Guidelines for a Mentoring Scheme for Academic Staff

Introduction

These guidelines are intended to assist all staff involved in the mentoring process. They have been put together in consultation with existing mentors and mentees to provide best practice for staff. Mentoring can provide valuable support and development for new staff. It promotes understanding of the University context and helps staff adjust to new roles. Mentoring can also support and develop existing staff who assume new, more demanding responsibilities.

Purpose

The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that the good practice in mentoring is communicated across the University's academic departments so all staff can benefit from the process. These guidelines explain the benefits of mentoring and of a formal scheme, the role of the mentor and how to manage the mentoring process.

Who should have a mentor?

All new probationary staff should be offered the opportunity to have a mentor and confirmation of the existence of this arrangement should be included in the first probationary report. It is also helpful for existing staff taking on new more demanding responsibilities.

Benefits of mentoring

For the mentee:

It aids induction into a new job and culture
It helps in the process of understanding the formal and
informal structures of the organisation
It helps with developing skills in a structured way based on individual needs
It improves professional and personal networks
It provides an opportunity for a new member of staff to reflect on his/her own progress and resolve his/her own problems

For the mentor:

It broadens his/her own skills and knowledge
It brings new insights into the organisation
It enables him/her to demonstrate additional skills in developing other individuals
It consolidates and extends his/her professional and personal networks

Benefits of a formal structure

If a formal system exists:

Mentors can be given training in the role
Mentors can receive recognition for the role in terms of the time allowed for it and acknowledgement through the appraisal scheme of the skills and personal qualities demonstrated by them
It ensures that mentoring support happens at an appropriate time
A deliberate selection process ensures that the mentor selected is the most appropriate person for the role
Mentees know before they start that they will be receiving an effective introduction to the University and to their job and that there will be continuing support as they learn.

The role of the mentor

A mentor's role involves providing support and resources to a new member of staff through regular one-to-one meetings. They are expected to facilitate a supportive and developmental relationship with the mentee. The roles performed by a mentor are detailed in the next section. A mentor will probably fulfil all the roles at some time but the emphasis will depend on the particular needs of the mentee and his/her own areas of expertise.

1. Induction

The mentor will be the first point of contact in the induction process. Rather than requiring the mentor to set up a formal induction programme, new members of staff will be provided with a checklist of the things they will need to find out about their role, systems and procedures at various stages during their first year. The first meeting with the mentor will involve the mentor recommending suitable contacts in each of the areas himself/herself, but if he/she is suggesting other people as contacts he/she should monitor progress in subsequent meetings and assist with introductions if necessary.

2. Coaching

Although formal training programmes are provided for new staff and advice on these is available from the Assistant Director of HR for Staff Development, mentees may well ask for more informal assistance in certain aspects of their role. It is part of the mentor's role to give such coaching or information if requested or to identify someone more appropriate to assist. Areas which may be included are:

Teaching: advice on lecture construction, material available, teaching methods, styles and strategies, marking. This can include observation of and feedback on the teaching and learning process if requested.
Research: advice on content of research applications, sources of funding, research methods, supervision of research students.
Personal tutoring: structuring sessions, giving advice, dealing with problems and knowing when to refer.
Administration: understanding systems, advance preparation for specific administrative roles, e.g. admissions tutors, secretary to Boards of Studies, committee work.
External contracts: consultancy arrangements, external lectures.

3. Reflecting

Mentors are not expected to solve mentee's problems for them but part of the role is to act as a sounding board for discussion of problems identified by the mentee. Through a confidential process of listening and questioning, mentors should help mentees to reflect upon their own progress, clarify issues and help them towards resolving their own problems.

4. Facilitating

This particular role is concerned with 'smoothing the path' for new staff. The mentor should take the lead in helping the mentee to some understanding of the informal systems and work relationships which operate in every department. They should also arrange introductions to useful contacts inside and outside the department to enable the mentee to begin to develop his/her own network.

Who should be a mentor?

In order for it to be a mutually beneficial arrangement the mentor should preferably be a volunteer although the final selection of suitable mentors should rest with the Head of Department.

However, mentors should ideally be:-

A more experienced member of staff, with ideally 3-4 years experience. Too much of a knowledge/status/experience gap can inhibit and impede the process.
Someone who will understand the mentee's areas of work but who is not directly involved in day to day work with him/her.
Committed to Equality of Opportunity and sensitive to diversity issues particularly as they relate to the individual mentee. This does not necessarily mean that women should only have a woman mentor for example, but mentors will need to be willing and able to consider issues of ethnicity, gender or disability in the context of the workplace.
Someone who has the necessary personal qualities for support and advice i.e. good listening skills, appropriate professional knowledge and skills, good interpersonal skills and a willingness to commit their time.
Fully trained in all the above.
NB. It is not considered good practice for someone in the appraiser/manager role to also adopt the role of the mentor. In the context of probation for example, this can lead to a conflict of interests.Managing the process

1. Selection of mentor(s)

Departments should identify 2 or 3 potential mentors who should be trained before the beginning of the academic year. (This figure is based on an annual recruitment of one or two new members of staff. It should be amended up or down according to likely recruitment levels).

2. Matching mentors/mentees

This is a crucial stage of the mentoring process and should be considered carefully. Before the new member of staff starts, the department should use their current knowledge of him/her to identify the most appropriate mentor and to tell the new member of staff his/her name. They should be introduced to each other on the first day as part of the induction process. The Head of the Department should review this relationship with both sides after one month. (See also section 7 below).

3. Mentoring meetings

The content of meetings should be negotiated between mentor/mentee, but the following guidelines may act as a useful framework:
The first meeting should include:

The induction guidelines
Agreement on future ways of working together (allocation of time, confidentiality, any limits to the role). (See also section 4-6 below)
Subsequent meetings might include:
Reflection on induction process
Reflection on professional progress
Identification and exploration of problems
Identification and exploration of development needs
Identification of information needed and ways of acquiring it
Action planning

4. Timing

Although the timing and frequency of meetings should be agreed

between the mentor/mentee, it is recommended that there be a minimum of 4 meetings in the first term. Depending on progress this may reduce in subsequent terms. Continuation of the relationship into the second year should be by mutual agreement but is highly recommended.

5. Confidentiality

In order for the mentoring scheme to work effectively, it needs to operate outside the probation/appraisal system. Confidentiality must be maintained on both sides.

6. Working contract

The mentor/mentee should agree at an early stage which areas and issues will be covered and any which are not to be included e.g. will the mentoring relationship extend to personal issues as well as those relating to work?

7. Changing mentors

At the end of the first month Heads of Department should review the operation and progress of the mentoring scheme. If at this stage the mentee wishes to change mentors, they may request this without being required to give a reason. Departments should make every effort to accommodate this.

Reviewing the Scheme

The scheme will be formally reviewed every two years but there will be the opportunity for mentors to meet annually with the Assistant Director of HR for Staff Development
to review the operation of the scheme, identify common problems and provide information or development opportunities as necessary.

Lucy Farnes
Staff Development Consultant
April 2003