“My colleague recruited his best friend’s son as a technical student and the same friend’s niece as a summer student.” (Dmitri*, 31 years old)

“My project leader asks me to carry out certain tasks that push me to the limits of the safety rules.” (Felix*, 32 years old)

“My boss stops me from sharing the benefits of my documentation work with my colleagues.” (Ester*, 27 years old)

What do these examples have in common? Young colleagues encountering behaviour that is unacceptable and goes against the Organization’s principles. They would like to be able to report their experiences, which, if proven, could lead to disciplinary action, but they fear for their careers. This is why they come to see me in strict confidence. These colleagues come from all the Member States, they may be engineers, physicists, technicians or work in administration, and they are all extremely motivated about working at CERN. But sometimes they have discovered a reality that doesn’t correspond to their expectations, a reality that undermines the Organization’s reputation. Thankfully these cases remain exceptions, but every example is one too many.

When the people implicated also have many years of experience at CERN, the sense of disillusion is even worse. Young people expect their elders to set an example and the hierarchy to intervene when they become aware of the facts.

I see that many colleagues at CERN, particularly the younger generation, have high expectations when it comes to ethics. They don’t accept behaviour that, in the past, might sometimes have been tolerated. Many young colleagues are critical; they don’t accept the status quo, and their sense of responsibility compels them to come to me for advice on how to respond.

New arrivals certainly have less experience of CERN, but they bring a new perspective and often have a strong sense of ethics and honesty. Young people are our successors, they are the future. Understanding their expectations gives us a new opportunity to reflect on how we work together.

If you witness inappropriate behaviour, first try to broach the subject with the person concerned. If you have difficulty in addressing the situation and need help, contact one of CERN’s support services.

*Names have been changed

Pierre Gildemyn

If you’d like to comment on any of my articles or suggest a topic that I could write about, please don’t hesitate to e-mail me at Ombuds@cern.ch.