Web-Based Mentoring Positively Impacts Employee Retention and Productivity

New study by Triple Creek Associates shows strong positive correlation between participation in web-based mentoring programs and factors related to employee retention and productivity.

(Greenwood Village, Colorado) A new study by Triple Creek Associates examines how web-based Open Mentoring® impacts employee retention and productivity. Out of 361 respondents, 85% reported a positive connection between mentoring and factors that impact retention, and 81% reported a positive connection on factors that impact productivity.

"This research provides proof that web-based mentoring can positively impact a company's bottom line and bring about great returns for an organization," says Randy Emelo, the company's president and CEO.

One such return coincides with how organizations are perceived by employees: 94% of respondents said the mentoring program demonstrates their organization's commitment to providing career options and opportunities. As one participant put it: "The greatest benefit that I have experienced from a distant location of the company is the opportunity to discover more about how I can position myself within the company for a long-term career...."

Emelo points out, "When employees feel cared for by an organization, they are more likely to invest themselves in the company. This not only impacts retention, but it also affects how productive employees are. When they want to be there, they make for better employees; they begin to build community and make positive connections."

This study also confirms that spending as little as one hour a month on mentoring can yield excellent results. For respondents who spent an hour or more per month on mentoring, their responses to retention related questions jumped to 93%, while productivity related responses increased to 89%.

"This highlights the actual affect this practice has on users and shows how just a little time invested can have remarkable results," says Angie Stevens, Senior Manager of Consulting and Research.

Yet, sometimes the power is not in the numbers. "We have a client who had a mentee say to them that the mentoring program is what made him decide to come work for their organization," shares Stevens. "We have another client who had an executive assistant think that an invitation to be a mentor had been sent to her by mistake. When the program champions assured her that they did indeed mean to send it to her, she cried. Stories like those can't be quantified by numbers, but the impact of them can certainly be felt by all involved," says Stevens.

The full text of this study, as well as earlier research on employee engagement, is available in the Research section of Triple Creek's website (http://www.3creek.com/resources/research.htm). An interview of Randy Emelo and Angie Stevens speaking about this research is available in the Podcast section (http://www.3creek.com/resources/blog/index.cfm/2008/6/18/Research-Podcast-Retention-and-Productivity-Study).

For more information, please contact Triple Creek at 303-707-0800 or visit www.3creek.com.

About Triple Creek Associates, Inc.
Triple Creek Associates, Inc. helps organizations build cultures of learning and development through web-based mentoring programs. Their flagship web-based mentoring product, Open Mentoring®, is a fully supported, comprehensive Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that allows organizations to auto-match, manage and measure mentoring relationships built around customized learning projects. Triple Creek currently brings web-based mentoring and support to more than 100 market-leading organizations with users in 56 countries.

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