Lifting Up: Mentoring at Scale Across Verizon

As we’ve heard time and again, and as spelled out in our Credo long before it was trendy, diversity is not just the right thing to do – it is smart business. And women at Verizon are an important component of that diversity. In this year of the woman and during this Women’s History Month, efforts by Verizon to attract, retain, and promote women are more timely and inspiring than ever. Mentoring is a key component to all of these efforts, and we are strong supporters of the formal and informal mentoring offered at Verizon.

Why is a focus on mentoring so important, not just for women but for all of Verizon? One reason is that mentoring not only is good for employees but also can help us avoid losing talent and the diverse perspectives that boost our business. As the early results of a recent Makers-commissioned study on women in the workplace show, men are most likely to leave a job for more money (35.8% of men leave for this reason), while women are most likely to leave a job because they are facing changes to their personal lives (24.7%), dislike their current work situation (22.3%), or are looking for a more meaningful or challenging job (16.9%).

Mentoring is one of several tools we have to retain women and other diverse employees encountering any of the forks in the road that may otherwise drive them off the Verizon path. Mentoring can help provide support to women facing changes in their personal lives, such as having a baby or dealing with a health issue. It can create the sense of community and connection that makes the job more meaningful. And it can provide resources and support for successfully tackling tough workplace situations so that women can stay and thrive rather than leave.

With all of that in mind and in celebration of Women’s History Month, we’re unveiling a special, limited podcast series to provide mentoring at scale: “Lifting Up: Lessons from Verizon Women Leaders.” Produced for Verizon by Women Killing It! host Sally Hubbard, the interviews feature Verizon women leaders and role models sharing their challenges, successes, lessons learned, and super powers. The first episodes – also available on Google Play and iTunes – feature Kathy Grillo on Being Fearless and Donna Epps on Building Relationships, with both leaders sharing lessons learned and embraced throughout their professional journeys. Keep an eye out for the remaining episodes in the coming weeks and months. As you listen to these episodes, we hope you are inspired and motivated to continue your own success story, and to think of how your experiences, time, and talents can help others, especially women, achieve theirs.

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