When the Workforce Development team in the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) Office of Public Health (OPH) reviewed its PH WINS data back in 2017, they noted some sobering statistics. About 23 percent of respondents considered leaving the agency in the next year. Within the next five years, 29 percent expected to retire.

“After the PH WINS results in 2017, the leadership development team at OPH started percolating ideas,” said Jennifer Taylor, MS-HRLD, OPH deputy director of workforce. A workforce needs assessment in 2018, followed by a department-wide stress survey in 2021, also showed employees felt disconnected, wanted more engagement, and wanted training in supervisory and leadership skills.

The mentorship program, which launched in 2021, was proposed to help improve and increase employee engagement, according to Katherine Cain, director of the Bureau of Planning and Performance for OPH.

The team tapped 2021 PH WINS data to inform the program’s structure, Taylor said. Data indicated that employees wanted support in skills related to change management, systems thinking, and communications. “We decided to tie in with those PH WINS skills and use them as a way to match mentors with mentees,” she said.

Mentorship program participants work on key public health skills and improve communication to break down silos. The popular program has helped OPH employees feel more connected and has facilitated succession planning for retirements, Taylor said.

“Workforce development is part of our agency strategic plan,” Cain said. “We’ve had great support for the program from our leadership team. They’ve been a big help in promoting it.”

Automate for success

The LDH mentorship program is highly structured. It’s a six-month program during which 25 pairs of mentors and mentees form a cohort. Cohorts receive orientation and training, structured agendas, technical assistance, access to professional development opportunities such as a speaker series, and end-of-program recognition.

Taylor and Workforce Development Coordinator Natasha Simoneaux oversee the program as part of their roles at OPH. Neither focuses on the mentorship program full time, she said.

The pair use an online platform called Together, which offers reporting capabilities, templates, and agendas. For a per-participant fee, the platform uses an algorithm to match mentors with mentees, which the agency has used for every cohort except one.

“All our cohorts scored well, but our lowest score was the year we did manual matching,” Taylor said. “Some of the feedback we got was that some pairs weren’t a good fit. There are many nuances to navigate when matching pairs. For example, are they at the same job level? In the same region? Using the algorithm taught us that it’s easy for the system to weight all those factors appropriately and quickly.”

Application questions are assigned different weights to inform the matching algorithm. “For example, we created a skills-based program in 2024, so we weighted the skills a mentee wanted to learn and a mentor’s skills at higher weights to create a primary matching condition,” Taylor said. They also created conditions to avoid matching individuals who work in the same Bureau, to allow for different experiences, she said.

Employees at all levels and in all jobs participate in the program, which typically gets between 60 and 90 applicants each session. “We’ve had everyone from administrative assistants to senior leaders request to be mentees,” Taylor said. “We’ve also had great success with reverse mentoring, where someone who is earlier in their career and possibly younger mentors someone who is more experienced or older.”

Skill-building, connection, and engagement

The program, which recently completed its fourth cohort, has received excellent feedback from participants. Four out of five surveyed participants reported they’re likely to stay because of their mentorship program experience. Respondents also said the program has increased their motivation and engagement in their role. All survey respondents said they found the mentorship program valuable.

“Whatever you put into the relationship is what you’re going to get out of it,” Taylor said. “I’ve participated as a mentor and mentee all four years. As a mentee, my mentor helped me better navigate my job and improve my relationships with my boss and colleagues. I was more engaged in my work because I felt like somebody had my back.”

Paula Shamsie, director of workforce development for OPH, said the mentorship program began during COVID, when many employees were seeking connection. She also noted that the agency’s size can be a barrier to connection — OPH has nearly 2,000 state employees and contractors who work within 14 different Bureaus.

“One big benefit of our mentorship program is career progression,” Shamsie said. “I may not be able to move up in my Bureau, but I may have transferable skills. If I don’t know people, I may be unable to figure out how to do that. This program helps increase connectivity. It helps people get to know people in other Bureaus, to build their networks, and learn what’s out there.”

Another mentorship program benefit is skill-building. Last year’s program application asked people what strategic skills they wanted to improve, according to Taylor. “We used those answers and the skills identified in our PH WINS data to help recruit additional mentors who had those skills,” she said. “Our goal was to create not only a mentoring program, but also a professional development opportunity.”

While many employees can benefit from mentoring, finding a mentor can sometimes be a roadblock, Shamsie said. A structured program helps people make connections and enhances professional development. “I think we’re competing with the private sector in creating a mentorship program like this,” she said.

Challenges and improvements

Cain credited Taylor and Simoneaux with the program’s success. As for challenges, Taylor noted that finding mentors can be tricky at times. “It’s a lot of boots on the ground recruiting,” she said. “I’ll personally reach out to people who are senior leaders or Bureau directors to request that they mentor.”

Simoneaux promotes the program through newsletter articles, agency-wide email blasts, and brochures in break rooms. She also hosts informational webinars. “Word of mouth is also important,” Simoneaux said. “We invite people to come back if they were a mentor or mentee in a previous cohort.”

Another mentor recruitment tactic is encouraging employees who’ve applied to be mentees to consider serving as mentors instead. “Some people have never mentored someone before,” Taylor said. “We make sure they feel supported with training and guidance.”

Support includes confidential webinars for mentors and mentees. “They can get ideas and support from each other,” Taylor said. “In our orientation webinars, we provide guidance on activities mentors can do with mentees and skill-based training on following up and setting smart goals. We’re always trying to create resources. It’s never perfect. We can always do more.”

Another mentorship program challenge is time. “You have to be mindful about who your mentors and mentees are, and the challenges they may face,” Taylor said. “Our program runs from September to March to help us avoid the legislative session, the fiscal year closeout, and the worst of hurricane season.”

Other resources include a popular speaker series featuring speakers from partners like the Louisiana Public Health Institute and the Louisiana State Civil Service. “These are webinars, and we offer them to anyone who applied to the mentoring program,” Taylor said. “We typically focus on one PH WINS skill or on additional soft skills.”

Shamsie said the mentorship program is one of several initiatives the agency offers to improve employee engagement and workforce retention. LDH also offers a Colleague Connect peer-to-peer learning program and a Leadership Development Institute, which offers structured professional development for defined cohorts. “Employees really want professional development, but the reality is we can’t afford for everybody to go to outside conferences and trainings,” she said. “The mentorship program is one way to help employees understand where they want to go in their career progression and feel invested in OPH.”

Key Actions for Mentoring Programs

  • Start with buy-in. Supervisors may be skeptical about employees working with mentors. Leadership support helps ease concerns and build enthusiasm.
  • Use tools. While mentoring technology isn’t a must, the right tools can help ease administrative burdens.
  • Add value. Supplemental trainings and resources can reinforce skill-based learning and help participants stay engaged.
  • Celebrate success. Closing celebrations showcase program participants and acknowledge mentors who’ve volunteered their time.
  • Give it time. Mentorship programs take time to establish. Build in time for teaching and support.