Let me tell you how I got started

Who’s involved?
Horizon Housing Group has linked up with Hexagon Housing Association, Hyde Housing Association and West Kent Housing Association to launch a joint mentoring scheme for staff. An employee from one organisation takes someone from another under their wing, expanding their professional development and helping to answer any questions they might have.

The project started in May and now runs 11 partnerships at all levels within the four organisations. For example, the chief executive of Hexagon, Tom McCormack, is acting as a mentor to a junior member of staff at Horizon.

What happens?
Staff across the organisations are asked to volunteer to be either mentors or “mentees”. Mentors are given a day’s training to acquaint them with the role, while mentees have a half day’s training to prepare to take part.

Next, they are asked to confirm their interest and fill in an application form outlining exactly what they expect to gain from the scheme. The applications are used to match mentors to mentees.

Partnerships are matched by department or, if the junior employee is looking for more generalised career development, between people in totally different areas. Mentors and mentees are then left to contact each other to set up an initial meeting.

Why do it?
Joanna Lewis, training manager at Horizon Housing, says: “We want to help people’s performance in the job and, in terms of housing generally, help to keep people within the housing field. We have a huge problem of talented managers leaving the profession because they can find housing frustrating.”

How is it more efficient?
Lewis says the scheme fits well with the efficiency agenda. A mentoring scheme can be expensive and cumbersome to setup, especially for a smaller housing association, but RSLs that join forces can spread these costs between them. For example, the start-up training costs of £2500 could be shared; so could the preparation, development and roll-out of the scheme.

It can also make the organisations that take part more efficient by sharing knowledge: problems that may be difficult to solve within an organisation may benefit from a fresh pair of eyes.

Any problems?
Lewis says the main problem so far has been trying to find a time and place for mentor and mentee to meet. “We’ve been trying to match them geographically,” she says, “but inevitably one of them has to go to see the other.”