There are several advantages to reverse mentoring. An obvious one is that it narrows the generation gap.
“At a company I worked for, reverse mentoring was implemented for about a year. The juniors helped the seniors with social media platforms such as Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram. When the senior leaders became comfortable using these platforms, the programme was discontinued,” says Michelle Low, a transition specialist at Avodah People Solutions, which provides career education, guidance and coaching.
It also helps senior employees avoid the “ivory tower syndrome”, which happens when they become so out of touch with the people they manage that they can no longer relate to their day-to-day struggles.
“Reverse mentoring helps to close the generation gap and foster an inclusive learning environment. It also builds up our employees’ confidence and creates a sense of belonging, which makes them know they are valued and comfortable in expressing their views,” says Vivian Chua, Managing Direction of HP Inc.
Michelle Liang, Planning and Performance Manager at Shell Development, has also benefited from it: “Reverse mentoring allows me to learn from people who are typically mentees, and is a fantastic way for an older millennial like myself to stay young at heart. After all, mentoring is all about learning and evolving together.”
Plus, running ideas by junior workers allows senior employees to not only find out how a new policy or strategy is perceived, but also include junior staff in the decision- making process.
“Even if the final decision is not something that the junior member agrees with, they will know that the company sought their input. This is something millennials seem to appreciate,” says Michelle.
