Easy Steps to Implement Inclusive Mentoring
Easy Steps to Implement Inclusive Mentoring
Identify unknown workplace barriers while boosting workplace culture
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Non-apparent disability is the most common form of disability in Canadian workplaces.1 Many persons do not disclose non-apparent disability, leaving employers in the dark about workplace barriers employees may face.
Inclusive mentoring is a practical tool for employers to identify workplace barriers, without the need for staff to disclose. In this post, we explore mentoring models and easy steps to start implementing inclusive mentorship in the workplace.
Can you tell which three workers in the photo on the right experience disability?
Employers in the dark about unknown barriers
One fifth of the workforce in Canada experiences some form of disability. The most common disability types—pain, flexibility, mobility, and mental health challenges—are often non-apparent.1
A 2025 study by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) and Signal49 Research (formerly operating as The Conference Board of Canada) indicated that almost half (47.4%) of job seekers and employees who experienced disability chose not to disclose during recruitment or at work.2
Reasons for not disclosing included fear of being treated differently and concerns around discrimination. Workers with non-apparent disability who did disclose experienced higher levels of stigma, a lack of sensitivity, or outright rejection.2
Nearly one in 10 employers reported that disclosure is a challenge. Employers will no doubt be in the dark about workplace barriers faced by some staff. As a result, job seekers and workers who continue to face barriers may feel unsupported, less engaged, and dissatisfied.2 For their part, employers risk losing skilled employees without fully understanding the reasons for their departure.
Disclosure is a challenge for nearly one in 10 employers. Employers risk losing skilled employees without fully understanding the reasons for their departure.
Inclusive mentoring helps identify barriers
Employers can use inclusive mentoring as a practical tool to support the needs of job seekers and workers, whether or not they choose to disclose. Inclusive mentoring can also be used to help surface barriers and friction points that might otherwise remain hidden. You can read more about inclusive mentoring and its benefits in a previous blog post.
Mentorship comes in many forms, and employers can choose the approach that works best for their workplace. Any mentoring model can offer a supportive, inclusive experience.
Make every mentoring experience inclusive:
- Tailor each mentorship to ensure mentees and mentors have the supports and accommodations they need to fully participate and to accomplish their goals—whether or not they disclose. Ensure managers have all the information about your policies and processes around accommodations. (Need help with inclusive policies? Check CASE’s complimentary HR Inclusive Policy Toolkit.)
- Leadership and mentors should be committed to ongoing self-exploration and a willingness to learn from others. Inclusive mentorship is reciprocal, with mentees and mentors sharing knowledge and learning from one another.
- Mentees and mentors should feel safe, respected, and supported during mentorship experiences. Disclosure should not be a requirement to participate in mentoring.
Explore a career trajectory for each employee
In a previous post, Tammy Morris, Accessibility & Neuroinclusion Leader for EY Canada, offered tips for workplace inclusion and mentioned the importance of supports and mentorship. “From hire to retire and everything in between, make sure there’s a career trajectory for each employee, their goals, and unique profile. What type of supports and mentorship will they need to succeed?”
Tammy emphasized that much can be learned about workplace barriers and the supports needed to grow professionally by listening to employees, and that mentorship can be a good vehicle to have those conversations.
“Mentorship is a resource-light investment. Research indicates that lateral or peer mentorship relationships significantly enhance the experience, productivity, loyalty, and retention of mentees, while also providing value and fulfillment for mentors.”3
“From hire to retire and everything in between, make sure there’s a career trajectory for each employee, their goals, and unique profile. What type of supports and mentorship will they need to succeed?”
Tammy Morris, Accessibility & Neuroinclusion Leader, EY Canada
Start by answering a few questions
Inclusive mentorship can go a long way to supporting careers, transferring knowledge and skills, increasing productivity, improving workplace diversity, and strengthening feelings of belonging.
From small businesses to corporations, every workplace has different needs and objectives. Organizations can start thinking about mentorship by asking the following questions:
- What does your organization need? Could mentorship help with this issue?
- What do you want to achieve through mentorship? Do your mentorship goals align with your organization’s objectives?
- What is your current capacity for mentorship? Are there existing processes, structures, or knowledge/experience you can leverage?
- Who would take part in your mentorship program? Do you want to start with a smaller group?
Mentorship models
Next, explore the different mentorship models to identify one that might best support your goals and needs. Mentoring can be either in person or virtual, making it possible for more people to participate, even if they’re in different locations or in hybrid positions.
1. Informal mentorship
Informal mentorship is a professional relationship that forms naturally through conversations in the workplace and by offering support. This is the most common form of mentoring and may already be occurring in your workplace.
While it has benefits, the unstructured nature of informal mentoring can leave some people on the sidelines, including members of underrepresented groups or people who may not feel comfortable striking up conversations.
As a regular practice, you can encourage managers to engage in casual, preferably private, conversations with each employee. Discussion topics could include:
- how they’re managing their work
- whether they need anything to accomplish their tasks
- how they envision their job or career progressing
- next steps to accomplish their goals, and how the organization can support them
Discussions can end with a statement such as, “My door is open if you need anything.”
1. Formal mentorship
Formal mentorship is offered through a structured mentorship program that is managed by the organization or by an external partner who does the heavy lifting, like MentorAbility Canada, a national mentoring initiative by CASE.
There are many formal mentorship models, some of which are listed below. Mentorship models can be combined, for instance you can have group mentoring with peers who share the same lived experiences.
One-on-one mentoring – One mentee and one mentor meet at set times in the workplace for individualized support and guidance.
Group mentorship – One to two mentors partner with a small group of mentees. Group mentorship can be useful when mentors are busy or when few mentors are available. It also allows mentees to share information and learn from one another.
Peer mentorship – Mentees and mentors are matched based on similar preferences or lived experience. Successful mentorship often relies on aligning mentors and mentees based on lived experience or preferences, including availability, goals, job roles, location, and/or outside interests.
Reverse mentorship – Junior and mid-level employees act as mentors, sharing knowledge that can be beneficial to senior employees or leadership.
Situational mentoring – Connect a mentee with a mentor to learn a specific skill or to solve a problem they’re facing. This type of mentoring is goal oriented and is usually short term.
MentorAbility – Short-term mentorship from one hour to one day for job seekers and workers experiencing disability who want to explore career opportunities or whether a job or organization is a good fit.
MentorAbility’s inclusion experts facilitate mentorships from beginning to end, fully supporting the mentor and mentee and the employer. MentorAbility is partly funded by the Government of Canada’s Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities.
Organizations can consider the following regarding formal mentorship:
- internal capacity to plan and implement – or is external support required
- involvement of diverse staff in planning to ensure inclusion
- duration, time required, and timeline
- person who will coordinate and time they will require
- how many and which employees will participate
- how to provide participants with support and accommodations
- how mentees and mentors are matched
- what is expected of participants and how they will prepare (expectations, goals, mentor training, evaluations)
Evaluating and monitoring outcomes
Evaluating mentorships and monitoring results can be as simple or as comprehensive as needed for your organizational capacity and goals. Think about your goals and develop outcomes for each goal that, ideally, can be measured over time.
Goals (or long-term outcomes)
Examples:
- build trust and a sense of belonging through a healthy, safe work environment
- increase support for employee advancement
- hire and retain skilled workers for (positions) or (department)
Short-term outcomes
Examples:
- discover employees’ vision for their job/career
- assist employees with next steps for their job/career
- identify barriers in the workplace—and genuinely follow through with solutions
- identify whether our workplace/sector is a good fit for job seekers
Measurements
Examples:
- employee satisfaction and engagement with mentorship (short-term)
- employee satisfaction with support/accommodations during mentorship (short-term)
- job seeker satisfaction with recruitment process (short-term)
- staff satisfaction and engagement with everyday work (long-term)
- advancement of diverse staff (long-term)
- staff retention and turnover (long-term)
Mentorship program toolkit for employers
Check this inclusive mentorship toolkit for employers that has all the information you need to get started.
Toolkit developed by Signal49 Research (formerly operating as The Conference Board of Canada) and CASE.
Inclusive mentoring’s return on investment
Our study found that the vast majority (83.3%) of mentors and mentees viewed their mentorship experience positively, some forming lasting friendships. When mentees have a positive mentoring experience, they are often motivated to give back as mentors, fostering a sustainable mentor pipeline.2
Inclusive mentoring increases understanding of others’ challenges and strengthens connections, greatly boosting workplace culture. When people feel understood, accepted, and connected, they feel safer and more comfortable in their workplace, which is more conducive to productivity and to sticking around for the long term.
Inclusive mentoring is an investment in your staff and in the sustainability and resilience of your organization.
Inclusive mentoring is an investment in your staff and in the sustainability and resilience of your organization.
Additional Resources
- Preparing to Be a Mentor (online training – Canadian Association for Supported Employment)
- Inclusive Workplaces for Persons Experiencing Non-Apparent Disability (blog post – Canadian Association for Supported Employment)
- Mentorship and Inclusive Employment: For Employers (article and resource – The Inclusive Workplace)
- Co-workers of different generations mentor each other to reduce misunderstandings (article – Talent Canada)
- Workplace mentorship and sponsorship is good for business. It’s time to reimagine the model (article – Talent Canada)
- Mentorship in the workplace: Employee participation and perspectives (article – Future Skills Centre)
References
- Statistics Canada. Canadian Survey on Disability, 2017 to 2022. December 2023.
- Signal49 Research (formerly operating as The Conference Board of Canada) and Canadian Association for Supported Employment. Research on Disclosure and Inclusive Mentorship for Adults Experiencing Disability. 2025.
- Research can be found at the following:
-
- Wichey, Amanda and Ernestina Amana Akpana. Mentoring and Employee Productivity in Organization. Scholarly Journal of Social Sciences Research. Vol. 2, Issue 2. February 2023.
- Wikström, Ewa et al. Mentoring programmes – building capacity for learning and retaining workers in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning. Vol. 35, Issue 8. 3 October 2023.
- Reisberger, P., Copuš, L. (2025). Employee Engagement as a Driver of Satisfaction, Productivity, and Retention. In: Madzík, P., Lukáš, C., Karol, Č. (eds) Data-Centric Business and Applications. Lecture Notes on Data Engineering and Communications Technologies, vol 253. Springer, Cham.
- Omemma Evans-Uzosike, Immaculata and Chinenye Gbemisola Okatta. Employee Engagement and Retention: A Meta-Analytical Review of Influencing Factors. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Growth Evaluation. Vol. 1, Issue 2. March-April 2020.