Code of Conduct for mentors and mentees

The purpose of a Code of Conduct is to provide a guideline on what is acceptable and non-acceptable behaviour within a mentoring relationship.  The suggested Code below applies both during and after the relationship –the obligations of both parties continue once the relationship has achieved its purpose.

1. The mentoring relationship is one, which depends on mutual trust. Neither party may discuss the content of their conversations with other persons –including the mentee’s line manager –without express permission of the other party. The sole exception is in the specific context of professional mentor / mentee supervision, with a professional supervisor or with the programme manager.
2. Mentor and mentee will be as open as possible with each other at all times. This includes telling each other when they are uncomfortable about some aspect of the relationship.
3. It is understood that, at times, mentor or mentee may not be able to divulge certain information that they hold in confidence. Equally, if they do divulge information to each other in confidence, both parties must respect that confidence.
4. The responsibility to review the relationship is shared between mentor and mentee.
5. Mentor and mentee both have a duty of care to each other. They also have a duty of care to the organization. They should not do anything, which damages the reputation of the company or brings harm to other people.
6. Mentor and mentee both have an obligation to use the relationship wisely. This includes preparing for mentoring meetings and respecting each other’s time.
7. Should any conflicts of interest or other ethical issues arise, mentor and mentee should first acknowledge and discuss these, then, if appropriate, seek guidance from the programme manager or mentor supervisor.
8. Unless specified within the programme purpose, mentors should not take on the role of sponsor for the mentee, and mentees should not expect them to do so.
9. Mentoring is a “professional friendship”. It is inappropriate for the relationship to become physically intimate. Mentor and mentee have a mutual responsibility to avoid such situations during the course of the formal relationship, or to withdraw from the mentoring relationship should it be in danger of becoming physically intimate.
10. Mentees acquire a personal obligation to pass on the gift of mentoring.

By Professor David Clutterbuck