Mentoring - the gift that keeps on giving

As everyone ‘gets back to the grindstone’ in the days post-Christmas, how can we counteract this slump in morale and energy? A wellbeing programme that nurtures physical and mental wellness is important (all year round). Whilst we acknowledge and thank those that work over the Christmas and New Year period, line managers of those who have taken a break need to be mindful of the emotions of all their team as they get back up to speed after the holiday. Open communication and feedback that recognises what people achieved over the past year can spur a more positive outlook as colleagues contemplate the year ahead.

Which brings us to new year resolutions. I’m not a fan. I think they set people up for a fall. Whether it’s in our work or personal lives, we end up feeling that we’ve failed to achieve what are often unrealistic goals or unsustainable levels of effort. Far better to aim for smaller, attainable gains throughout the year – through practical steps and learning.

That’s just one of the reasons why I advocate mentoring. A good mentor will support and motivate you through the dog days of January, and beyond. The advice and insights shared through mentoring may inspire what seem to be modest shifts in ways of working and thinking. But incrementally, these adjustments can be career-defining or life-changing in ways that a new year resolution is unlikely to be.

Planning for 2026

Mentoring is front of mind right now as we put the finishing touches to next year’s SUEZ in-house programme, preparing training sessions and matching applicant mentees and mentors. Also, I’m looking forward to my fifth year as a mentor in the Aspiring HR Directors programme run by the CIPD.

We formalised our approach to mentoring within the company more than three years ago. The first round of the programme in 2022 involved 70 mentees, identified through our talent management framework. They included recent graduates, apprentices, new joiners in managerial roles, secondees, and others nominated by our Managing Directors.

As the mentoring programme developed, it has widened to embrace more people at different levels and stages of their working lives. Since launching the latest cohort in 2025, we’ve seen incredible engagement:

• 63 active mentoring pairs are currently building strong connections.
• 14 graduates have been matched with mentors to support their development.

Before this year’s cohort, the programme had already made a significant impact, with 96 mentees and 27 mentors taking part. On top of that, countless informal mentoring relationships continue to flourish across the business, creating a culture of learning and support.

Honest and committed

As well as the preparatory training for both mentors and mentees, we run workshops sharing best practice. When mentor and mentee meet for an orientation session, they sign a mentoring agreement covering the meeting schedule and mentee’s key goals. These are followed up through an action plan, which normally runs for 6-12 months. There is also ongoing support through our Mentoring Community on the company intranet.

Mentees take responsibility for setting and achieving their development goals. Mentors share, they don’t spoon-feed, providing sound advice rather than instructions. So, mentees own their own solutions.

Both need to be committed, open to honest feedback, and respectful of each other’s expertise and the confidences and personal experiences they may share. Free discussion allows opportunity to question and clarify advice, and to explore how it can best be applied in practice.

As the CIPD emphasises, there are major benefits to be gained by both mentee and mentor.

Benefits for mentees

Learning from an experienced colleague who understands the job, company and wider industry can be invaluable.

It is also an opportunity to talk through potential career goals and plan next steps that may inform or enhance those discussed as part of the annual personal development meeting with the employee’s line manager.

The personalised guidance a mentor can provide tends to reinforce and expand the knowledge an employee gains through in-house training or studies for professional or vocational qualifications.

Mentees tend to grow in confidence and self-awareness as they gain a better understanding in a safe and confidential space of their strengths and development areas and how to balance their work and personal obligations.

A mentor will also often help you expand your network within or even beyond the company. In my mind, networking is an absolutely fundamental requirement for optimising your career development and progression. I don’t buy in to the philosophy of ‘failing fast’, there’s no need to if you optimise your networks, learn from everyone around you and secure yourself a great mentor.

Benefits for mentors

The mentor too makes new contacts through mentoring, and often gets to update technical skills or know-how from a more recently qualified colleague or a ‘digital native’.

The fundamental skills you develop as a mentor are valuable in the day job, as you can become a better manager of people. These skills range from active listening and communication to coaching and motivating people.

Learning about the experiences of others gives new insights into the challenges more junior colleagues face and their different priorities. For example, the mindset of a new mother returning to work will contrast with the attitudes of a Gen Z joiner trying to navigate the world of work. The perspectives of all mentees can open a manager’s eyes to opportunities to improve the organisation or its policies.

Of course, there is also the satisfaction of transferring knowledge gained over your career and giving something back.

Long-term gains

As the formal mentoring schedule comes to an end, the relationship doesn’t have to. I have continued providing ad hoc support to many of the people I’ve mentored during my career, especially CIPD colleagues on the Aspiring HR Directors programme. Either way, the gains for the mentor and mentee can flow through successive roles and a lifetime.

Mentoring can be the reciprocal gift that keeps on giving.

It only remains for me to wish readers and colleagues, including past and future mentors and mentees, a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate it and a fulfilling and happy new year.