Mentor Ethics and Professional Standards in Mentoring 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary ethical obligation of a mentor regarding confidentiality?
- To share mentee disclosures with HR to support organizational development
- To protect information shared by the mentee unless there is a safety or legal obligation to disclose (Correct answer)
- To document all disclosures and file them with the program coordinator
- To share information with the mentee's manager if it could affect performance
Correct answer: To protect information shared by the mentee unless there is a safety or legal obligation to disclose
Mentors must protect the confidentiality of what mentees share, only disclosing when there is a clear safety or legal obligation to do so.
Question 2: What is a 'dual relationship' in mentoring and why is it problematic?
- When a mentor works with two mentees simultaneously
- When the mentor holds another role relative to the mentee—such as manager, evaluator, or close friend—that creates a conflict of interest (Correct answer)
- When two mentors co-facilitate sessions with one mentee
- When mentoring is conducted both formally and informally with the same person
Correct answer: When the mentor holds another role relative to the mentee—such as manager, evaluator, or close friend—that creates a conflict of interest
Dual relationships create conflicts of interest because the mentor's other role may compromise objectivity, confidentiality, or the mentee's ability to speak freely.
Question 3: When does a mentor have an ethical obligation to break confidentiality?
- When the mentee shares information about a colleague's poor performance
- When there is credible risk of harm to the mentee or others, or a legal obligation to report (Correct answer)
- Whenever the mentee's manager requests information about session content
- When the mentor believes the information could help the organization
Correct answer: When there is credible risk of harm to the mentee or others, or a legal obligation to report
Confidentiality can ethically be broken when there is a genuine safety risk to the mentee or others, or when a legal reporting obligation exists.
Question 4: What is the ethical principle of 'do no harm' in a mentoring context?
- Avoiding any feedback that might make a mentee uncomfortable
- Ensuring the mentor's advice and actions support the mentee's wellbeing rather than serving the mentor's interests (Correct answer)
- Refusing to discuss sensitive or difficult topics in sessions
- Limiting sessions to prevent mentor burnout
Correct answer: Ensuring the mentor's advice and actions support the mentee's wellbeing rather than serving the mentor's interests
'Do no harm' in mentoring means ensuring the mentor's guidance, disclosures, and actions prioritize the mentee's wellbeing and do not serve the mentor's own interests at the mentee's expense.
Question 5: What should a mentor do if they experience a personal bias toward a mentee?
- Immediately refer the mentee to another mentor without explanation
- Acknowledge the bias to themselves, seek supervision or reflection, and if necessary disclose it or adjust the relationship (Correct answer)
- Ignore the bias and proceed as normal
- Document the bias for HR records
Correct answer: Acknowledge the bias to themselves, seek supervision or reflection, and if necessary disclose it or adjust the relationship
Acknowledging and reflecting on personal bias—through self-awareness, supervision, or disclosure—is the ethical response that protects the mentee from its distorting effects.
Question 6: What is 'informed consent' as it applies to mentoring?
- A legal document giving the mentor permission to access the mentee's performance records
- Ensuring the mentee understands and agrees to the nature, scope, boundaries, and confidentiality norms of the mentoring relationship before it begins (Correct answer)
- Consent given by the mentee's manager to allow participation
- Agreement to allow sessions to be recorded for training purposes
Correct answer: Ensuring the mentee understands and agrees to the nature, scope, boundaries, and confidentiality norms of the mentoring relationship before it begins
Informed consent means the mentee has sufficient information about the nature and boundaries of the relationship to agree to participate knowingly and voluntarily.
Mentor Ethics and Professional Standards in Mentoring 1
What is the primary ethical obligation of a mentor regarding confidentiality?