Roots Management Group's New Mentor Program for Community Managers

We are committed to fostering a supportive and engaging work environment for our community managers at Roots Management Group. Recognizing the challenges faced by new hires, we have recently launched an innovative mentorship program designed to enhance retention, provide robust, hands-on training, and cultivate leadership within our ranks.  

This initiative is crucial as we look at the 2023 employee lifecycle stats. 275 community managers were hired, and 158 were separated from the company, with the average time with the company being around 86 days.  This costs time, money, and resources. Our leadership team recognized a need for more training and found an excellent way to enhance our existing community managers' roles by pairing those exemplifying clean, friendly, profitable communities with a new hire to provide personalized support and repetition while having a direct resource for any questions and support in the first 12 weeks on the job. 

The Learning and Development team spearheaded this initiative in response to the need for a more formalized onboarding journey. "70 percent of new information is forgotten in 24 hours, so this is a great way to help our new Community Managers feel confident because they have someone they can rely on to show them as long as it takes to understand and demonstrate how to do things,” says Annie Robertson, Director of L&D.

As a test program the current mentorship program has 14 mentors and mentees participating in a test program. Existing community managers must qualify and be approved to participate.

“One of the most rewarding parts about being a mentor is being part of something that is making Roots stronger, “being planted deeper,” says Tricia Shannon, a mentor now on her second mentee.

“The mentorship program is groundbreaking. It’s well thought out, with a fantastic training timeline. I believe the face-to-face interactions and continuous support have also been instrumental in my growth and confidence." The mentors travel to the mentee's community and work with them in the office and out in the community so that they get a hands-on approach to learning the day-to-day responsibilities, financials, and people management skills. mentee's community and work with them in the office and out in the community so they get a hands-on approach to learning the day-to-day responsibilities, the financials, software programs, and performing knowledge checks.  

The early results of the mentorship program are promising. Robertson says, "The program is doing great, and we've already seen an increase in retention numbers. We're also giving our exemplary community managers opportunities to advance their careers while earning a little extra for their mentorship efforts." "I wouldn't be surprised if we start to see some of our mentee's become mentors in the coming year" adds Robertson. The program not only helps new hires acclimate and offers seasoned community managers a pathway to further their professional development. 

"I've strongly advocated for the mentor program since joining Roots. The ability to guide new managers through our systems and processes and see their confidence grow is advantageous." Says Jason Trioli, a Community Manager and Mentor for Roots Management Group.   

With the mentorship program's early success, Roots Management Group is poised to expand this initiative company-wide. As we continue to invest in our people, we are confident that this program will build a stronger, more resilient community of managers equipped to lead excellently.  

The mentorship program is not just about retention; it's about creating a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, and mutual success. It's an opportunity for everyone to rally together in the success of our new team members. We are excited to see the long-term impact of this initiative on our community and look forward to nurturing the next generation of leaders within our company.