Among the findings, the survey found that of the 27% of respondents who said their organizations offer formal mentoring programs, nearly three-fourths (74%) of minority respondents participated – compared with 65% of respondents overall – indicating that formalizing the mentoring experience can be a key tool in helping this important employee base accelerate their careers and achieve professional growth.
"Our research suggests that companies aiming to better attract, retain and engage ethnic minority talent should consider a formal mentoring program if they don't already offer one," said
Women and minorities were more likely to say that mentoring was extremely important to their careers; 30% of women said their mentoring relationship was extremely important compared to 23% of men, and 32% of minorities found it extremely important, compared with 27% of the overall sample. Further, minorities were more likely to say they found a mentor on their own at 25% compared to 18% of the overall sample, suggesting their organizations could benefit from establishing tools and forums to help them succeed in finding a mentor.
"Women and ethnic minority professionals may place more value on mentoring because they tend to face more obstacles in progressing in their careers and are seeking advice and counsel that will help them accelerate their development and career progression," said
Other key findings of the survey include:
- Minority respondents more likely to say they formed primary mentoring relationship when they were in middle management (15% vs. 9% of the overall sample) and that they were currently in middle management (29% vs. 19%). The findings suggest an opportunity to engage minority talent with mentors at an earlier stage in their career, and that minorities may need more support at the middle-management level.
- A significant portion of respondents noted they were interested in mentors alerting them to opportunities inside their organization (37%) and getting connected with others who could help them advance in their careers (33%), indicating they may be seeking sponsorship versus mentorship. While mentorship and sponsorship are often used interchangeably, a sponsor advocates for someone's career advancement directly, while a mentor provides advice.
- Mentor-mentee relationships aren't long-term. The majority of respondents said their primary mentoring relationship lasted five years or less; just 8% said the relationship lasted 15 years or longer.
- Most professionals (56%) are motivated to engage with their primary mentoring relationship because they aspire to reach a similar point as their mentor in their own career. Other motivators included seeking a sounding board for advice and decisions (47%), situation similarities (40%), and sharing a similar background with their mentor (34%).
- While men are more likely (84%) to report that their primary mentor was a man and women are more likely to report that their primary mentor was a women, this is changing as a new generation enters the workforce. 86% of respondents over age 60 and 65% of respondents aged 51-60 had male mentors, while just 54% of respondents aged 21-25 had male mentors.
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