Mentoring for Career Development Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Mentoring Group

Mentoring for Career Development Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Mentoring Group

Table of Contents Welcome to the Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Mentoring Group Guiding Principles Tips and Guidance for Mentors Tips and Guidance for Mentees Contracting and Setting Expectations Code of Ethics Competence Context Boundary Management Integrity Professionalism FAQs Contacts

Welcome to the Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Mentoring Group Mentoring is one of the many ways in which the CIPD is supporting members throughout their career. We have designed this programme within the branch to support the CIPD s aims at supporting mentees at whatever stage they have reached in their HR career, and mentoring can even help for those who are still considering HR as a career option. There are a range of materials on the CIPD website http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipdhr-profession/hr-careers/learn-more-about-mentoring.aspx to support mentors and mentees, including short videos outlining different skills and mentoring models, and a range of reflective written resources. The information included in this pack should be used to supplement the available resources through the CIPD website, and is not to be used instead of these resources. CIPD Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Mentoring Group 3

Guiding Principles To enable the Mentor/Mentee relationship to run smoothly we advise a number of guiding principles as follows for all mentors/mentees: Will accept the guidance and governance for the scheme Understand and accept that the scheme is a voluntary commitment Understand and accept that the mentoring relationship is confidential Ensure that any conflict, issues or concerns from either the mentor/mentee are raised with the Chair and Sub Group accordingly The commitment and requirements to be a mentor/mentee are: o 4-6 sessions o each mentoring session to be up to an hour o The first meeting/session to be up to 2 hours and a face to face meeting o mentoring to be over a period of up to 6 months o Contact and mentoring sessions by mutual consent o Regular contact and follow up by either face to face, phone and e/mail o use and apply supporting guidance and information in association with the scheme from the Chair, Sub Group and Branch Committee. o respond to mentor/mentee questions, queries as appropriate CIPD Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Mentoring Group 4

Tips and Guidance for Mentors Maintain regular contact and commit to the mentoring relationship Help your mentee access resources and further support Be open and honest Avoid being judgemental, try to be objective Recognise that you have your own needs for support and guidance you may need a mentor as well Don t think you have all the answers, seek guidance and support as appropriate o Use your own resources, network and contacts as appropriate Be clear about expectations and boundaries Respect confidentiality and trust Be prepared to work at your mentoring relationship, build rapport, trust and understanding o Agree how often you would like to meet, where, when, etc. Agree when the mentoring relationship needs to come to an end in agreement with your mentee Use your skills, knowledge and experience to help the mentee Give your support, guidance and help to the mentee CIPD Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Mentoring Group 5

Tips and Guidance for Mentees Maintain regular contact and commit to the mentoring relationship Share with your mentor how you feel the relationship is progressing Regularly access resources and further support to supplement your mentor relationship and be proactive in your own development Be open and honest and maintain a positive approach, and willing to accept challenge from your mentor (don t forget to challenge your mentor if you hold differing views) Don t expect too much of your mentor and recognise that your mentor does have all the answers, seek further guidance and support as appropriate o Use your own resources, network and contacts as appropriate to supplement and enhance the relationship Be clear about expectations and boundaries Respect confidentiality and trust, you may enter your mentors workplace, respect the confidentiality required in this situation Be prepared to work at your mentoring relationship, build rapport, trust and understanding o Agree how often you would like to meet, where, when, etc. Agree when the mentoring relationship needs to come to an end in agreement with your mentee CIPD Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Mentoring Group 7

Contracting and Setting Expectations Contracting is one of the cornerstones to coaching and mentoring. Contracting ensures everyone understands what is expected of them and ensures those in the relationship have a common, agreed understanding about required outcomes from the start This process should include: Personal - Mentors/Mentees background - How will you relate to each other? Process for keeping records, notes - Actions Discuss and Agree. Professional - the experience, knowledge, skills for both Mentor/Mentee Discuss - What do you bring to the relationship? Psychological Contract - The boundaries and confidentiality Discuss: o What do you need to be aware of? o What is the Goal/Purpose of the Mentoring Relationship for the Mentor/Mentee? o Support/Guidance/Training - What support or guidance is needed? Discuss and Agree. To ensure effective ongoing application of the contracting process, Mentoring Supervision will be applied through: Documented guidance, code of ethics and standards The Mentoring application process mapped to the HR Map Mentoring Training, guidance and information Programme Monitoring o Use and application of Mentor forms/guidance o Evaluation of mentoring relationship with the mentor o Evaluation and feedback from mentee Overall supervision and governance of the scheme will be led by the joint chairs of the Mentoring Group. This is to ensure consistency and quality in line with the code of ethics. CIPD Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Mentoring Group 8

Code of Ethics Competence Mentors will: Ensure that their level of experience and knowledge is sufficient to meet the needs of the mentee Ensure that they are able to operate according to this Code of Ethics Develop their level of competence and confidence by participating in relevant training, review and group supervision sessions made available by the CIPD Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes Mentoring Group Context Mentors will: Understand and ensure that the mentoring relationship reflects the context within which the mentoring is taking place Ensure that the expectations of the client and the CIPD Bedford & Milton Keynes Mentoring Group are understood and that they themselves understand how those expectations are to be met Seek to create an environment in which mentoring is focused, on and creates opportunities for, learning Boundary Management Mentors will: Operate within the limits of their own competence, recognise where that competence has the potential to be exceeded and where necessary refer the mentee either to a more experienced mentor, or support the mentee in seeking the help of another professional, such as a coach, counsellor, psychotherapist or business/financial advisor Be aware of the potential for conflicts of interest of either a commercial or emotional nature to arise through the mentoring relationship and deal with them quickly and effectively to ensure there is no detriment to the mentee or the CIPD Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes Mentoring Group CIPD Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Mentoring Group 9

Integrity Mentors will: Maintain an appropriate level of confidentiality which is agreed with the mentee at the start of the relationship Disclose information only where explicitly agreed with the mentee and the CIPD Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes Mentoring Group, unless the mentor believes that there is convincing evidence of serious danger to the mentee or others if the information is withheld Act within applicable law and not encourage, assist or collude with others engaged in conduct which is dishonest, unlawful, unprofessional or discriminatory Professionalism Mentors will: Respond to the mentee s learning and development needs as defined by the agenda brought to the mentoring relationship Not exploit the mentee in any manner, including, but not limited to, financial, sexual or those matters within the professional relationship; the mentor will ensure that the duration of the mentoring contract is only as long as is necessary for the mentee and the CIPD Bedford & Milton Keynes Mentoring Group Understand that professional responsibilities continue beyond the termination of any mentoring relationship. These include the following: o Maintenance of agreed confidentiality of all information relating to mentees and the CIPD Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes Mentoring Group o Avoidance of any exploitation of the former relationship c. Provision of any follow-up which has been agreed to o Safe and secure maintenance of all related records and data Demonstrate respect for others providing mentoring services Never represent the work and views of others as their own Ensure that any claim of professional competence, qualifications or accreditation is clearly and accurately explained to potential mentees and that no false or misleading claims are made or implied

FAQs What is the Mentoring Group? The Mentoring group is made up of the Joint-Chairs for the Mentoring Scheme and members from the branch and committee, who are responsible for the governance and management of the mentoring scheme. What is the CIPD Mentoring Scheme for Bedfordshire & Milton Keynes? The aim of this scheme is to supplement and support the work currently being undertaken by the CIPD in enhancing the support being given to members to enable them to gain the most from their careers How will I find a mentor or mentee? You will be able to apply to be a mentor/mentee through the Mentoring Scheme and Mentoring Group where you will be matched based on your application form. Who can be a mentor/mentee? Mentoring is open to everyone who is interested and willing to be available and commit to the mentoring relationship. A mentor may have a certain level of experience, knowledge, or working at a particular level, or have certain skills and abilities that they would like to use or pass on to others. A mentee recognises they need help, support or guidance in a particular area and want to be proactive about their own development. How many mentors/mentees can I have? It is possible to have more than one mentor/mentee, it is a question you would need to consider in terms of your own availability and how much time you can commit. What is the level of commitment involved? The mentoring relationship is intended to run over a period of 6 months, with up to 4-6 sessions, of up to 1 hour per session, these can be face to face, over the phone, using e/mail etc. The first session should be 2 hours and a face to face meeting. If for any reason, after meeting, either of you decide the match is not right for you, please inform the Mentoring Group and we will look to re match you.

What should I do if I have any issues or concerns during the mentoring relationship? In the first instance you should discuss this with your mentor/mentee, if you still feel you have issues or concerns you can contact the Mentoring Group. Where can I get help and support? The mentoring group will provide help and support you if required. Information is also available from central CIPD who support the branches with this scheme. Will I need any training? It is a good idea for both mentors and mentees to receive some degree of training, to help understanding, develop knowledge and skills and help the mentoring relationship. The Mentoring Group will look to offer training to mentors/mentees during the scheme. What resources or sources of information are there for mentoring? There is a great deal of resources and information available for mentoring, ranging from reference material, books and websites. If you would like more information please contact the Mentoring Group, or alternatively the CIPD Website http://www.cipd.co.uk/cipd-hrprofession/hr-careers/learn-more-about-mentoring.aspx How are records kept and evaluated? The Mentoring Group hold records of your mentor and mentee application forms for matching purposes. These will be held for as long as you remain part of the scheme. Once you leave the scheme, all details will be deleted, and you will be removed from the database. As you progress through your mentoring relationship, you do not have to update the Mentoring Group on the details of the goals or issues you discuss. However, from time to time, we will ask you to update us on the status of the relationship (e.g. are you still meeting), and at the end of the relationship ask you to fill out an evaluation form on your experience. If we do not hear from you, we will prompt you for an update every 6 months, and would ask that you feedback to us should the relationship come to an end between those 6 months periods.

Contacts If you have any further questions regarding the scheme, you can contact the following: Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes Branch Email: bedford@cipdbranch.co.uk