Brimbank City Council is one of only two Victorian Councils to introduce a Mentoring Program. This involves an employee being guided by a more experienced and skilled person with advice, information, feedback and the sharing of knowledge and experience.
Initiated by Brimbank staff, the program began as a six month pilot. Its success has seen it become a permanent feature of staff development programs at Brimbank.
“The Staff Mentoring Program is a fantastic initiative which helps foster team work and the opportunity for staff to grow and develop,” said Rob Spence, Brimbank’s Chief Executive Officer. “This program has been approved and is fully supported by senior management.”
He said that the program is delivering a number of benefits for both staff and the organisation. Mentoring has increased information sharing and created greater work satisfaction, socialisation of new staff, higher productivity and greater organisational loyalty. “The organisation has a more cohesive team of employees who work toward higher productivity and the enhancement of services offered by Council to employees,” Rob Spence added. “The program creates a happier work environment that reduces staff turnover, which is a great advantage to any organisation.”
Currently Council has established 10 Mentoring partnerships. The basis of the partnerships are decided by the two staff involved. They can meet fortnightly, weekly or monthly, depending on individual needs.
“Some of the most successful Mentoring partnerships are formed with a person who does not generally work in a head office location,” Rob Spence said. “Staff who have been mentored in this scenario have been introduced to ways of better accessing information. In particular there is an increased awareness of how their role fits into the organisation and the resources available to them.”
Brimbank’s Mentoring Program is open to all staff and will be formally adopted in February. Melbourne City Council is the only other Victorian Council to pilot a similar program.
For further information contact Tia Dimitratos telephone (03) 9249 4305.
