An integral part of a mentoring relationship is that both mentoring partners, mentor and mentee, undertake the relationship with a high degree of ethics, integrity and good will.  This cements the importance of acting ethically in a mentoring relationship, but what role do mentors play in supporting ethical discussions in the workplace?

The 2009 Annual Business and Professional Study: Business Ethics Study, by the St James Ethics Centre and Beaton Consulting, is a national report with the objective of 'raising awareness of ethical issues in the workplace, in order to encourage organisations to move beyond mere compliance to fostering a truly ethical culture'. 

Question 7 of the Study asked: Where do people turn for advice about ethics?  'The Study indicates that the most common place chosen by individuals to obtain advice when dealing with ethical issues is a colleague or mentor within their own organisation (45%).  Family members are the next most common place to turn (37%), followed by written information (36%), then a colleague or mentor outside their organisation (32%).  Only 7% sought advice from someone with ethics training' (p21).

This is valuable evidence about the importance of both internal and external mentors for the workplace, and can form part of your evidence base for mentoring to be strongly maintained on the people culture agenda at your organisation.

Download the full report:  2009 Annual Business and Professional Study - Business Ethics Study.