Our research results on the topic of mentoring in companies
This blog post demonstrates through studies and calculations how mentoring programs can measurably increase productivity and employee retention, as well as the concrete return on investment companies can achieve from this.
Mentoring is becoming increasingly important in Swiss companies, as a recent study by menteez shows. Mentoring refers to a long-term, structured relationship between more experienced mentors and less experienced mentees. The goal is the exchange of knowledge as well as the personal and professional development of both parties. In companies, mentoring serves not only to promote young talents but also for integration, diversity management, and ensuring experiential knowledge.
How the study was conducted
The study is based on an online survey with 80 employees from various sectors and interviews with 20 HR managers. The aim was to capture both the perspective of employees and the organization holistically, in order to better understand current practices, challenges, and potentials of mentoring programs in Switzerland.
Key findings: What employees and HR say
Great importance and interest: Over 70% of professionals and executives consider mentoring an important building block of career development. However, currently only 38% of Swiss companies offer formal mentoring programs.
Participation and engagement: About one-third of employees regularly participate in mentoring. Participation is significantly influenced by factors such as the matching between mentor and mentee, the structure of the program, and flexibility.
New mentoring formats gain importance: Traditional top-down mentoring models are increasingly being replaced by more flexible approaches such as peer mentoring or reverse mentoring, which are based on equal footing and mutual knowledge exchange.
Structure as a success factor: A clearly defined framework, fixed goals, regular meetings, and suitable materials and tools significantly increase effectiveness and participant satisfaction.
Acceptance at leadership level is essential: Support from the management and leaders is seen as crucial for ensuring that mentoring becomes sustainably anchored in the company.
Challenges and open questions
Matching appropriately: The skillful pairing of mentors and mentees is considered key to success but presents HR with significant organizational and content challenges.
Increase participation: Despite high interest, not all employees participate. Improvements in visibility, education, and motivation could increase involvement.
Digital support: There is a great need for mentoring software that offers features such as intelligent matching, scheduling, goal tracking, and feedback.
Practical recommendations and outlook
Our research recommends that companies view mentoring as a strategic and structured core component of personnel development. Investments in suitable tools and clear process design significantly increase the benefits.
*The complete research is available as a PDF.