Argonne’s Postdoctoral Mentoring Program is unique in that postdoctoral researchers report to a supervisor or line manager for their research and employment functions, and have a third party mentor outside of line management. This structure is to ensure that every postdoc has the opportunity to gain additional insight and advice and to help grow their network at the lab. We have talked before about key elements, resources and tools for maintaining good mentoring relationships. These concepts can apply to supervisory relationships as well.

One such tool is the mentoring compact, also called mentoring agreements or contracts. What is a mentoring compact? It is a document that establishes guidelines for both the mentor and mentee so each are clear on what they are committing to and what they can expect from each other. There are examples of compacts available online. Learn more on the Argonne Mentoring blog about a few key elements of a compact’s content and use.