Mentorship programs are an essential, multipurpose tool in the employee experience toolkit. They boost productivity, increase retention, and have a measurable impact on employee engagement scores (read: 7 Reasons Why Mentorship is a Must-Have for People Leaders).

In a recent webinar, we had the pleasure of hearing from Katie Fernandes, Global Employee Experience Team Lead at AppDirect, about their successful peer mentorship program. Katie shared actionable tactics for how AppDirect built and runs their program, which has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from participants.

Key Takeaways

The success of AppDirect’s mentorship program is directly attributable to the thought and care with which it was built. Here’s Katie’s three-part framework for planning and executing on a peer mentorship program:

1. Map out your year
• Establish a clear cadence and duration for each mentorship cycle
• Create a program structure with a definitive beginning, middle, and end
• Develop a work-back schedule to hit major milestones

2. Make thoughtful matches
• Define areas of focus for mentors and mentees
• Consider time zones, interdepartmental relationships, and high-potential employees
• Use both art and science in the matching process

3. Provide ongoing management
• Create consistent touch points with bi-weekly Donut messages
• Utilize multiple platforms (Slack, email) to ensure communication reaches everyone
• Implement feedback checkpoints and act on the input received

Hot Topic: Overcoming Challenges

Challenges in rollout and execution are inevitable for any new employee programming, but anticipating what those roadblocks may be will help maximize your chances of success out of the gate. The challenges that come up over and over again for teams fall into two buckets: accountability, and matching mentors with mentees.

Participation and Commitment

You’ve introduced a mentor to a mentee, but the work doesn’t stop there. As part of AppDirect’s ongoing facilitation and program management, Katie builds in accountability measures that help folks stay on track and fulfill their commitments to the program. Here’s what she prioritizes:

• Following up with mentors and mentees who haven’t connected
• Working to accommodate global time differences
• Emphasizing the value of the program to both mentors and mentees

Incentivizing Participation

You can’t launch a mentorship program without participants, but what if too many mentees raise their hands? What if not enough mentors volunteer? Katie knows from firsthand experience that a few incentives go a long way (and they’ve even seen mentees come back as mentors!)

• Highlight the internal motivator of personal and professional growth
• Offer a small external incentive (recognition points)
• Emphasize the company’s commitment to employee development

Measuring Success

It’s not enough to feel that things are going well: having the data to back up those assertions are critical to winning resources and making program improvements. Here’s what AppDirect looks at to see impact—and how they tell their story of success:

• Participant feedback (over 90% positive in the last cycle)
• Repeat participation from mentors and mentees
• Increased employee engagement scores
• Potential impact on retention rates

Getting Started

For teams looking to launch their own mentorship programs, Katie shared her order of operations:

• Secure buy-in from senior leadership
• Align the program with company values and mission
• Start small and iterate based on feedback
• Provide resources like program guides and asset libraries to participants

Want to dig in further? Watch the entire fireside chat (and hear directly from an AppDirect peer mentorship participant!) here:

The webinar provided valuable insights into creating and managing successful peer mentorship programs. By focusing on thoughtful planning, personalized matching, and consistent support, companies can create impactful experiences that drive employee growth and engagement.