“The programme has given me the confidence to become more understanding and empathetic.”

Cross-company mentor Claire Vetori gained confidence and more empathy through her participation in the programme and shared her insights as part of the 10th anniversary celebration of the 30% Club cross-company mentoring programmes.

I've been in the environmental sector for over 25 years, and currently work in the Environment Agency’s coronavirus transformation programme team. Here I lead on health, safety, wellbeing and field activity work, which enables employees to stay safe while continuing to work.

I was drawn to the cross-company mentoring programme after a conversation with a colleague who’d previously been a mentee and a mentor. I’d been looking to gain advice on how we could be more successful in getting employees onto the programme, and I really got a feel for the benefits you could get as a mentor, such as having the opportunity to reflect and share experiences.

Before I joined the programme, I wasn't sure what to expect, but all the preparation and information that comes with the handbook was reassuring and I soon began to feel comfortable – particularly with the pre-launch events and supporting activities.

When I found out about my match, I was really excited. I was also impressed at the way in which they were very open with information they shared with me right from the get-go. My mentee and mentor relationship has developed over the few sessions that we’ve had so far, from not knowing each other at all to getting an understanding of who we are about and what's important to look at and consider. Our sessions have been virtual so far, but I think we've developed a level of trust. One thing I've learnt is how important it is to actively listen and give space to my mentee to talk in their own time.

Confidence and empathy

One of the benefits of cross-company mentoring is that it gives you an understanding of a sector you haven't experience or knowledge about. And it's been really insightful to discover how many experiences are actually common to the entire workplace, irrespective of which sector you're working in. For me, the skill lies in being more perceptive of that, and about how people respond in certain situations.

On a personal level, the programme has given me the confidence to become more understanding and empathetic, and I’m finding it easier to pick up on some of the conversational nuances with individuals who may be in a challenging or difficult situation and are finding it hard to express themselves.

Particularly with regard to diversity and inclusion, it's really important to have open conversations. These conversations can be uncomfortable because we're British, and we don't share things, so it's about overturning an element of British culture in being open and vulnerable to what you're feeling and what you're experiencing. That doesn't happen overnight, it's a gradual process. But the more you talk, the more confident you'll be and the more competent you’ll get at it. You'll also be able to help enable more of those conversations in the workplace. Often, it only takes something small to start that conversation and it's then that the floodgates open.

The importance of diversity

What does inclusion mean to me? To me, inclusion is a feeling. It's a feeling of being valued, being respected and being part of the whole.

Diversity is important because it's about everyone. If you were to go into the kitchen and bake a recipe, you wouldn't miss out one or two of the ingredients, you’d make sure you've got all them. And for me, diversity is like that: you have to ensure everybody is included and involved. It doesn’t matter what their background is or where they're from, it's about recognising the importance of what they have to say and what they bring to the table.

If a company is thinking of signing up to this programme, I’d say, ‘do it’. You will gain much more than you could ever expect or anticipate.

And if you're thinking of being a mentor for the first time, don't hesitate. It will also enable you to have the space to grow and develop and reflect on your career journey so far. Personally, it gave me a chance to look back over my entire career for the first time, and understand quite what I've done and how I've done it – and that has given me a huge amount of confidence in my ability and my skills. I thoroughly recommend it.

For more information click here or contact Maria.May@moving-ahead.org