Category: Article
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Responsibility and reporting
Responsibility and reporting Jack* is a new staff member. He joined CERN after having worked successfully in industry, where he had been given considerable responsibility in projects as well as in human resources, despite the fact that he was still young. After a few months, given his expertise, he found himself in charge of part
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Complaint of harassment – informal or formal procedure?
Complaint of harassment – informal or formal procedure? Don* is a CERN staff member with an indefinite contract who has been working for some years on an important technical project. As the project is large, it involves pooling the efforts of many people from different Departments. Walt* is one of the Project Leaders, and is
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Confidentiality concerning boards
Confidentiality concerning boards Phil* was a candidate for a position in a different group from the one he had been working for. After his board had taken place, Phil asked for an appointment with the Ombuds. In his opinion, the interview went reasonably well. However Phil had some concerns as he had heard that there
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Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Try an open discussion!
Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Try an open discussion! Greg* is a student at CERN doing his doctoral thesis. His thesis adviser, Wilbur*, resides in a remote university and does not come to CERN very often. As a result, he and Greg interact mostly by phone or e-mail. Greg only gets the
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Code of Conduct and e-mails
Code of Conduct and e-mails Luke* holds a key position in the coordination of a large project. He is also a recognized expert in modeling complicated structures. Because of his expertise in the field, he receives a considerable number of e-mails every day which he has trouble responding to in addition to his responsibilities of
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Fear of retaliation?
Fear of retaliation? Val* joined CERN a few years ago on a limited duration contract. He is now entering his fourth year at CERN and hopes – given his excellent results, his important technical responsibilities and his good periodical assessments – to be granted a long-term contract. The position he holds is considered essential in
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Controlling our own stress
Controlling our own stress Bob* has been working at CERN for years. During his career he developed many skills, being now an expert technician, the kind of person who can handle all urgencies. He is always ready to help and everyone appreciates him a lot. When asked for some kind of immediate help, his answer
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Team spirit and rumours
Team spirit and rumours Jeff* is the leader of a team in charge of the support, operation and maintenance of many CERN equipment. The task is complex as the equipment is scattered across the CERN site, and needs regular maintenance and constant operational monitoring. His team is formed of CERN staff and technicians working under
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Disputes may be beneficial
Disputes may be beneficial Sam* has been working in his position for many years. During his annual interviews with his group leader Jerry*, he was always told that his job performance was satisfactory, and no criticism was raised. Sam really appreciated Jerry’s fairness and was happy to work with him. The written appraisals were in
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Confidentiality
Confidentiality Jane* came to the Ombuds to share her concerns about the actions of Mike*, one of her senior colleague supervisors, and insisted on the absolute confidentiality. The Ombuds promised to keep the information confidential following the terms of his mandate. During the discussion it appeared that the whole group was affected by the situation,