Problem with Mentor or Advisor

If a dispute or concern arises between you and your mentor or advisor, you may try first to resolve it amicably between yourselves. If informal discussion does not resolve the problem, there are a few avenues to pursue, usually starting with the departmental HR Manager, Business Manager, or Chair.

Tips for approaching an informal conflict resolution discussion

 I’ve already tried, or am not comfortable with, an informal discussion, and I need my department to intervene

I want to confidentially discuss my situation with someone

Your postdoctoral appointment should be challenging, but it should not be traumatic or hostile. A hostile environment is one in which poor communication, gossip, scolding or blaming, favoritism, coercion, competition, back-stabbing, manipulation, and/or abuse occur on a regular basis.

If you are experiencing a hostile environment created or exacerbated by sexual, race-based, or gender-based harassment, please see the sections on addressing those types of situations.

If you are experiencing a hostile environment due to other hostilities or power dynamic concerns, the next step is to speak to your Faculty Mentor, HR or Business Manager, or Department Chair.

I am experiencing harassment in my environment

I want to learn more about seeking help from my department or school

The Duke Postdoctoral Policy outlines these expectations for mentors:

• Provide mentoring with an emphasis on development of independence including providing detailed advice and assistance on the development of a specific research project. Mentors have the responsibility of providing an educational experience that helps advance the career of the Postdoctoral Appointee. Mentors are encouraged to consult AAMC Compact Between Postdoctoral Appointees and Their Mentors and the AAMC Appropriate Treatment of Research Trainees document for suggested guidelines for the Postdoctoral Appointee-Mentor relationship.
• Mentors are required to provide a written evaluation of performance on a yearly basis. The postdoctoral appointee should provide his/her written input to this evaluation, and the mentor and the postdoctoral appointee should discuss the evaluation together. Mentors should use the evaluation form and tools from the Office of Postdoctoral Services, which are based on the Individual Development Plan (IDP). Copies of the annual evaluation will be maintained in the department or responsible unit as part of the departmental/responsible unit’s reappointment process.
• If the Postdoctoral Appointee does not meet expectations for conduct and/or performance as set forth in Duke’s Workplace Expectations & Guidelines, the Mentor/department must follow Duke’s Standards of Conduct & Performance/Corrective Action Protocols.

You are strongly encouraged to use your Individual Development Plan (IDP) to  develop mutual expectations between you and your mentor.

If your mentor is not abiding by one, some, or all of their responsibilities, you have the right to approach them and respectfully ask for what you need.

If you have already attempted this unsuccessfully, or do not feel comfortable doing so for one or more reasons, the next step is to ask for help from your department, usually starting with your HR or Business Manager or Chair.

Duke Postdoctoral Services Resources for the Individual Development Plan (IDP)

Seeking help from my department or school