Matt Moraski Talks Mentorship in a Hybrid Workplace

For many businesses, the shift to hybrid work has made mentoring a challenge.

Many companies are finding mentorship to be increasingly difficult, due to fewer organic conversations and opportunities for in-person connection.

But mentorship is no less critical now than it was pre-pandemic. In fact, Matt Moraski, Senior Managing Principal of OneDigital Tennessee, says mentoring and coaching is a key part of building a strong workplace culture, which in turn, improves employee retention and morale.

In a recent interview with The Business Journals, Moraski shares best practices for navigating mentorship in the modern-day workplace.

The hybrid workplace has taken on a definition of its own. For us, it's providing flexibility for people to create a schedule that allows them to perform at their highest level. So how do you mentor and coach someone in that environment? First and foremost, it requires a lot more attention. You have to really listen carefully and intentionally ask questions that you may not otherwise have to ask if you were in person.
 
— Matt Moraski, Senior Managing Principal, OneDigital Tennessee

Moraski says intentional listening means not being distacted. "In a hybrid setting, it's so easy to be distracted. You have to really be intentional about this because people can detect when you're not listening and (are) just going through the motions."

Another tip Moraski offered is to set up a cadence that makes sense — not just the cadence for the purposes of checking in but something that really makes sense for that particular role so you can have meaningful times of connection.

Moraski says your company's culture will also play a key role in fostering a strong mentorship environment. "Culture can keep the people you want there and, more importantly, it can keep out the people you don't want there. It all starts with recruiting the people who are not only right for your organization, but those that also fit your culture. Things happen and people move, but when you recruit people to your culture, you don’t tend to lose people often.”

To read the rest of the article, click here.

For additional resources on this topic, check out Employee Engagement in a Hybrid World.