, but the following can serve as inspiration. Mentors should:

• Welcome and engage. Set up an initial meeting promptly and encourage participation in projects and events.
• Maintain regular check-ins. Pairs should meet at least once a month to provide consistent support and continuity.
• Encourage participation. Motivate mentees to take part in learning opportunities for a richer experience.
• Uphold confidentiality. Create a trusting environment by keeping discussions private.
• Support problem-solving. Address mentees' questions and concerns to ensure a smooth transition.
• Allow flexibility. If the matching isn’t effective, mentors or mentees can request a different match through the program admin.
• Incorporate diverse activities. Include goal-setting sessions, job shadowing, career mapping, networking opportunities, and performance feedback to create a well-rounded experience.

Check-ins

If you’re starting a mentorship program, your job doesn’t end once everyone is paired. Develop a plan to connect with participants at the beginning of a mentorship, at the end of the relationship, and throughout the experience. 

Ask for feedback from participants about their experience. Find out what worked and what didn’t to help you refine your onboarding mentoring program. Mentoring program managers should also be ready to solve problems that may come up, such as if a mentee wants a different mentor. 

Reporting

A structured reporting process is key to running a successful onboarding mentorship program. Tracking the right metrics helps refine the program and demonstrate its impact.

Key metrics to track:

• Signups: Monitor registrations to gauge demand and ensure a balanced ratio of mentors to mentees. If mentees outnumber mentors, focus on recruitment efforts.
• Mentee and mentor goals. Encourage pairs to establish a mentorship agreement outlining specific goals to ensure a focused and productive relationship.
• Anecdotal feedback. Collect feedback from mentees and mentors at various stages to assess program effectiveness and make improvements.
• Session feedback. After each session, mentors and mentees should provide insights to help measure program quality and identify areas for growth.
• Business outcomes. Show leadership how mentorship supports key objectives like retention, engagement, and internal talent development.

When collecting feedback, remember confidentiality is key to maintaining trust in mentorship relationships. Keep all personal discussions private to foster openness and honesty.

Measuring success

‍For the program to be truly effective, it should deliver measurable benefits to both employees and the business. Key indicators include:

• Employee retention rate. Higher retention signals that new hires feel supported, reducing turnover costs.
• Engagement and productivity. Employees who feel connected and supported tend to be more motivated and productive.
• Career progression. Track mentees' career growth through promotions, transfers, and performance improvements to measure long-term impact.

By integrating these reporting elements, you create a clear picture of how the mentorship program enhances employee success and aligns with company goals.

New employee mentoring program template

Well-prepared mentoring pairs have more productive conversations and gain more from the experience. Building a new employee mentoring program is a lot to manage—but you don’t have to start from scratch. Our Mentorship Superpack provides everything you need to plan, launch, and run a successful program.

Designed for L&D teams, this all-in-one resource includes research, guides, templates, and training materials to help you build a world-class mentorship experience.

Here’s what’s inside the Mentorship Superpack:

• 2 research reports. Insights on mentorship effectiveness and best practices.
• 4 mentoring guides. Step-by-step instructions for structuring successful relationships.
• 5 planning & execution templates. Streamline program design, launch, and management.
• 2 training handbooks. Essential guidance for mentors and mentees.
• 1 program build tutorial. A blueprint for setting up and scaling your program.

With these resources, you’ll have everything you need to create a structured, impactful mentoring program that supports new employees from the get-go. These same resources have helped companies like  Randstad, Discovery Channel, and Kellogg's to build and run world-class mentorship programs, with less stress and admin work.

Download the bundle now for free. 

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Using software to run your mentorship program

Matching, tracking, and reporting are essential to measuring the success of your new hire mentoring program—but managing them manually can be time-consuming and inaccurate. Without the right tools, it’s easy to miss key insights about how well your onboarding mentorships are working.

Mentoring software simplifies the process. Together’s intelligent algorithm quickly matches mentors and mentees based on your chosen criteria, resulting in better pairings. Our platform also tracks progress, engagement, and outcomes at every stage, so you always have real-time visibility into program effectiveness.

With automated reporting, you’ll gain clear, data-driven insights into how mentorship is impacting new hires and where improvements can be made.

Take your onboarding program to the next level with mentorship. Book a demo today to see how we can help.

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