WOMEN’S MENTORING: PAVING THE WAY
In Homer’s Odyssey, Mentor is the wise and benevolent counselor to Telemachus. Within Arkema’s women’s mentoring program, a mentor is a manager who wants to use his or her experience to help talented women reveal their potential and succeed within the company. Our female employees take part in this innovative approach to professional and personal development on a voluntary basis. A mentorship lasts for one year, but pairs are encouraged to stay in touch and ensure that the mentees maintain their contacts and grow their professional network. Since 2018, more than 70 mentoring pairs have been put together and the scheme has been a resounding success. In terms of numbers, during the first three sessions, the transformation rate (progression in job level or change of position within two years) was 86%. The mentees report that this approach has allowed them to consider career paths they had not thought of or which seemed out of reach. They also say that they have come out of the interaction with better overall knowledge of Arkema and how it works. “What we have also noticed,” comments Caroline Bastien, General Manager and sponsor of the program, “is how much both mentors and mentees appreciate the informality, with no HR, no management, involved in this dedicated time. This creates a sense of freedom that is needed when addressing subjects like work-life balance, for example. The relationship also provides mutual enrichment, as this direct and candid exchange gives mentors new insights that can prompt them to rethink their practices.”
