The Challenge
- Segment: Large enterprise
- Industry: Real estate
- Location: United States, with teams in many states
- Programs: Role-based peer mentoring for new hires and people new to a role
A national real estate company hires thousands of people every year. Its onboarding was already strong: large weekly classes bring new colleagues together from across the country to learn the company's culture and expectations. The harder part came next, when new hires arrived at their property and started the job.
A new leasing professional or property manager needs someone who understands the practical questions that come up on site. Training and a warm welcome matter, but new hires also need a person they can turn to.
Our mentors aren't trainers, but there is an expectation that some training happens, and the mentoring program has been a real help with that.
Learning and development lead
The team also wanted to know early when a relationship needed help. Waiting for a midpoint survey meant learning about a slow start halfway through it.
Why Chronus
The company moved to Chronus from another mentoring platform, and data was the reason.
One of the biggest reasons we moved to Chronus was data.
Mentoring program co-lead
Quarterly reports feed presentations for mentors, conversations about what is working and what is not, and updates for the program newsletter. When leaders ask about participation, the team pulls the numbers and speaks to them. A daily report flags mentors who have gone quiet or left the company, so administrators can contact the new hires affected before they are left waiting.
The Solution
Matching around the work
The program pairs peers by role. New hires can join in their first weeks, and mentors need several months in the role plus mentor training before they take on a mentee. Administrators review each match: they check availability and matching history, give new mentors a chance rather than going back to the same few, and look at practical fit, such as the systems a property runs on and whether it is newly opened or well established. A nightly HR data feed keeps employee information current.
A clear rhythm for every pair
Pairs meet weekly for about three months. Mentors make the first move: they reach out within a couple of days, share the company's onboarding guide and suggest times, aiming for a first meeting in the first week or two. Partners often work in different states, so the program runs virtually, with Chronus for scheduling and tracking. The team also runs live sessions for mentors on scheduling, notes, goals and resources, and plans to repeat them about twice a year.
Check early, then listen to the end
Two weeks into each relationship, the mentee gets a short check-in: has the mentor made contact, has the first meeting happened, is another one scheduled, and how satisfied are they so far? Reminders follow if it goes unanswered. Administrators read the answers every day and reach out to both people when a score signals a poor start, and a comment box lets mentees say what they need.
The survey has made a huge difference. I check it every day, and if somebody isn't happy, I reach out to them immediately. Two weeks is the right time to ask.
Learning and development lead
Comments on the closing survey are now required too, so the team hears the story behind every rating.
The Impact
- 93% retention among program participants, against 90% across the wider workforce
- 2x program reach, from under one in ten employees to close to one in five
- Thousands of mentoring meetings in the program's first six months
- 97% of meeting-feedback responses rated the meeting helpful, and more than four in ten called it a breakthrough
- 93% of mentees finishing the program would recommend it
- Mid-70s Net Promoter Score among participants
The retention gap has held across successive reviews. The feedback shows what it means for one person at a time. One new hire wrote that they had been questioning the decision to join and were close to leaving, until an outstanding mentor changed the experience. The team shares stories like this in a regular spotlight for participants and leaders, alongside the quarterly numbers.
