Reverse Mentoring at Sweco

What is reverse mentoring?

Reverse mentoring – popularised in 1999 by Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric (GE) – is a tool to encourage learning and knowledge sharing between employees of different levels of seniority.

Flipping traditional mentoring, where the focus is on developing younger talent, Reverse Mentoring brings with it numerous personal and professional advantages that come with opening up the opportunities for learning to senior employees.

By giving younger talent a voice through direct collaboration with leaders and experienced colleagues – and at the same time giving those senior people an opportunity to continue their own growth journey – this concept is an invaluable tool when it comes to filling skills gaps, building confidence and harnessing truly client-focused service provision. At Sweco, we’re developing Reverse Mentoring as a central part of what we do. Below, Graduate Energy Engineer Claire Chapuy and Director of Advisory & Planning Services Andy King offer an insight into their experiences of the concept.

Although Andy and I have taken a more ‘holistic’ approach to reverse mentoring – exploring generational differences, diversity & inclusion and other bigger picture topics – others might pair up for more technical knowledge sharing or specific ‘upward’ skills development. Reverse Mentoring really can work for anyone, and as long as the pairing is correct, you can really make the process your own.

Claire Chapuy Graduate Energy Engineer at Sweco

Reverse Mentoring is a twist on traditional mentoring. It encourages two-way learning and knowledge sharing between employees of different levels of seniority. While both parties of course gain invaluable insights and perspectives from each other, the main emphasis is on the more experienced senior member listening to and learning from the more junior colleague.

Andy King Director of Energy, Water & Environment at Sweco

At Sweco, Reverse Mentoring is a core part of our commitment to diversity & inclusion. We work hard to be a place where people celebrate who they are and what they bring to Sweco – and giving our graduates and more junior members of the team a louder voice in the way we do things is vital to that – and also to meeting our clients’ needs more effectively. If you’d like to start or develop your career at a forward-focused organisation where everyone has a part to play in transforming society together, visit our Careers page.