Marking International Mentoring Day
17th January 2026
Distance Mentoring in a Hybrid Workforce
Mentoring Month
As organisations continue to adapt to hybrid and remote working models, mentoring has evolved too. Distance mentoring is no longer a temporary solution — it is now a core capability for organisations committed to growth, inclusion and sustainable leadership development.
International Mentoring Day offers an opportunity to recognise the powerful role mentors play in supporting individuals across locations, time zones and working patterns, while also reflecting on how mentoring itself must adapt to remain effective in a hybrid workforce.
The Changing Expectations of Mentors
Today’s mentors are expected to do more than simply share experience.
In a hybrid environment, effective mentors support:
Growth and Development
Helping individuals understand their strengths, development areas and working preferences in less visible, remote contexts.
Inclusive Mentoring Relationships
Ensuring that remote or hybrid workers feel equally supported, heard and valued.
Leadership Development
Building self-awareness, resilience and adaptability in emerging and established leaders.
Sustainable Performance
Supporting wellbeing, engagement and productivity when traditional boundaries between work and home are blurred.
Distance mentoring requires greater intentionality, stronger self-awareness and a deeper understanding of how individuals experience work differently when working remotely.
Supporting Distance Mentoring with Insight
Psychometric insight can play a valuable role in strengthening mentoring relationships, particularly when mentors and mentees are not co-located.
Our Identity Personality Questionnaire is designed to support individual development by offering insight into workplace behaviours, motivators and preferred working practices. Within a mentoring context, it can help:
Create a shared language for development conversations
Support self-reflection and goal setting
Identify how individuals prefer to communicate, manage change and work remotely
In addition, the questionnaire provides both a Manager’s Remote Working Report and a Staff Remote Working Report, offering targeted insight into how individuals experience hybrid and remote work — from autonomy and collaboration to boundaries and wellbeing. These reports can be especially valuable for mentors supporting managers or employees navigating new ways of working.
Developing Mentors for a Hybrid World
As mentoring becomes more specialised and evidence-based, many professional coaches, mentors, HR and Talent Management professionals are increasingly investing in formal qualifications as part of their CPD.
The BPS Test User: Occupational course supports mentors and practitioners to develop the skills, knowledge and ethical competence required to use psychometric tools effectively. Gaining this qualification allows mentors to apply personality insight responsibly, deepening their understanding of individual differences in workplace behaviour and preferred working practices — particularly in remote and hybrid settings.
Looking Ahead
Distance mentoring is not simply mentoring at a distance — it is mentoring redesigned for a more flexible, inclusive and dynamic world of work. By combining strong mentoring practice with meaningful insight and professional development, organisations can ensure that mentoring continues to drive growth, inclusion and leadership capability — wherever people work.
This International Mentoring Day, we celebrate mentors who are evolving their practice and supporting others to thrive in the hybrid workforce.
Identity Remote Working Reports - Try Before Your Buy
If you are a mentor or a HR team wishing to support your mentors try our Identity Personality Tool for free.