Category: Article
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Sexual harassment – learn to recognise the signs and take action!
Sexual harassment – learn to recognise the signs and take action! The deluge of reactions and accounts of abuse since the Weinstein affair hit the headlines has led me to reflect on a sometimes hidden problem: sexual harassment. “I had been a fellow for six months and went to a conference with my colleague. He
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Why I wanted to be the Ombud
Why I wanted to be the Ombud Like my predecessors, Vincent and Sudeshna, to whom I wish to pay tribute, I would like to share my thoughts with you in Ombud’s Corner. This first article will be a chance for you to get to know me and a chance for me to remind you of
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Things do indeed change…
Things do indeed change… “Nothing will change” is one of the complaints often heard in the Ombud’s Office. However, four years after taking on the role of the CERN Ombud and a few days before retiring, I would like to assert that things do change, albeit sometimes very slowly, and that, by addressing issues constructively,
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The Last Word
The Last Word In conflict situations, there is a tendency to want to have the last word and be proven ‘right’ and yet, that may actually be the ‘wrong’ way to go about resolving an argument, whether it is face to face or through an exchange of e-mails. Instead, the wise approach would be to
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Unearned Advantage
Unearned Advantage One of the topics that never failed to arouse interest during the recent Diversity workshops organised at CERN was that of “unearned advantage”, or the relative ease with which doors open for certain people, simply because they belong to dominant (often majority) groups, as compared to others. A useful example by which to
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It’s all about respect…
It’s all about respect… Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable, but are conflicts at CERN any different to those in other organisations? Interpersonal issues arise when people clash over different goals, perceptions or values, but does the fact that we work in a primarily technical environment mean that we handle these issues differently? Whilst there
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Empathy – a manager’s key to empowerment
Empathy – a manager’s key to empowerment Empathy, or ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’ is a key ingredient of the emotional intelligence that characterises a good manager. It is all about seeing things from others’ point of view, taking into account their thoughts, views and feelings, and being able to
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Bullying in the workplace
Bullying in the workplace ‘A team of scientists heated a pan of water to a high temperature. Then they tried to put a live frog into it. The frog jumped out immediately. A second frog was put in a pan of cold water that was gradually heated to boiling. That frog never tried to jump.
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Stepping out of our comfort zones
Stepping out of our comfort zones Taking on new tasks or responsibilities may sometimes be challenging, as they require us go beyond the familiar or ‘comfort zone’ and expose ourselves to scrutiny in an area where we are not immediately at ease. Stepping out of our comfort zones may take courage and additional effort but
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Fourth Letter from Ombudsland – bystander action matters
Fourth Letter from Ombudsland – bystander action matters I’m just back from the annual conference of the International Ombudsman Association, and this time the keynote presentation was focused on the role of the ‘bystander’ or the person who witnesses an unacceptable or potentially harmful situation and does nothing. Yet they have an influence simply by