Best Practices Guide

OFFICE OF THE GENERAL COUNSEL

MEMORANDUM GC 03-03

July 16, 2003

TO:

All Division Heads, Regional Directors, Officers-in-Charge,

and Resident Officers

FROM:

Arthur F. Rosenfeld, General Counsel

SUBJECT: Mentoring Pilot Program and Best Practices Guide

I am committed to developing and promoting in the Office of the General

Counsel in all of its components a workforce that reflects the diversity of our

Nation. One important way to further this goal is to engage in broad-based

recruiting for the very best candidates for vacancies in our professional and

support ranks. If our efforts at broad-based recruiting are sufficiently energetic,

our applicant pools and our new employee selections will be of high caliber and

diverse.

It is also critical that our new hires, including our minority hires, be

introduced to the work of the Agency and to our culture of excellence. In this

regard, I convened the Management Diversity Committee to develop a pilot-

mentoring program for all new employees,1 resulting in the production of the

attached Mentoring Pilot Program and Best Practices Guide. The committee has

my gratitude for a job well done.

The Heads of all General Counsel Field and Headquarters offices should

institute the Pilot Mentoring Program immediately. At the end of a year, the

program will be evaluated. It is through your efforts that the Office of the General

Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board continues to be a model employer

in the Federal Government and continues to excel in the performance of its

1 Facilitated by Helen E. Marsh, Regional Director, Region 3, the committee is comprised

of Glenda F. Johnson, Chief, Labor and Employee Relations Section; Harry E. Jones,

Assistant General Counsel, Labor and Employee Relations; Yvette C. Hatfield, Deputy

Assistant General Counsel, Division of Operations-Management; Catherine (Kitty)

McCoy, Director, Human Resources; Dorothy L. Moore-Duncan, Regional Director,

Region 4; Robert J

Regional Director, Region 3, the committee is comprised

of Glenda F. Johnson, Chief, Labor and Employee Relations Section; Harry E. Jones,

Assistant General Counsel, Labor and Employee Relations; Yvette C. Hatfield, Deputy

Assistant General Counsel, Division of Operations-Management; Catherine (Kitty)

McCoy, Director, Human Resources; Dorothy L. Moore-Duncan, Regional Director,

Region 4; Robert J. Poindexter, Director, Office of Equal Employment Opportunity;

Steven Shuster, Assistant to the Regional Director, Region 5; Deborah M.P. Yaffe,

Assistant Director, Office of Appeals; and Lori Suto-Goldsby, Deputy Director, Office of

Equal Employment Opportunity, served as the resource administrator. In addition, the

committee sought and received valuable input from Field and Headquarters staff at all

levels.

mission. You have my greatest admiration for efforts you make to that end and

for your laudable successes.

/s/

A. F. R.

Attachments

cc:

NLRBU

Release to the Public

MEMORANDUM GC 03-03

MENTORING POLICY

It is the General Counsel’s policy that all field offices and GC-side

headquarters offices have effective mentoring programs for all non-

supervisory employees who are new to the Agency, and where

appropriate, for employees who are new to their respective offices or new

to their particular positions. Effective mentoring programs are an asset to

the Agency and are of value as a recruitment and retention tool. Such

programs present an opportunity for our offices to ensure that the staff

members receive the support that they need to enter, or transition into,

new positions. Mentoring programs also provide an excellent opportunity

for offices to identify those employees who are most effective at

developing independence in mentees and in assisting them to become

acculturated to the office and to the Agency.

Guidelines for the nationwide mentoring program are provided below

he staff

members receive the support that they need to enter, or transition into,

new positions. Mentoring programs also provide an excellent opportunity

for offices to identify those employees who are most effective at

developing independence in mentees and in assisting them to become

acculturated to the office and to the Agency.

Guidelines for the nationwide mentoring program are provided below.

In light of the feedback that we received from the managers and

supervisors as well as the information provided in the Mentoring Survey

and Report, it is important that flexibility, within those guidelines, be

permitted so that mentoring programs appropriate for each office are

retained or developed. Offices seeking to develop, improve, or augment

mentoring programs may use the report from the Mentoring Committee

and the Best Practices Guide as resources.

Policy Guidelines

1. Our surveys revealed that a large number of offices provided mentoring for

professionals but very few provided mentoring to the support staff.

Mentors will be provided to all non-supervisory employees who are new to

the Agency, and where appropriate, for employees who are new to their

offices or new to their positions.

2. Mentors serve as resources to assist the mentees to understand

their new responsibilities and the office culture. Mentors assist

mentees to assimilate into the office and serve as a technical

resource.

3. Mentors should possess these qualities: excellent technical expertise,

work habits, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and knowledge of

office policies and procedures. However, the assignment of a mentor

does not preclude management from assigning other employees to help

train the new employee on particular assignments.

similate into the office and serve as a technical

resource.

3. Mentors should possess these qualities: excellent technical expertise,

work habits, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and knowledge of

office policies and procedures. However, the assignment of a mentor

does not preclude management from assigning other employees to help

train the new employee on particular assignments.

4. Local managers will remain responsible for the design and

implementation of programs in individual offices and will decide in

what manner mentors are assigned, consistent with these policy

guidelines. They will make mentoring assignments.

5. Supervisors remain the primary source of instruction, guidance, and

appraisal for employees.

6. The mentoring programs should supplement the orientation and training

programs provided in the offices.

7. The mentees should have access to a mentor for as long as the

Regional Office program provides, with an initial six-month minimum.

8. An annual evaluation of the office program will be conducted by

management and adjustments made to the program, as appropriate.

9. Annually, a status report on each office’s mentoring program will be

provided to the Division Head identifying the managers responsible

for the program and describing the best practices as well as pitfalls

observed in its program.

10. A Best Practices Report on the Agency’s mentoring programs will be made

available to all Agency offices. It will be updated periodically.

APPENDIX A

appropriate.

9. Annually, a status report on each office’s mentoring program will be

provided to the Division Head identifying the managers responsible

for the program and describing the best practices as well as pitfalls

observed in its program.

10. A Best Practices Report on the Agency’s mentoring programs will be made

available to all Agency offices. It will be updated periodically.

APPENDIX A

Best Practices Guide

The following are some suggestions and best practices gleaned from

the surveys submitted regarding existing GC-side mentoring programs.

We will be providing updated information and additional best practices

as they become available.

1. When employees are new to an office, the office should try to

ensure that they all are afforded the same comfort level within the

office and are exposed to a broad range of work experiences.

Pairing new employees with those who are more seasoned is an

excellent way to orient new hires to Agency work and new

employees to office personnel and policies.

2. A good mentoring program provides new employees an

opportunity to speak openly with an experienced coworker

concerning his/her casework on a daily basis. At the same time,

the mentor gains valuable experience.

3. When selecting mentors, it is important to focus on the

prospective mentors’ skills, knowledge, experience, willingness to

serve, and positive personality traits.

4. Those offices that create and develop expectations for their

mentoring program are most successful in fully integrating new

employees into the office “culture” and orienting new employees

to the office, as well as to Agency policies. The expectations

stated by offices with successful mentoring programs are to:

a. provide technical expertise and assistance;

b. “gently communicate” guidance to mentees;

c. afford mentees an opportunity to ask questions informally;

d. offer mentees exposure to different styles and skills;

e. enable mentees to develop own strengths; and

f. enhance employee career development.

5

to Agency policies. The expectations

stated by offices with successful mentoring programs are to:

a. provide technical expertise and assistance;

b. “gently communicate” guidance to mentees;

c. afford mentees an opportunity to ask questions informally;

d. offer mentees exposure to different styles and skills;

e. enable mentees to develop own strengths; and

f. enhance employee career development.

5. Depending on the seniority and size of the staff, as well as the

needs of the office, certain temporary additional task-specific

training assignments can be made. In these assignments, the

training lasts for the duration of a particular job task, e.g.,

processing of R cases or reviewing the investigation files of an

unfair labor practice charge. In such assignments, the new

employee is assigned to a more experienced employee with

excellent skills in a particular area.

6. Minorities and women should be encouraged to serve as mentors

but should be selected based on the same criteria as non-

minority mentors. Diversity should be only one consideration in

the pairing of mentors and mentees.

7. Factors to evaluate the office program’s success may include

feedback on the program from mentors and mentees.

8. Managers should be sensitive to the need for positive interaction

between the mentor and mentee and should consider

reassignment when appropriate.

APPENDIX B