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The average cost to recruit and train an employee may as much as half of that employee’s salary, so companies anxious to retain employees may implement mentorship programs in order to retain and engage employees, as well as grow future leadership. One study, which looked at the benefits of mentoring new teachers over a five year period, found a return of $1.50 for every dollar invested into mentorship programs. While 70% of Fortune 500 companies do have mentorship programs, mentoring programs only work if they are crafted well, and in reality the existing model of corporate mentorship often flounders due to being thrown together by overworked staff who’ve had little training or experience in being mentored, resulting in poorly structured programs with vague expectations which eventually disappoints employees. Bad mentorship programs can be more harmful than the good provided by a great mentoring relationship.