|
Of the 2004 LATINA Style 50 — an annual
survey of the top 50 companies for Latinas to work for in
the United States — several companies stand out for their
commitment to employee career development via mentoring
programs. This commitment is manifested in several ways
— through internal programs, partnerships with national
mentoring firms, and executive officials who oversee the
programs’ agenda and initiatives.
Of the over 300 women who participate
in one of General Mills’ mentoring programs, 10 percent
are Hispanic. General Mills encourages all new employees
to participate in its Corporate Diversity Mentoring Program,
and mid- to upper-level management in its Co-Mentoring Program.
At Federated Department Stores, Inc.,
a solid 43 percent of minority employees that take advantage
of the company’s mentoring programs are Hispanic. The company
has established mentoring circles, which consist of three
mentors, a Human Resources Facilitator and up to 10 mentees,
to guide selected employees through their careers. “This
opportunity is very rewarding,” says Marlene Montoya, a
regional logistics manager of operations for Macy’s who
is a mentor in a FDS mentoring circle, “Watching various
mentees go on to succeed gives me more drive to succeed
in my own capacity.”
Verizon Communications, Inc. also utilizes
mentoring circles in addition to one-on-one mentoring and
shadowing, which permits mid-level mentees to observe multiple
senior officials. Maria Cruz, an executive director for
corporate sourcing at Verizon, is one of 719 mentors that
lead 1,845 mentees. She sees Verizon’s dedication to mentoring
as “one way of ensuring that employees make the most of
their potential and contribute to the success of the company.”
IBM Corporation’s “La Red” is a specially
designed mentoring program that caters to the company’s
Hispanic women employees. More than 1,000 Latinas at IBM
globally are involved with the programs, which is divided
into three specialized groups for all career levels. One
of IBM’s most influential Latinas, Miriam Briggs, vice president
of marketing and strategic growth initiatives, states that
the company is “moving beyond traditional mentoring to experiment
with alternative approaches.”
Other companies have decided to use a
more conventional one-on-one format for mentoring. The Hispanic
Associates Network (HAN) mentoring program at Sears, Roebuck
& Co., Inc. is a prime example of the company’s efforts
to strengthen its Hispanic workforce. Members of the network
are paired with senior executive mentors for the purpose
of development in a specific area. Since joining the company
in 2001, Sandra Diaz has been promoted from manager to director
of multicultural marketing. According to Diaz, the one-on-one
mentoring networks at Sears “serve as business advisors
to the company and provide a great opportunity to build
relationships and connect with fellow employees.”
Following another growing trend, many
big businesses are partnering with external firms that specialize
in mentorship strategies and initiatives, like WOMEN Unlimited,
Inc. and MENTTIUM Corporation. Constantly developing new
methods of integrating various areas of business with mentorship,
these organizations have provided the footprints for pioneering
workplace communication and interface. After noticing that
very few women were succeeding despite the increase of their
presence in the business industry, Jean Otte, founder and
CEO of WOMEN Unlimited, decided to create a program through
which women could come together and discuss their career
goals. To date, more than 4000 women have gone through the
programs, which are designed to provide mentoring and networking
opportunities for women who would not otherwise have such
opportunities.
Rosina Racioppi, the president and COO
of WOMEN Unlimited Inc., has been with the company for eight
out of the 10 years it has been in existence. The goal of
WOMEN Unlimited is “to make the program as diverse as possible”
says Racioppi. The company asks global corporations to select
prominent women to participate in each of the three programs
— TEAM, for newly hired women employees; LEAD, for mid level
women employees; and FEW, for executive or senior women
officials. After completing initial mentoring sessions,
the women return to the companies with an enhanced talent
for contributing to the company.
The basic principle of mentorship is
that one’s accomplishments and failures are life lessons
for others. Though mentorship by definition involves interaction
with another person or group, companies directly associate
mentoring with individual performance and experience. The
principles and ideals of mentoring programs are similar,
but the success of programs depends on the individual’s
desire to thrive in the workplace.
The high participation level in corporate
mentoring programs is proof enough that employees appreciate
the programs, as they experience job promotions, skill and
knowledge acquisition, and individual goal accomplishments.
Consider the experiences of successful Hispanic women working
in corporate America and heed their advice.
Says Briggs, “Whether it’s by providing
guidance to those new executives coming in or assisting
an experienced executive [in making] a career changing decision,
it is extremely important for Latinas and women of all cultures
to stand together and encourage each other. By communicating
… we help each other get through major obstacles so that
we can all look back one day and see the strides we’ve accomplished
together to provide a better working environment.”
By Diana Rosado
[This article has been edited for www.latinastyle.com.
For the full version, check out the 2004 November/December issue of LATINA Style.]
|
