Category: Article
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Bread-and-butter issues in the Ombud’s office
Bread-and-butter issues in the Ombud’s office At my request, my predecessor, Pierre Gildemyn, kindly agreed to compile and share his statistics for the 2017-2020 period in order to shed light on the categories of conflictual situations that are most frequently raised with the Ombud. Here, in order of frequency, are those eight categories, each illustrated
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The third chair in the Ombud’s office: the principle of impartiality
The third chair in the Ombud’s office: the principle of impartiality The code of ethics of the ombud profession consists of a shared set of professional ethical principles: independence, neutrality, impartiality, confidentiality and informality. Of course, these principles, which are set out on the Ombud’s website, must be rigorously put into practice. Today, I’d like
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Respect and internal mobility
Respect and internal mobility A revised version of Administrative Circular No. 17, “Internal mobility”, entered into force on 3 May 2021. This Circular, together with the CERN Internal Mobility Policy, dated June 2019, set out the Organization’s policy and related provisions on internal mobility. Internal mobility is one of the subjects that people raise with
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Ten good reasons to opt for the Ombud
Ten good reasons to opt for the Ombud If you’re experiencing interpersonal problems at work, if you’re mulling over a choice that you need to make, or if a problem is stopping you giving your all, there are several places at CERN where you can turn for advice and support, known as “response channels” or
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2020 Annual Report by the Ombud – a role driving change
2020 Annual Report by the Ombud – a role driving change In his activity report for 2020, my colleague and predecessor Pierre Gildemyn shared his general conclusions at the end of four years as the CERN Ombud. In addition to the statistics set out in the report (which vary relatively little from year to year),
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My own visit to the CERN Ombud
My own visit to the CERN Ombud I have been wondering what my first Word from the Ombud could be when I have only recently taken on the role. I thought that sharing with you my own visit to the Ombud would be a good start. I contacted the Ombud many years ago, as I
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Sexism: let’s face the facts
Sexism: let’s face the facts “We don’t feel safe and relaxed when we’re at work. There are wolf whistles when we walk by, disparaging comments on our looks, stares that follow us from one end of the cafeteria to the other, lewd remarks from the next table when we sit down. Our ideas don’t get
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Humour in the Time of Corona
Humour in the Time of Corona We’ve been living through the ups and downs of the pandemic for almost a year now. During this time, as a counterbalance to the worry and despondency, we’ve seen witty exchanges proliferate on the internet and in our daily encounters with others. But does every subject lend itself to
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The Judgment of Solomon
The Judgment of Solomon King Solomon was unable to reach a verdict in a conflict between two women, both of whom claimed to be the mother of a newborn child, so he ordered that the child be cut in two, knowing that the woman who gave up the child to save its life would be
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Should you tell your colleagues everything?
Should you tell your colleagues everything? Olga* and Hans* have been sharing an office for several years. They don’t get on very well and have a lot of daily gripes, like all the personal phone calls Olga makes at the office. One morning, Olga arrives to find Hans sitting at his computer, deep in concentration.