Do years of experience and maturity alone guarantee wisdom? The business community in India is working to change that.
Reverse mentoring, a practice popularized in the late 1990s by then-General Electric CEO Jack Welch by pairing senior employees with juniors to learn about the internet, has once again come under the spotlight as companies face the widest generational spread of employees from Baby Boomers to Gen Zs, necessitating a new approach to work.
However, reverse mentorship has evolved into much more than that in the modern setting. Companies like EY India, Citi India, NatWest Group, Honeywell Technology Solutions, Merck, and P&G are launching new reverse mentoring programmes or revamping existing ones, enlisting younger millennials and Gen-Z employees to teach older workers about everything from digital skills and brand building on social media to cultural shifts and overcoming obstacles in hybrid working and diversity and inclusion.
GenWHY was EY's first reverse mentorship initiative, launched in August, and included 25-year-old tech consulting team member Kshitij Chauhan as one of twenty or so participants who taught their senior managers about the company's future. "Workforce demographics are changing with younger people like us who bring in different perspectives, challenge status quo and seek opportunities to innovate," Chauhan said.
Creating a welcoming environment
"GenWHY empowers us to think and behave like leaders, generate ideas for expanding the business, forecast emerging trends, and establish a distinctive identity in the minds of prospective employees."
According to Arvind Usretay, commercial leader, India and South Asia, at management consulting firm Mercer, reverse mentoring programmes are now impacting areas including managing a multi-generational workforce, creating new pathways of problem solving, enabling hybrid working, developing a diverse leadership pipeline, fostering diversity & inclusion, and addressing culture & social issues.
The advantages don't end there, either. Increased loyalty and retention can be achieved through reverse mentoring since it fosters cross-generational collaboration and makes younger employees feel more heard.
Honeywell Technology Solutions India has direct experience with this. Over the previous few quarters, the company has held five sessions conducted by Gen Z employees on subjects like social media branding, Generative AI applications, and more.
Our Gen Z employees' voices are heard and they are given the tools to put those voices into action thanks to these programs. Manisha Goel, the company's HR director, believes this boosts morale and employee retention by giving workers a sense of significance.
Ten to twelve of Merck's most senior executives are enrolled in the company's reverse mentorship scheme at any given time. "One important takeaway from the program has been that we, as an organization, need to use social media more extensively," said Shiv Kumar, the head of human resources. The company's use of social media was minimal when Kumar first started there. He also benefited much from the process of reverse mentorship.
Our top brass is increasingly open to and engaged in social media, as seen by their increased presence on sites like LinkedIn. According to Kumar, "this has had a direct impact on our hiring as it aids in talent attraction."
P&G has been using reverse mentorship to help seasoned executives learn new skills and gain hands-on experience from their younger counterparts. Generative AI, the Internet of Things, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies are just some of the areas the organization monitors to help businesses better understand their customers.
"It's a valuable strategy for promoting knowledge-sharing, fostering a culture of continuous learning, and leveraging employees' strengths across generations," said Nikunj Jain, CIO of P&G India.
PwC predicts that by 2030, Generation Z will make up 58% of the global workforce, therefore it makes perfect sense for businesses to put them in touch with senior executives so they can stay informed.
Over the course of six months, reverse mentorship pairs seasoned executives with members of Generations Y and Z at NatWest Group through the DE&I council's multi-generation stream. We, the top brass, picked up some new insights on topics like social media and technological developments. Maneesh Menda, global head of HR, stated lately that they had invited speakers from the LGBTQ community to share their experiences with the company.
Companies like NatWest are using reverse mentorship to address issues of diversity and inclusion, which are highly significant to the millennial generation.
In India, for instance, Citi has participated in a reverse mentorship program for the LGBTQ+ community, one of eight such initiatives created by the Asia Pacific Pride Inclusion Network. Aiming to foster a more accepting work environment, the six-month mentoring pairs LGBTQ+ employees in the role of mentors with ally senior leaders in the role of mentees. By the end of the course, leaders will have a firmer grasp on their roles in fostering and maintaining a community that values its diversity and its unity.
"The reverse mentorship programme and other initiatives that promote a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment for everybody are not just welcomed, but expected by Gen Z and younger millennials," said Aditya Mittal, CHRO, Citi India. "Gen Z and younger millennials are globally connected and have high exposure to different experiences and people; it's crucial that they feel their organization reflects and is welcoming of the changing world around them."
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