So you're considering launching a new mentoring program. That's a good start! To be truly successful, however, you must survey and evaluate the needs of your mentoring program. How would your company best utilize mentoring? How can all needs be met? You can make reasonable guesses about what people want. However, information gathered from genuine responses is far more valuable.  This is where a mentorship program survey comes into play. An anonymous questionnaire requesting for information on critical elements can make a world of a difference.

What is a mentoring program survey?

A mentorship program survey is a checklist designed to assess various factors of mentoring and learn how program participants respond to it. Understanding whether they are growing, being challenged, or developing a relationship will assist you in developing a more effective mentorship program.

Program managers may include survey questions in the mentor program to gather information from participants, such as:

• Data on demographics
• Assess if their match is relevant and an appropriate fit
• Decide whether the strategy was successful or identify any issues.
• Collect anecdotal feedback to assist program managers in improving mentorships
• Obtain quotations for program reports, which are particularly useful to company executives.

Why is it vital to poll mentors and mentees?

When mentors and mentees are allowed to respond to mentorship program survey questions, they have the chance to speak about their mentoring stories. This data can be helpful to program managers in many ways.

To bring insights about how to refine your program

One reason it's a critical time for your survey participants to respond is to gain awareness of potential enhancements to your program Mentors and mentees who have been through the process will be recognized. Better positioned to provide feedback on the program's benefits and drawbacks. Appreciating how to refine a mentoring program can also assist your organization in creating a smoother experience for all employees.

To analyse your program

Another reason to collect mentor and mentee survey responses is to evaluate your mentoring program. Workplace mentoring programs are designed to achieve specific objectives or goals.

Measuring key performance indicators (KPIs) is one way to assess a successful program. Information collected from mentoring program participants, on the other hand, can tell you whether the program was victorious for them. And if it was, it's validated data that your mentoring program is working.

To resolve ineffective mentor matches as soon as possible

Having mentors and mentees respond to survey questions can also help program managers eliminate poor mentor matches quickly. Identifying issues or obstacles in a mentoring relationship can aid you in resolving them or finding a better time for participants.

When is it appropriate to poll mentors and mentees in a mentoring program?

Mentoring participants should be polled at several vital points.

It is beneficial to learn more about team members' goals and program goals during registration. This information is critical for matching you with the right mentor.

After the matching process, check-in with them to ensure they're happy with the suitable matches and learn more about their mentorship expectations. This data is comparable to the results of their after-program survey to determine whether the experience of program managers met their expectations and objectives.

Surveys after all sessions are beneficial for connecting with mentors and mentees post-sessions. It enables them to assess their performance in the session and evaluate whether they progressed well via the sessions.

Midway through the program - Another critical time for information gathering is when mentoring program participants are halfway through. Mentors and mentees can now assess whether they are on track to meet their goals or need to change course.

Learning more about their experiences through the sessions is critical data at the end of the program that can refine the world-class mentoring program and report on the success of the workplace mentoring program to leadership.

Increase your motivation and output.

People crave feedback and need it more than once or twice a year. They want to be acknowledged for their efforts and feedback on how to improve. A mentor can provide some of the missing validation and guidance when someone craves more interactions with peers or experts. Employees can be motivated by mentors to perform better in their current positions and learn something new, pursue a side project, or attend industry events.

How to Evaluate a Mentoring Program's Needs

• Accurately predict mentee enrollment rates.
• Determine how many mentors you may require.
• Learn about the most popular areas of interest

 To help you, I've created a sample survey:

• Discover how to write your matching rules and structure your program.
• It is critical to introduce and advocate for the concept when surveying your employees. Some employees may not understand what a mentoring program entails.
• I also recommend including testimonials from top leaders in your organization about how mentoring has benefited them personally. It will help to frame your program and provide more information about it.

Example of sample mentoring program survey questions

The way you ask survey questions influences the type of responses you get. Closed questions, for example, require only a yes or no answer. Choose to toss coin questions that requests and prompts for a more detailed answer from program participants to collect insightful data.

Here are some holistic questions to ask at different stages of the journey.

Questionnaires to be completed during registration

More than collecting names for your mentoring program during the registration process is at stake. It provides participants with a chance to get to know one another better. Finding a good mentor match requires understanding who they are and what they want to achieve.

Here are some registration mentoring program survey questions:

• What other professional disciplines do you want to learn more about, and where do you find a mentor?
• What other professional disciplines/functions have you held, both here and at previous employers?
• Which previous goals or accomplishments have you achieved, and on which can you mentor?
• Narrate any experiences or lessons you hope to gain from this journey.
• Narrate any experiences or topics you believe you can be of assistance as part of this mentoring program.

Ask survey questions about halfway through the mentoring program.

The halfway point of mentorship is an excellent time for participants to reflect on what they've learned and their hopes for the remainder of the program. A few good questions are:

• What is your favorite aspect of the show?
• What aspects of the show irritate you?
• What do you want to grasp in the show's second half? What are your thoughts on your mentor/mentee relationship?

Following survey questions

After a match is made, you'll have another opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the success of mentor-mentee matches. At this point, a few intriguing questions to include in a mentoring program survey.

• How did you assimilate the matching rules?
• How did you experience browsing available mentors?
• What modifications would you make to the pairing process?
• Were you pleased or dissatisfied with the quality of available mentors?
• Were you pleased or dissatisfied with the number of available mentors?
• Is the pairing process increasing or decreasing your optimism about your mentoring experience?

When the program is finished, conduct a survey.

The end of a mentorship relationship can be a challenging emotional experience. If the mentorship was a big success, participants might require closure. If the experience was more difficult, participants might want to suggest ways to improve it the next time. These questions can help them with that.

• How convinced are you with your overall mentor program experience?
• What did you like best about the mentor program?
• What were some of your suggestions for improvements?
• Was the mentorship program successful?
• What are some memorable lessons you learned from your mentor/mentee?
• What is your mentor/mentee relationship like?

What Should a Future Mentoring Needs Survey Achieve?

That is why I recommend surveying the landscape and confirming the viability of mentoring. It's a wise decision. I endorse that you leverage this opportunity to combine a few goals:

Make it exciting—this is a great time to establish an educational culture. Don't be afraid to express your support for the mentor program. Examine your team members' goals and personal meetings to determine what motivates them. It will provide you with a better grasp of your audience and their requirements, allowing you to design your program more effectively once it has been approved.

Workplace Mentorship Program Surveys: A Win-Win Solution for Employees and Employers

Workplace mentoring programs benefit both participants and employers in a variety of ways. As a result, more than 70% of Fortune 500 companies have mentoring programs. Mentorships can assist you in meeting all of your objectives. If you want to improve your employees' skill set, create a more collaborative workplace, increase team member engagement, or reduce turnover. It is not difficult to start a mentoring program in your company. Having accurate knowledge is the first step toward running a successful program essential to your organization's learning. Connect with your employees with a strong mentorship program and bring holistic development to the team.