Employee Development: Mentoring is the way to roll

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Employee Development: Mentoring is the way to roll

In the search for effective and efficient employee development programs, Canadian gaming organizations are turning to a time-honored approach – mentorship. According to the Conference Board of Canada, mentoring is a “dynamic reciprocal relationship in a work environment between an advanced career incumbent (mentor) and a novice (mentee) aimed at promoting career development of both.”

The Conference Board has identified five business benefits to support the establishment of in-house mentoring programs. Mentoring can:

•    Develop a leadership pipeline
•    Disperse leaders through the organization
•    Improve employee engagement
•    Build organizational capacity to address changes in the business environment
•    Respond to demographic challenges

Whether for public, private or Aboriginal gaming properties, our industry requires leaders to have gaming specific knowledge, coupled with revenue management and human resource management experience. Finding external leadership candidates that have these qualities, along with an understanding of the culture of both gaming and the individual organization can be a challenge. Internally, gaming leaders need to be present across all business lines to support the growth of current business and prepare for future expansion.

Enhances Diversity

Gaming properties have long understood the importance of diversity in staffing to provide a welcoming environment for multicultural customers from home and abroad. With many newcomers to Canada seeking work in the gaming industry, mentorship programs ensure that employees from diverse backgrounds will gain knowledge of the organizational culture and skills needed to take them into future leadership roles.

Mentors benefit by exposing themselves to new and different perspectives by using their knowledge and experience to assist in the growth and development of others. Mentors volunteer for the job and as a result are committed to listening, sharing experiences and supporting a mentee in reaching their gaming career goals.

Allows Flexibility

Mentoring programs are flexible, and when adapted to your gaming organization’s culture can pay big dividends. The financial investment in mentoring is low because the expertise already lies within your property. Mentoring can also be combined with organizational projects and allow mentees to experience company initiatives through the eyes of an experienced mentor.

Mentoring programs are flexible, and when adapted to your gaming organization’s culture can pay big dividends. The financial investment in mentoring is low because the expertise already lies within your property. Mentoring can also be combined with organizational projects and allow mentees to experience company initiatives through the eyes of an experienced mentor.

Formal mentoring programs have a structured approach in which a coordinator is responsible for implementing, monitoring and evaluating the program. Formal mentoring programs normally run for a set time frame, from two to 12 months, allowing both the mentor and mentee time to establish a solid learning relationship. So let’s focus on several different types of formal mentoring programs that are being used in gaming properties across Canada.

Highlights Skills

A number of casino properties have programs where mid-level managers are paired with senior leaders in the organization with the competency development of the mentee leading into a succession-planning process. A customized learning plan developed jointly by the mentor and mentee highlights the competency or skill areas of focus and the development activities and resources used during the program duration. Formal meetings are held monthly to review the learning plan.

A slightly different example is an eight-week group mentoring program offered through a mid-Canada casino. This program is designed for supervisors who mentor small groups of frontline staff in a classroom setting and is managed by a coordinator with the input of senior leaders. These senior leaders share their career experiences and listen to staff ideas around a set topic such as resolving conflict. Teams problem-solve real-life casino case studies and then present their solutions to the senior leader. In the processs, mentees gain skills in presentation, teamwork and managing conflict.

Facilitates Integration

Many casinos offer formal mentoring activities that take on a variety of forms, from an assigned buddy system to help new employees integrate in the organization, through to lunch pairings with experienced staff and new second language employees. These are designed to strengthen language skills and increase understanding of the organizational culture which is so important to the success of new employees.

Across Canada, it is clear that gaming properties recognize the capacity-building value of mentorship and although they approach the challenge in a variety of ways, there is recognition that transferring knowledge throughout the organization will better prepare our industry for the future.

If you would like to join the National Gaming Training Advisory Committee and share strategies from your casino property, please contact Canadian Gaming Centre of Excellence.

Judith Hayes is Director (judith.hayes@mbll.ca) and Dayna Hinkel is Business Manager (dayna.hinkel@mbll.ca) at the Canadian Gaming Centre of Excellence, a subsidiary of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

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