Office of Human Resources

TOGETHER

WE

UNDERSTAND

Staff Mentoring Program

Many of us have been here at TWU for quite a few years and have the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of our academic system down.  Remember all the “little” everyday things that we learned during those years?  The things like who to call when something goes wrong? What to do in new situations?  How to translate all that unfamiliar academic vocabulary? 

HR tries to incorporate as much of those things as possible into New Employee Orientation.  TWU service departments have web pages on the TWU website and individual departments train their new employees on departmentally-specific information but sometimes that’s just not enough.  NEO can be overwhelming to new employees; especially to those who have never worked before and are faced with making first-time benefits decisions, finding out about harassment and discrimination in the workplace and figuring out all the steps of getting computer, email and voice mail access. Sometimes those “little” tidbits of information fall through the cracks of memory and are forgotten amid trying to learn new job tasks.  And frequently there are many different levels of employees in one orientation so NEO cannot be job-specific.

Can anything be done about this?  Yes!  We can help our new employees!  Let’s show them that Pioneering spirit, that TWU enthusiasm and dedication to providing an excellent learning experience for our students!  And how can you do that?  By being a mentor!  Join the TWU Mentoring Program: Together We Understand.

The definition of mentor is: a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.  Mentoring goes beyond that in the workplace, however, and can help employee retention and can also assist established employees develop leadership skills. But, most importantly, staff members can feel satisfaction in knowing they’ve helped enrich a new employee’s initial working experience at TWU and made a difference in that new employee’s attitude so that he or she will recommend TWU as an employer of choice.

How does it work….

v     Volunteer to become a mentor

v     Receive information about a new employee and that employee’s orientation date

v     Meet the new employee at lunch (sponsored by HR) at NEO or arranged on Dallas and Houston campuses for Dallas and Houston staff

v     Establish a relationship

What you can do….

v     Join the new employee at lunch on their first day of orientation.  Give them a big welcome and help them feel at home.   If you have a business card, bring it!

v     Discuss working at TWU and the values that are important to our institution

v     Touch base with the employee by phone call or email each week to ask how things are going

v     Provide encouragement

v     Answer simple questions and help the new employee navigate in their new environment

v     If you attend TWU athletic events or performances, invite the new employee to come along

v     Introduce them to your friends and coworkers

v     Invite them to visit the Student Union at breaks or lunch

v     Accompany them to Convocation or the many student art, craft and bake sales offered during the semester

v     Inspire dedication to TWU and the University Mission

What am I required to do…..

v     The only requirement is to meet the new employee at lunch at NEO or the arranged time for Dallas and Houston and discuss working at TWU

COME MAKE A DIFFERENCE ….  BE A TWU MENTOR

TOGETHER WE UNDERSTAND

Staff Volunteer Mentor Application

NEO Mentor Lunch Schedule