What you can contact the ombudsofficer about
Any employee may approach the ombudsofficer regarding a question, report or complaint, of whatever nature, about the behaviour of another employee or part of the organisation. Examples include:
- Conflicts with your manager where you feel unheard or the issue continues to recur.
- A situation of unequal power as a PhD candidate with your supervisor, where guidance is lacking or your position feels unsafe.
- An ongoing conflict with a colleague that the two of you are unable to resolve.
- Collaboration issues within or with the board.
What the ombudsofficer can do for you
The ombudsofficer:
- Provides information and advice, this conversation is confidential and can be anonymous.
- Mediates between parties when an advisory conversation does not lead to a resolution.
- Conducts independent and impartial investigations in response to a report.
- Identifies structural issues and may report these to the organisation.
- Can, either upon request or on their own initiative, investigate structural problems.
Please note: The ombudsofficer cannot issue binding rulings and is not authorised to act in matters that are already before a court or fall under the remit of another complaints committee.
The ombudsofficer aims to resolve issues informally first, for example, through an advisory conversation, providing information, mediation, or referral. This can help avoid a formal (complaints) procedure.
If informal solutions are not possible or prove insufficient, a complaint can be handled in accordance with the Ombudsofficer Regulations. In such cases, the ombudsofficer conducts an investigation and drafts a report and a decision. While the ombudsofficer cannot issue binding decisions, their findings often help to clarify and address the underlying problems.
Confidentiality
The ombudsofficer handles your report in strict confidence. This means that no information will be shared without your explicit consent.
