Engaging Young Staff

First impressions count

When it comes to engaging your staff and getting to know them, the initial conversations matter. It’s essential that you create the right impression from the start.

• Aim to create an equal relationship between the two of you.
• Treat your young staff in an adult manner – this will gain their respect and also show you respect them.
• Always thank your staff for their time.

Building rapport with your employees

Building rapport is an essential part of being a good mentor. Establishing good rapport will help you be seen as a ‘trusted advisor’ and put you in a good position to help your young staff member.

• Start your conversation with some friendly questions –  How’s their day been? How are they finding the work?
• Ask them how much time they can spend with you today.
• Ask them how they feel about meeting with you. Explain that most new staff usually feel nervous having this first conversation, so if they do, then it’s completely normal.
• Ask them about their job – what they like and what they don’t like.
• Draw some parallels with yourself so you can find some common ground.

Create clarity

Make sure they are clear on your role and the role of your mentoring program and how it can help them.

• Ask them, “How much do you know about me?”
• Put the power in their hands and ask – “what do you want to know about me?”
• Ask them what they know about the mentoring program and use this opportunity to fill in any gaps.
• Many youngsters may fear this will add to their workload, so reassure them you are there to help and support them in their role.
• Explain to them what is expected of you and the program.

Ask for feedback

Show your staff that their opinions matter to you by making an effort to ask them for feedback throughout your conversations. For example:

• Ask how they are finding talking to you.
• Ask them what they think of the program and how they think it could benefit them.
• Ask them if there’s anything they think you could do differently that would make working together easier.
• Ask where they would feel most comfortable meeting/talking.

Next steps

After an initial conversation with your new starter, you’ll need to explain what happens next:

• Explain that you’ll need to work with them to get to know a bit more about them and what they want to get out of a mentoring program.
• Explain that you’ll need to sit together to set goals and discuss things you’ll work on together.
• Ask them when a good time to start this conversation is. Schedule a suitable time to have this chat.