PEOPLE INVOLVED IN MENTORING PROGRAMS ARE MORE LIKELY TO:
• Stay in school
• Improve their grades
• Enroll in college

A 1988 Proctor and Gamble study of mentoring programs in Cincinnati showed while about 25% of the student population went on to college over 85% of mentored students did. That’s nearly a 60% improvement. The study also found that mentored students were more likely to stay in school and improved their grades.

• Be active in their communities
• Be hopeful about their futures

From 1989 to 1991, the Quantum Opportunities Program evaluating the results of mentoring disadvantage teens. Those students who were mentored were significantly more likely to graduate from high school, and to become involved in their communities. In addition, the mentored teens had a much more optimistic view of their futures compared to those who were not involved in a mentoring program.

MENTORED STUDENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO…

• Begin using illegal drugs
• Begin using alcohol
• Skip school
• Get arrested

A 1995 study involving Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) found that youth who participated in the program were 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to start drinking, 52% less likely to skip school and 33% less likely to hit someone.

• Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (April 2000) studied adolescents receiving medical care by physicians in a suburban community-based teaching hospital. The young people, who had adult mentors, were less likely than their peers to ever carry weapons, use illegal drugs in the past 30 days, smoke more than five cigarettes a day, or have sex with more than one partner in the past six months.

Consider the following statistics:

• 71% of Fortune 500 companies have a mentoring program (“Mentoring Programs Still Have a Place in the 21st Century,” Lydell Bridgeford, Employee Benefit News, Aug 1, 2007)

• 69% of surveyed companies representing a wide variety of industries, have formal mentoring programs, and of those, 74% have mentoring programs dedicated to women (Catalyst, 2006)

• 60% of UK business leaders have had a mentor, and of these, 97% said they had benefited from the advice given (DDI, 2005)

• 47% of organizations recently surveyed have mentoring programs (The Coaching/Mentoring Practitioner Consensus Survey, The Institute for Corporate Productivity, 2007)

And, do these mentoring programs produce positive outcomes?

A recent meta-study of 151 studies on mentoring and found that over 90% reported evidence of positive outcomes from mentoring programs (B.C. Hansford, L.C. Ehrich and L. Tennent, 2003).

A comprehensive study in 2006 by Gartner, a Connecticut-based research firm of over 1,000 workers over a 5 year period, revealed the following benefits of mentoring:

• 25% of employees who enrolled in a mentoring program had a salary-grade change, while only 5% of workers who did not participate in a mentoring program had a change

• Mentors were promoted 6 times more often than those not in a mentoring program
• Mentees were promoted 5 times more often than those not in a mentoring program
• Retention rates also were higher for both mentees (72%) and mentors (69%) than for employees who did not participate in a mentoring program

Earlier research, cited below, creates the foundation for the above findings.

• Mentees experience higher career satisfaction, career commitment, career mobility, and positive job attitudes (B.R. Ragins, J.L. Cotton, and J.S. Miller, J.S, 2002).

• Mentoring also benefits the organization by reducing turnover, increasing organizational commitment, promoting knowledge transfer, and making earlier identification of key talent (C. Gibb, 1999, and G.L. Lewis 1996)

Mentoring statistics show that professionals who have used a mentor, earn between $5,610-$22,450 more annually, than those who didn't use a mentor.

An entrepreneur may also be having difficulty entering a new market, and struggling with the stress that comes with launching new products, throughout the launch period.

Business mentoring also helps improve the skills of employees, with mentoring statistics showing that employee’s who have received business mentoring, get to grips with the workings of the business, and any unwritten rules quicker than those who haven't. The source for this is Wilson and Elman, 1990.

Business mentoring also improves customer service, employee confidence and problem solving abilities. All these attributes drive a business forward, in the sense of providing a good attitude towards customers and providing good service that will make them want to use your services again - but it also drives a business forward in the sense that brand recognition can develop. More and more customers will be impressed with the product, and the service (which mentoring statistics suggest increases in quality with the implementation of business mentoring) - that they will wish to use the product again, bringing about potential brand loyalty.

The stats also suggest that the best 100 companies to work for in America (according to Hewitt Associate's analysis of data on corporate people practices - featured in Fortune Magazine), share three characteristic.

1. These are that they take more pride and strides to involve employees directly in the business, giving them a say in what happens with the business, and how their role can develop.

2. They also allow for greater consideration to the quality of life of all their employees, specifically taking note on terms of pay and holiday allowances.

3. Finally, they are seen to be making more of an effort to create supportive company culture and an inclusive environment that makes every employee feel important, and part of a team.

Mentoring statistics also show that women who have been involved with a form of mentoring relationship, have reported an increase of almost 94% in their professional productivity - as a result of this kind of business mentoring.

. If it would be possibly to provide perhaps 25% of female managers in organizations, nationally or globally - whilst also allowing for a reasonable increase in the productivity of their subordinates, then the loss of this particular added value can be seen as roughly $9 million annually (1990, involving staff from Utilico Inc).

Sourced from Workforce, 1992.

Reference: http://www.insala.com/Articles/leadership-coaching/mentoring-current-trends.asp