Opinion of Boss Drives Most Decisions to Quit

A survey of office workers finds that bosses have more influence on their employees than salary or other factors. Almost three-fourths of survey respondents would be willing to change jobs because of their boss. U.S. workers want a boss who lets them work independently but is accessible when needed. Communication and listening skills top the qualities that respondents seek in a boss, followed by effective leadership skills and trusting that the employee will perform his or her job well, according to findings released last week. (SHRM.)

This type of data could be useful to buttress upward feedback about a problem supervisor.

Related post: When the Boss is a Bully or Jerk.

AAAIIGH!!!!

CBS evening news does a profile on us and the storm blows out our network.

so a late post and a few corrections:

1): We/I did not build the skull. The skull was produced by Greenpeace and while we are very proud of our association with it and its production. (We wired a lot of it and you can probably guess where the stuff came from, But concept,design and construction was greenpeace.)

2) Takeback: Takeback without design for re-use/lifespan is at best a mixed blessing. At best it keeps material out of landfill but promotes needless manufacturing and transport. At worst it subsidises shipping material overseas in a gray "recycling" market that involves dubious recovery efforts and disposal methods, promotes planned obsolecence and calls it environmentalism.

I support takeback as a concept and an ideal and I note that the original drafts of the (frankly very bad) rules we have to work with here in california actually made an effort to address design for environment and re-use but last minute negotiations seemed to (in my humble opinion) gut any
actual long term benifit from the states attempt to solve this problem and just allowed manufacturers to sell disposable crap, Make you pay to destroy it needlessly and then tell you that they are doing you a favor and saving the planet.

Needless consumption will never save the planet. Steve Jobs's Reality distortion field causes global warming.

University of Hawaii Issues First Annual Report

The University of Hawaii at Manoa, which opened in August 2006, has issued its first annual report. In its inaugural year, the office handled 359 cases, in addition to all of the other work that goes into creating an office from scratch. (UHM Ombuds Report.)

Job Posting: Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic Health System, East Region, is looking to hire a patient ombudsman. Applicants should have a bachelor's degree and 3 years of related experience. No salary or closing date indicated. (OhioJobNetwork.com.)

It is not clear whether this is the same position Cleveland Clinic advertised last October. (Ombuds Blog.)

Job Posting: Iowa State University

Iowa State is seeking applications for a part-time University Ombuds. This is a twelve month position, renewable annually. A "new hire" into the position (without previous ISU service) or a hire of an ISU retiree will be on a contract basis. Salary to be negotiated. Applications are due by February 15. (ISU Jobs, Vacancy ID 080016; via JobNation.com.)

The ISU Ombuds Office was created and opened in August 2006 with two part-time staff members hired to serve as a resource for faculty, staff, and graduate and professional students. Through the first eight months of the year, the ombuds officers received 251 contacts. This job posting is the next step in making the office permanent. (ISU Strategic Plan Progress Report, see p. 12; Professional and Scientific Council Meeting Minutes, see attachment "Support for Continuation of the ISU Ombuds Office.")

Texas Tech Ombuds to Help Administer Student Relief Funds

A new program at Texas Tech will provide emergency loans to students in need. The Red Raider Relief Fund was established to help students who are ineligible for assistance through more formal sources. The ombuds for students, Katherine Quilliam, said, "I've been ombudsman since June of 2000, and I discovered very quickly that students that nobody else knew what to do with would often be sent to my office, and the problem is those students were financially destitute." The Student Government Association and Parents Association collaborated to establish the fund, which now has about $5,000 available.

Students seeking assistance will be evaluated by Quilliam, who will ask for permission to share the information with the SGA and Parents Association. Upon approval, a check is written to pay the student's debt. Students who accept a loan will agree to financial counseling and seek any other resource deemed appropriate by the ombudsman. Collection of the repayment will be handled by the Parents Association. (Daily Toreador.)

Related posts: Profile of Texas Tech's Ombuds for Students; Texas Tech Considering Faculty Ombuds.

This is an innovative solution to a problem that plays upon ombuds' empathetic nature. It would be tempting for ombuds to have discretionary funds to dispense to visitors who seem to be falling through the cracks. However, when an ombuds becomes a financial gatekeeper, it imperils their mandate to be neutral and impartial.

Activist Urges Ombuds for Des Moines Public Schools

At its public meeting on January 8, the Des Moines Public Schools School Board heard a recommendation to establish an ombuds office. In making the suggestion, Nan Stillians said that “a fear of making complaints and suggestions still exists” among people involved with the troubled school district. (Around Des Moines; Cityview.)

Related posts from just the last six months: Ombuds Recommended for Prince William County Schools; Ombuds Urged for Boulder School District; Superintendent of New Orleans Schools to Hire Ombuds; Pasadena Schools Considering Ombuds; DC Schools Appoint First Ombuds; Howard County Schools Hires New Ombuds.

My informal survey of school district ombuds indicates that they range from purely classical to organizational in their approach. Since funds are usually scarce in public education, IOA should implement efforts to reach out to and support these new offices.