Since 2009, there has been an increase in the number of Fortune 500 organisations that have implemented a mentoring program as part of their efforts to increase employment engagement. The number jumped from 70% (2009) to 98% of Fortune 500 companies in 2024, which proves how valuable mentoring has become.
Despite this increase, not all organisations have successfully launched a mentoring program. There are plenty of reasons why mentoring programs fail and part of it has to do with poor expectations from the mentor and mentee. For the program to be effective, the program administrator needs to properly structure a mentoring program with the help of a Mentoring Agreement.
In this article, we’ll be talking about what a Mentoring Agreement is, how it can help mentors and mentees, and what is included in the agreement.
For some, a Mentoring Agreement might seem unnecessary, but it’s an important tool that clarifies expectations and helps to minimise the chance of any relationship issues. A Mentoring Agreement is a formal document that establishes the mentoring relationship between a mentor and a mentee. The document contains valuable information, including the roles and responsibilities of each party throughout the mentoring relationship.
Without a Mentoring Agreement, a mentor and mentee can easily have misunderstandings; especially when their expectations are not met. This is why having a written agreement at the start of the mentoring relationship is crucial as it clearly lays out the terms between the mentor and mentee.
The Mentoring Agreement also serves as a contract between the mentor and mentee since they need to affix their signature onto the document. Program administrators also have access to the document so they can mediate whenever necessary.
An effective Mentoring Agreement needs to include the necessary information related to the mentoring relationship. It should set clear expectations, define meeting schedules, lay out the desired goals, establish confidentiality protocols, and create communication channels for both the mentor and mentee.
Some of the information found in Brancher’s Mentoring Agreement template includes the following:
The first thing being asked is how often and when the pair will meet so they can allocate their schedule for the mentoring session. If the pair is working from different time zones, they can discuss further arrangements on which timezone to follow.
The key to a successful mentoring relationship is to have a regular schedule for meetings. In certain situations, participants need to be flexible with their meeting times, which requires giving the other party a heads-up beforehand.
It’s also good to establish a fixed period on how long the mentoring relationship should last. This allows the mentor and mentee to have a clear picture so they can focus on their goals. If needed, the timeframe of the relationship may be extended.
Related Article: How Long Should a Mentorship Program Last?
The Mentoring Agreement also needs to include communication protocols that both parties can use to stay in touch with each other. When making such arrangements, the following needs to be answered:
Every relationship succeeds once both parties have clear expectations from each other. This is the same in a mentoring relationship– the mentor and mentee need to set clear and realistic expectations from the start.
Some questions that need to be answered in a Mentoring Agreement include:
A mentoring relationship is built on trust and understanding. There are some things that a mentee will share with the mentor with pure confidence that the conversation remains between the two of them. Although not all Mentoring Agreements require outlining what happens in the event of a confidentiality breach, it would be good to include this information since sessions can include personal issues that may need to be kept private. It can either involve legal consequences or just a simple understanding between the mentor and mentee.
Everyone has goals they want to achieve. The main purpose of the mentoring program is to help both the mentor and mentee achieve their goals. From the start of the relationship, it is best to establish what these goals are. This way, they can keep track of their progress and know whether they are working towards achieving these goals with the help of their mentor or mentee.
Upon the first meeting of the mentor and the mentee, the contents of the Mentoring Agreement needs to be discussed and established as part of the ground rules of the mentoring relationship.
Brancher does not require you to come up with your own Mentoring Agreement. Instead of creating one from scratch or following a template, this is prepared right away on Brancher’s mentoring software. It is part of the six mentoring tools we’ve prepared to help make your mentoring program run smoothly.
You can book a demo to see the Mentoring Agreement in place.
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