For the first time in history, five generations are co-existing in the workplace, presenting organisations with an exciting opportunity to reap the benefits of a multigenerational team.
However, to truly unlock workplace potential, it’s not enough for employers to simply hire a diverse range of people. They must also actively foster connection and collaboration across generations. One unique solution that’s gaining traction is reverse mentoring.
Below, we take a look at what reverse mentoring is and some of the possible benefits.
What is reverse mentoring?
Reverse mentoring flips the traditional mentoring relationship upside down. Instead of asking more experienced senior leaders to mentor junior employees, it encourages less experienced workers to mentor higher-ups. It’s an inclusive practice that acknowledges that even the most experienced workers have skills and knowledge gaps, and everyone has something to offer.
Jack Welch, former CEO of American conglomerate General Electric, is often credited with popularising reverse mentoring. In the late 1990s, Welch partnered junior staff members with senior leaders in the hope that they could help pass on digital skills, which he thought younger employees might have more experience with.
However, reverse mentoring has come a long way since then. For starters, it’s important not to confuse ‘junior’ with ‘younger’ or ‘senior’ with ‘older’ in this context. At Rest Less, we’ve seen many older adults making career changes in later life, some of which involve taking on ‘junior’ or entry-level roles.
Plus, the goals of reverse mentoring schemes now go far beyond the teaching of digital skills. Below, we look at a few of the top benefits.
4 benefits of reverse mentoring
1. Reverse mentoring can encourage skill and knowledge-sharing
With the first ‘digitally native’ generation now in the workforce, reverse mentoring can be a great opportunity for younger workers to share digital skills and insights into things like social media. However, cyber skills aren’t the only thing junior mentors can offer senior mentees.
Aside from generally providing a different perspective on any roadblocks their mentees might be experiencing, junior employees can share insights into youth consumer attitudes and trends, or highlight important issues at the company that leaders might be unaware of. The latter can be especially important for larger companies, where junior workers often have little direct contact with senior leadership.
As Elizabeth Newman, Chief of Staff at CBIZ, a US financial services organisation, tells SHRM, “What I learn from being connected to a young professional brings [a] new perspective to organization-level information […] Her feedback has identified both unintended consequences of policies and important opportunities for improvement.”
Plus, when later-life career changers in junior positions act as mentors to higher-ups, they can offer a wealth of skills and knowledge from previous careers or life experiences in general.
2. Reverse mentoring can increase the retention of younger workers
In its 2022 Global Gen Z & Millennial Survey, professional services network Deloitte revealed that a third of Gen Zs and millennials feel that “decisions are made from the top down within their organizations and employee feedback is not often acted upon”.
What’s more, the survey suggests that half of younger workers will leave their roles in the coming years if they don’t feel listened to on topics like equality, sustainability, and workplace mental health. However, employers might be able to combat this issue through reverse mentoring programs.
Effective reverse mentoring programmes aren’t just about transferring skills and knowledge; they also open meaningful two-way dialogues in which senior leaders consider input from more junior staff members on various decisions. This can go a long way to helping junior employees feel heard within the organisation, and give them access to more transparency from senior leaders.
As Deloitte says, “When people feel their voices are heard, they tend to feel more connected and loyal to their organi[s]ations.” In fact, when Pershing, an American financial services company, implemented a reverse mentoring scheme, they experienced a retention rate of 96% for their first wave of millennial mentors.
3. Reverse mentoring can help combat negative generational stereotypes
Despite increased awareness and efforts to combat ageism, it still remains a pervasive issue in the workplace. Alarmingly, research reveals that over a third of people hold ageist beliefs, with experts calling it ‘the last form of socially acceptable prejudice’.
In professional settings, ageism is often perpetuated by negative stereotypes about people from different generations. For example, older adults may view younger colleagues as irresponsible or incompetent, while Gen Z employees might perceive later-life professionals as tech-averse or resistant to learning.
Not only are stereotypes like these false, but they can also negatively impact workplace productivity and performance by hindering communication and collaboration. Plus, these biases are only bolstered when employees of different generations don’t have opportunities to work together.
By pairing employees in reverse mentoring partnerships, organisations give employees opportunities to challenge notions about age and see firsthand that they’re untrue.
4. Reverse mentoring can help junior employees develop confidence and leadership skills
When it comes to reverse mentoring, it’s easy to focus on what skills mentees can learn from mentors. However, one of the best aspects of any kind of mentoring program is that it’s a mutually beneficial relationship.
For starters, reverse mentoring allows junior employees to develop their leadership skills by supporting and offering advice to their mentees. By giving them access to senior colleagues they otherwise wouldn’t cross paths with, reverse mentoring also offers junior workers role models from whom they can learn leadership skills.
Research – like this study of junior doctors – also shows that reverse mentoring programs can boost the mentor’s confidence. As Civil Service employee Godfrey Atuahene Junior says about his experience reverse mentoring…
“It has eliminated a fear of the unknown and increased my confidence and empowerment in communicating with senior leaders and stakeholders. I have gained a true insight into how senior managers think and work[.]”
Final thoughts…
As we hope this article has shown, there are plenty of reasons to consider reverse mentoring at your organisation. However, to reap the benefits and bring the best out of your participants, it’s important to set up your program properly.
For help on this – including advice on dealing with common issues that can arise during reverse mentoring – you can email us at [email protected]. Alternatively, why not visit our employers’ page, where you’ll find articles like 5 tips for managing a multigenerational team and 5 surprising benefits of mentor-mentee relationships in the workplace?
Do you have a reverse mentoring program at your organisation? If so, what are some of the benefits you’ve noticed? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.