April 20, 2017
by Chuck Doran
The word “ombudsman” comes from a Swedish term that dates back to 1809, when the Swedish parliament decided to protect citizens’ rights by establishing an agency independent of the government. Dictionaries differ about the word’s origin, but many in the field prefer one scholar’s definition of the ombuds (or ombudsperson) as “a person who has an ear to the people.”
Today, ombuds carry on this tradition by providing independent, impartial, informal, and confidential services to companies, universities, and governments throughout the world. In responding to inquiries and complaints, these “ears to the people” help ensure that every voice is heard without fear of reprisal, retaliation, or loss of privacy.
I’ve been mediating and training in the dispute resolution field since 1992, finding, like many others, great fulfillment and purpose in my work. While my devotion to mediation has grown in that time, I’ve found that working as an ombuds has allowed me to expand my skills in an entirely new and systematic way.
My work as an ombuds began in 1995, when I completed “Ombuds 101” (now called “Foundations of Organizational Ombuds Practice”) with the International Ombuds Association (IOA). The Foundations course gives academics, administrators, mediators, and others information on how to set up and execute an effective ombuds office. Since then, I have served as a “classical” ombuds and as chair of NE-ACR’s Ombuds Service, also as an outsourced “organizational” ombuds with several organizations in the US. I also became a Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner with the IOA in 2021.
Recognizing that consumers of mediation, arbitration, and other ADR processes had no way to register their concerns or complaints, I worked with Dina Eisenberg, Ros Cresswell, and others to establish an ombuds program within the New England Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution (NEACR) in 2005. As chair of that program, I functioned within a classical ombuds model, fielding complaints — about how an ADR process was managed by the provider, not about the outcome – from ADR consumers who were dissatisfied with the services of an ADR practitioner based in New England.
I also work as an outsourced organizational ombuds with several organizations throughout the US and the world, where my role is to surface and resolve work-related issues raised by employees. I’ll focus on my work as an outsourced organizational ombuds in this article.
Four principles govern my work as an outsourced organizational ombuds:
For employees, the benefits are many. Companies with an organizational ombuds resource report that their workers appreciate having a confidential, company-sanctioned avenue to express concerns, review policies, explore options, and resolve conflicts. The ombuds’ adherence to strict confidentiality helps ease employees’ fear of retaliation, and the informality of the process, literally and figuratively, that is separate from corporate rules and structures, can encourage people to work through their concerns early on, before conflicts escalate into formal complaints against another employee or the employer.
Management also benefits from the ombuds’ regular direct reports about issues and trends, reports that provide an opportunity to address these worries early and often, before they hurt productivity, lower morale, or fester into a lawsuit. Having an established, confidential, and anonymous function also helps businesses comply with requirements outlined in the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the US Sentencing Guidelines, and other rules that require companies to provide confidential and independent channels for employees to express concerns.
Download MWI’s Free Article: What to Consider When Selecting an Ombuds
There are two primary types of organizational ombuds – in-house and outsourced. In-house ombuds are usually full-time employees who run an independent office within a company. They are often selected from within the company because they’re familiar with the corporate culture and viewed by employees and management as knowledgeable, approachable, and trustworthy. If an in-house ombuds is part-time and performs another job for the company, the other role must not compromise the independence, impartiality, confidentiality, or informality of the ombuds role. IOA’s Standards of Practice state that an in-house ombuds cannot also have a role “that compromises, or could be reasonably perceived as compromising, the Ombuds’ independence. If the Ombuds has non-ombuds duties, those duties must not interfere with their ombuds duties. The Ombuds must clearly communicate when they are and are not acting as the Ombuds.” (Independence 2.4)
Outsourced ombuds offer organizations unique capabilities, including true independence, given that they exist outside of the organization. Outsourced ombuds also manage their own communication systems (including phone, email, and data storage), which are not accessible by the organization’s IT department and assist in their ability to maintain confidentiality. I have found that being an outsider supports the perception that I am both impartial and independent and informs my approach as a practitioner and curiosity about the organization, including its people, history, norms, and culture. My experience as a professional mediator and trainer also brings credibility and skills that I use regularly.
Mediators looking to make a living in this field may be interested to know that today there are more, and usually more long-lasting, opportunities for ombuds than for mediators. This is due, in part, to the fact that while most mediations are short-term, goal-oriented processes, the work of an organizational ombuds can stretch over many years, as the ombuds learns to understand a corporation’s culture and builds long-term trustful relationships with both leadership and employees.
For mediators considering ombuds work, I suggest researching the role thoroughly and taking time to meet with in-house and outsourced ombuds at companies, universities, and governmental agencies. I’ve found that two things are true with most of the ombuds I know – one, they eat lunch on most days and two, they are willing to talk with aspiring practitioners about their work (over lunch – even a virtual lunch). I also suggest joining the International Ombuds Association (http://www.ombudsassociation.org), taking IOA’s Foundations of Organizational Ombuds Practice course, and checking online resources, including Tom Kosakowski’s blog, (www.ombuds-blog.blogspot.com), that provide current and future ombuds with up-to-date information.
Chuck Doran is a mediator, Certified Organizational Ombuds Practitioner (CO-OP), and the founder of MWI in Boston. He can be reached at cdoran@mwi.org.
