Services for employees

My Ombudsman Services offer a flexible way to manage situations where people needs to talk, to be listened to and coached to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Many times, just talking will be enough for them to relieve the tension of a problem that overwhelmed them and affect them greatly in their work.

Human rights, discrimination, harassment, knowledge of fraud or irregularities are the topics the hardest to bring up.

My confidential services offer this secure place that allow people to open up.

“Many of the people who go forward, to the media or to outside counsel (which often is a conduit to the media) do so because they were not listened to, or were not supported or respected, or in fact were harassed when they complained. The ombudsman office can be a last stop before they go outside with embarrassing allegations. It is also a place for those who never try the formal complaint-handling system because they are afraid. In either case, if the ombudsman office is able to resolve some of these image-shattering allegations and keep them inside the organization, then its value to the organization transcends what can be measured in dollars and cents.”

Why should you trust an Ombudsman to help you solve a problem?

I offer four (4) undertakings :

1- Independence

As an external Ombudsman, I am neither involved in the company’s management nor in any other function. I am not under the line of management since I report only to the board of directors so I cannot be dictated my course of action in handling any complaint. I should have access to information or persons to fulfill my responsibilities.

2- Neutrality and impartiality

The Ombudsman is not the advocate of the management or of the visitor. He is the guardian of a fair process only.

I will therefore report to the highest level of the corporate hierarchy and will not be subject of the usual line of authority.

I will have no interest or involvement in the corporation that could give any appearance of conflict of interest nor will I have any interest in the issue of the problem submitted.

I will only help to identify and choose the best option to get a positive resolution of the problem.

3- Confidentiality

All communications for visitors seeking my assistance as  the External Ombudsman are confidential and even the identity of the visitor will be protected so to keep the process anonymous.

No information will be divulged or shared with anybody unless specifically allowed by the visitor and within the authorized scale.

The only exception to this undertaking is where there would be a serious and imminent risk of harm and that there is no other option available.

I will not keep any record for the organization that could contain confidential information and temporary notes as telephones messages, meeting notes, agendas and diaries will be kept in a place that will protect their confidentiality and will not be accessible to anyone of the corporation including managers. It will be destroyed when the file is closed.

Any annual report made to the Board of Directors will be drafted in a way to protect confidentiality.

4- Informal process

My process is informal. My role is first of all to listen, to receive and give information, to identify and clarify the problem and assist to identify possible options for solving it.

I can intervene with third parties if necessary and authorized by the visitor but I will mainly favored options that allow the visitor to solve the problem by his own means.

I do not render any decision, nor can I impose any changes to politics, by-laws or rules of the organization nor have any duty to make investigation.

The use of my services are on a voluntary basis only and are not a prerequisite for using formal channels of the organization.

As an Ombudsman, I can make recommendations to the organization on problems that show a deficiency in the procedures of the company or that could be a recurrent problem for the organization.

Here are the 9 easy steps to follow to implement the Ombudsman Services in your company:

1. When you say yes, I will organize a campaign to introduce it to your employees.
2. I will prepare the content with your HR department or a specific person you identify to be my contact.
3. I will use your organization tools to communicate as emails, notice boards, internal journal, internal memorandum or mail.
4. I will provide to your employees my email and free toll phone number by which they can communicate with me in all confidentiality.
5. The services and contact infos will be advertised in strategic place in your place of business.
6. Generally, every quarter I will send a reminder of my services and their advantages to the employees.
7. Upon communication from an employee, I will contact him diligently to convene on a meeting date in person or by phone.
8. I will help him examine all options and choose the one that fits the most his needs and the problem involved.
9. I will make an annual report to your board, without nominatives details, about the types of problems submitted and, if applicable, recommendations to solve recurrent issues.