Driving a business-wide mentoring culture fit for today’s workforce—and beyond

Melinda Lee Ferguson: Workplace mentoring can take many forms, and the rapid pace at which it’s changed over the past decade means it needs serious consideration if we’re to better develop employees.

Charlotte and Max, thank you so much for joining me in this discussion. You’ve been part of the five generations in our workplace—which is a broader range of ages and experience than ever before. What are your views on that, and what effect do you think it has on mentoring? Does mentoring work both ways?

Charlotte: I personally really like working with a broad range of people to get their perspectives on different things. It’s something that the most progressive companies now use to their advantage because they see the long-term value in diversity of all kinds.

Having five generations in the workplace represents a huge opportunity to learn from each other. While as interns we’ve been here to gain experience and learn things that can’t be taught theoretically in a lecture, mentoring works both ways. No matter our experience, there’s always room to learn from other people.

Max: I’m the youngest person in the team by far. It’s great because I wanted to soak up and take away as much experience as possible from senior colleagues—things that aren’t in the textbooks. But I also feel I’ve got something to give back. For example, we recently had a social selling workshop where I could pass on what I know to my colleagues. It’s definitely a two-way street.

Melinda: I’m glad to hear that you’ve benefited from the experience of more senior colleagues. I’d love to get your perspective on the intern projects we set you. We assigned you with one of our “big challenges” to solve and gave you a project mentor, but we gave you quite a vague brief on purpose because we wanted you to approach it with a fresh perspective, think on your feet, and find the necessary information and experts yourself.

So what did you think? Did you find it easy to ask the right questions and collaborate with the wider team?

Max: I thought it was brilliant. I loved that every intern was set a specific project that they were responsible for from start to finish. Being involved in something like that, you can see where you’re making a difference. For example, my project is to do with lead management. So I can see progression each week, and what difference it’s making.

Charlotte: I really enjoyed the project. It was a bit of a learning curve at first, and the vague brief probably scared me initially, but I also found it empowering. I could be flexible with the brief and take the project wherever I wanted, which helped me to grow. Just knowing that you’ve got the freedom to follow what you want to do and the support from your managers and everyone else in the organization to do what you want, as an intern, is a great feeling.

Melinda: Your mentors clearly give you support, but don’t you think that you support them too? Thinking about digital skills in your example Max, it sounds like reverse mentoring is a great way to share experiences around an organization. Is this something you’ve found as well, Charlotte?

Charlotte: Yes, but rather than passing on skills, for me, it’s more about the mindset employed when approaching technology problems. When you’re presented with a new piece of tech or program, the key isn’t learning how to use it by studying; it’s more about hands-on trial and error. I try, I press buttons, and I usually work it out, or I Google it. You’ve just got to try a few methods and see what works—it’s about having the confidence for trial and error, and the confidence to not be fazed by something when you don’t immediately understand it. I’ve tried to pass on this experimental mindset towards technology on to my colleagues.

Melinda: I guess one of the reasons you have that confidence is because you were raised on digital technologies. In some of your reverse mentoring, you were sharing your mindset around technology where you are not nervous or overwhelmed by tech but empowered and enabled by it and willing to figure it out with trial and error. That mindset difference is what reverse mentoring is all about.

I also get the sense that collaboration plays a big part in mentoring. For example, as an intern 20 years ago, you might have been told ?“this is how things are done around here” for a few months, with little opportunity to give input and share ideas with more senior colleagues. But I get the impression that collaboration, “group think”, and a diverse, open, feedback-driven approach is now instilled from school age—would you agree?

Max: Absolutely. It’s something that’s been second nature to me from school, right through to university. It’s just a collaborative mindset. At university, 90% of my projects are group work, so I’m used to working with different people and utilizing different people’s skillsets.

And I found it’s similar at VMware. Everyone’s really collaborative; everyone likes working across departments. I know that won’t necessarily be the case in every organization, and I’ve certainly come across people resistant to change. Still, from my perspective as someone starting in their career, the more I can ask questions and offer something to the conversation, the better the outcomes for everyone.

Melinda: That is really great to hear and proof that an organization is so much stronger when we’re allowed to collaborate.

I hope it’s not a generalization, but we talk a lot about how your generation is really prioritizing finding a career or a company with a purpose-driven mission. We hear many companies talk about their commitment to purpose and sustainability—what do you think about that?

Charlotte: Our generation has grown up very conscious of global warming and improving the planet. It means that many of us automatically expect companies to share those same values. It’s something we should all think about, rather than just focusing on our personal success.

I think it’s important to know that you’re valued and that your voice is heard in an organization. I believe that complex organizational issues can be solved through sharing skills and knowledge, combined with groups of people working together.

Melinda: How do you think a shift in mindset has made the modern workforce, and your generation in particular, more comfortable with complexity?

Max: I think our generation has a mindset where we prefer using our initiative rather than being told what to do. I think that’s probably been instilled through social media and the way workplaces have become less hierarchical. More people are working for smaller, more casual organizations and even opting to work for themselves. These cultures have filtered through to the wider workforce.

It’s an attitude that my university course fosters, offering a placement year through your own business. If you’ve already got a business started up, you can take a year out of university to focus on that and then come back and finish your final year. It’s increasingly common in university, so it’s only natural that this kind of entrepreneurial culture has transferred to the workplace.

Melinda: It’s a great point. We’re definitely seeing a change in workplace culture. While it’s unusual you’ve both started your careers in an entirely remote environment due to the unprecedented disruption of the last 18 months, it’s becoming clear that hybrid working practices are here to stay.

What impact does a company’s approach to wellbeing, hybrid working, and flexibility have as you evaluate different opportunities?

Charlotte: A company focused on wellbeing is my top priority when looking for an employer. I think companies that put wellbeing at the core of what they do truly care about their employees. It’s something that I think the majority of people I know would look for, too. So, I genuinely think the younger generations are driving positive change in the workplace. If organizations don’t keep up with the priorities of those entering the workforce, they will not be a priority for candidates. ?

Max: Agreed. I’d also add work-life balance to that. I think the issue of work-life balance was bubbling under the surface for a while before the pandemic hit. Now we’re all used to working flexibly, people have realized the importance of separating their work lives from their personal ones, and not burning the candle at both ends.

When I was looking for my placement, I knew I wanted to work for an organization that focuses on work-life balance and its employees’ mental wellbeing.

Melinda : I think you’re both right. The more we focus on how much wellbeing and flexibility make a difference, and the more forward-thinking people that enter the workforce, the better chance organizations will have to evolve.

There’s a never-ending cycle of work, so being able to help people have a life—and work to live rather than live to work—will create more healthy workplace relationships. There are all kinds of studies around how productivity is better when you’re rested rather than under pressure and stressed.

And less linear careers are quickly becoming the norm. Today, people want the ability to find their own way and set their own objectives, so the idea of a career or career journey is continually being reframed. Portfolio careers and frequently switching companies and industries is now a standard expectation for career progression, so it’s time for organizations to recognize that the days of joining a company when you’re 23 and staying for your entire career are no longer realistic.

It’s not just about those entering the workforce, either. I think we’re at a real inflection point in how everyone works. Great employers will continuously evolve, asking why people come to work—and what they want to get out of the experience. It often goes beyond a paycheck. It’s about purpose, community, people, and what you’ll likely learn.?

Thank you, Charlotte and Max, for joining me. It was so interesting to get your perspectives on mentoring and collaboration in the workplace, especially as young people just starting their careers. We were really glad to have you as a part of our intern program at VMware. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for both of you!