A corporate mentorship program can be beneficial for companies looking to onboard employees or help transition team members to new departments or foster growth into positions of leadership.

Check out these tips to help you build an effective corporate mentorship program.

Ensure proper mentor/mentee pairing

Perhaps the most important aspect of building an effective corporate mentorship program is the mentor and mentee pairing. During the matching process, consider having employees self-select or rank their mentor preferences. Some guidelines to think about include:

  • Location: Are the mentor/mentee in the same office location? Are they located in the same time zone to help facilitate calls? If the company has in-office working days, would the pair be able to meet in-person?
  • Team: Which teams do these employees sit on? How often do they interact? Is there scope for cross-functional collaboration?
  • Growth: Are there learning opportunities for both the mentor and mentee?

Offer discussion topics

Consider providing some discussion topics to help provide some structure to the mentorship meetings. While these may naturally evolve over the course of the mentorship program, it can be helpful to have for the first few meetings.

Discussion topics can cover general business principles or leadership tools, such as:

  • Public speaking
  • Using storytelling to connect to clients
  • Conflict resolution
  • Conquering imposter syndrome
  • Overcoming professional setbacks
  • Networking tips
  • Active listening
  • Motivating yourself and your team
  • Brainstorming techniques
  • Overcoming client objections

Some programs also address topics related to self-care and work-life balance:

  • How to handle stress
  • Balancing personal and professional obligations
  • Recommended reading materials

Ask for feedback

For a mentorship program to be successful, both the mentor and mentee have to feel that the program is adding value.

Consider holding regular check-ins with both the mentor and mentee to ask for feedback. These check-ins can be written, verbal, or a combination of the two. You can set the cadence for these check-in meetings and get a sense of what is working well and what can be adjusted going forward.

Provide food during mentorship meetings

There are many different ways you can provide food at work, from catering a weekly breakfast to hosting virtual team lunches. Adding food to the mix during mentorship meetings can add an element of fun and help create a relaxed environment.

For remote or hybrid employees, consider offering individual meal credits, where both the mentor and mentee get the same meal budget and can order something they love, wherever they’re working. During the mentorship meetings, they can share what they ordered and have it be a topic of conversation at the beginning of the meeting.

Upgrade your corporate mentorship program with Grubhub

Offering meal benefits is one way you can enhance your corporate mentorship program. With a Grubhub Corporate Account, you can offer mentors and mentees individual meal credits, allowing them to order what they love and have it delivered to wherever they are working. Contact us to learn how you can start offering meal perks today.