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In its 2009 Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report, Coca-Cola Enterprises touts its Ombuds program:In the United States, we also have an Ombuds Office and a Solutions dispute resolution program. These offer confidential advice, support, and a vehicle for conflict resolution through mediation and arbitration. In 2008, our Solutions program received 63 employee requests for assistance in resolving workplace conflicts. Of cases concluded, 82 percent were resolved to the employee’s satisfaction. Our Solutions program was recognized in 2008 by Harvard Law School.
It's curious that CCE discloses the number of cases handled by the dispute resolution program but not the Ombuds. Surely, these data are available. (CCE Corp. Responsibility & Sustainability Rpt.)
The first meeting with an Ombuds is dominated by story telling. An Ombuds must get the visitor's narrative before anything else. Without the visitor's story, the Ombuds cannot adequately clarify options, explain policies, identify other resources, make referrals, offer coaching, or begin the work of opening lines of communication. Yet in many cases, there is an immediate benefit from simply listening to the visitor's narrative. Many visitors express relief at being able to explain how they came to be here. Yesterday, NPR profiled Michael Kimball, a writer who captures people's biographies in short form. His insights on asking people about their story resonated with me.He says he thinks people tell him intimate details of their lives because they're not generally asked about them.
"I think it's something that just doesn't happen so much in our culture anymore," he says. "There are a lot of people who are putting themselves out there in different ways — everything from status updates to tweets to whatever is on their MySpace page or their own blog, but we don't have people asking questions."
Kimball says there are two ways to group people who come to the blog to have their life story written: Those who have an ego and want "how good and what they've done sort of given back to them" and those who have had interesting or difficult experiences and want to "reclaim" their lives.
Those are the people who interest him most, he says. But those can also be the most challenging.
Kimball aims to honor the difficulties of people's lives — and also present them in an even-handed way. He does not want to make them too sentimental — or too sensational. And the challenge has also changed him as a person.
"However much empathy I had before I started this, I have more now," Kimball says.
(All Things Considered.)
Harvard University is accepting applications for an Ombudsperson at Harvard Medical School, School of Dental Medicine, and School of Public Health. The position has three major areas of responsibility: dispute resolution/consultation and referral; policy analysis; and community outreach and education. Applicants must have an advanced degree in a related field; demonstrated experience in conflict resolution, mediation and/or negotiation; and some prior supervisory experience. Prior experience in an academic or medical environment, and Ombuds experience is preferred. The salary range for the position is $87,800 to $155,400. No closing date indicated. (Harvard Job Posting, Compensation Schedule; via New England HERC.)Linda J. Wilcox has served as the Ombuds for the Harvard Medical School since the office’s inception in 1991. She holds both a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study and a Master’s Degree in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Prior to coming to Harvard, Wilcox was a labor negotiator and mediator. (HMS Ombuds Office.)
Facing a $666 million budget deficit, the District of Columbia Council looking a widespread spending cuts to avoid raising taxes and fees. The school system will likely bear some of the burden. According to the Washington Post, "Elimination of the ombudsman's office, which has come under heavy criticism by council members and community leaders for ineffectiveness, would take about $360,000 off the books." (Washington Post.)Let's be honest about this by looking at the numbers. The budget for the DCPS Ombuds Office represents just 0.05% of the shortfall. None of the other remedies mentioned are anywhere as trivial.
Furthermore, although it has been criticized for "ineffectiveness," the DCPS Ombuds has handled and resolved about 1,400 cases involving students and staff in its first 20 months of operation. If the Ombuds was able to avoid litigation in a few of those cases (a very conservative assumption), the District has saved far, far more than it has spent on the program. (The latest audited financial statement reveals DCPS spent $1.7 million on judgments and settlements and outside counsel in 2004.) In addition, the Ombuds generated recommendations that likely will help the District avoid more problems in the future.
The inescapable conclusion is that a decision to close the DC Schools Ombuds program now would reveal political and not financial motivations.Related posts: DC Schools Appoints Interim Ombuds; Local Politics Threaten DC Schools Ombuds; Washington Post Conflates Ombuds Reporting Line With Neutrality; DC Mayor Blocks Transfer of Public Schools Ombuds Office.
At its annual meeting last month, the Coalition of Federal Ombudsmen tackled several issues that bear on the profession in the public sector.
- FOIA Requests -- Panelists reflected on President Obama's Memorandum advising agencies to release information in the absence of specific, compelling reasons not to. The discussion recognized the inherent tension between the FOIA and the Ombuds’ confidentiality commitment, and the FOIA exemption specified in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Act.
- Keynote Address -- The Honorable John Berry, Director of the Office of Personnel Management, offered the perspective that Ombuds give people a “fair shake” without resorting to legal processes.
- Proposed Federal Ombudsman Act -- A panel of five Ombuds from different agencies discussed whether CoFO should move forward on a Federal Ombudsman Act that would require establishment of Ombudsman Offices in Federal agencies. In responses to audience questions and comments, it was agreed that the outcome of a pending survey of CoFO members would dictate the course of future CoFO action.
- Business Meeting -- CoFO Chair Mike Turpenoff concluded the conference by addressing the process of electing officers, further consideration of a revised CoFO Charter, the creation of a Federal job series for Ombudsman, and CoFO serving as a consultant for the creation of an Ombuds program at the Office of Personnel Management.
The next CoFO meeting is set for September 9, 2009. (CoFO Meeting Minutes.)Prior post: COFO Sets Conference Agenda.
Lawrence Mushwana, executive secretary of African Ombudspersons and Mediators Association (AOMA), announced that the Angolan Ministry of Foreign Affairs guaranteed to support third conference of AOMA to analyse protocol matters. Mushwana said the meeting in April 2010 will be open to a variety of officials, and entities from different countries and levels of development. Participants are expected to share experiences aimed at increasing transparency in the management of legal issues. (AllAfrica.com.)Related post: Angola Marks Ombuds Bicentennial.
