Wow, well said. I wonder if the arguement that “working in the office is important so that younger/newer employees can recieve mentorship” is just a theme and variation on the same thinking.
Not really. There is a lot of mentor activity that is easier in person because of how asking follow up questions works. In person it is easier to convey intent and ease worry for people doing new things just like how video conferencing can be easier than email depending on the topic. Or how mentoring is generally better than just giving someone a manual and not answering any questions for complex tasks.
That is not to say it is necessary most of the time, and the cries about everyone needing to be in the office because of mentoring doesn’t make sense for people other than the mentor and new staff. That tends to be projection by people who can only handle communication in person.
Maybe it depends on the specific field, but I’ve had no issues mentoring people remotely, and even when I was in the office I was doing it via Teams half the time.
In many contexts it isn’t that hard if you have the tools. The fact that many workplaces skimp on the tools is a them issue, not a mentoring issue.
Wow, well said. I wonder if the arguement that “working in the office is important so that younger/newer employees can recieve mentorship” is just a theme and variation on the same thinking.
That has real “I can’t mentor someone unless we’re at the strip club” energy.
Not really. There is a lot of mentor activity that is easier in person because of how asking follow up questions works. In person it is easier to convey intent and ease worry for people doing new things just like how video conferencing can be easier than email depending on the topic. Or how mentoring is generally better than just giving someone a manual and not answering any questions for complex tasks.
That is not to say it is necessary most of the time, and the cries about everyone needing to be in the office because of mentoring doesn’t make sense for people other than the mentor and new staff. That tends to be projection by people who can only handle communication in person.
Maybe it depends on the specific field, but I’ve had no issues mentoring people remotely, and even when I was in the office I was doing it via Teams half the time.
In many contexts it isn’t that hard if you have the tools. The fact that many workplaces skimp on the tools is a them issue, not a mentoring issue.