Bulletin Articles

The harm that misunderstandings can cause

The origin of the word “misunderstanding” is clear: it combines the prefix “mis-”, meaning badly or wrongly, with the noun “understanding”. So a misunderstanding is when something has been understood wrongly. 

<a href="/taxonomy/term/67" hreflang="en">Self management</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/66" hreflang="en">Communication</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/71" hreflang="en">Conflict management</a>

Open Space meeting of UNARIO ombuds – a unique opportunity for experience sharing and professional network support

Thursday, 13 October 2022 is International Ombuds Day, dedicated to the global promotion of the ombud role in organisations. Let me share with you a recent experience in Ombudsland ...

<a href="/taxonomy/term/68" hreflang="en">Ombuds role</a>

Need to step in to defuse a conflict?

Conflicts need to be caught in their very early stages and can sometimes flare up so quickly that planning mediation by the Ombud is not the most effective way to address them.

<a href="/taxonomy/term/71" hreflang="en">Conflict management</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/69" hreflang="en">Managing people</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/66" hreflang="en">Communication</a>

I’m feeling harassed …

“Harassed”. This is a word I often hear in the Ombud’s Office. Actively listening to my visitors, I explore their definition of the term and seek concrete examples of situations where they felt “harassed”.

<a href="/taxonomy/term/72" hreflang="en">Harassment</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/68" hreflang="en">Ombuds role</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/70" hreflang="en">Code of Conduct</a>

Quiet quitting

Although I am very much aware of inter-generational differences, I had not realised how the millennial and Gen Z attitude to work could be, in general, so different from the mindset of Baby Boomers (my generation).

<a href="/taxonomy/term/67" hreflang="en">Self management</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/69" hreflang="en">Managing people</a>

Coping with pervasive anxiety

Thursday, 28 July was Earth Overshoot Day – the date when humanity has consumed all the resources that the earth can sustainably produce for the entire year. When we are faced with this anxiety-inducing reality day after day, it’s easy to let ourselves be influenced and

<a href="/taxonomy/term/67" hreflang="en">Self management</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/66" hreflang="en">Communication</a>

A duty of care to junior colleagues

In 2021, 20% of the visitors to the Ombud’s office were under 30. I would like to share with you the main issues and concerns that affected them. 

<a href="/taxonomy/term/68" hreflang="en">Ombuds role</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/69" hreflang="en">Managing people</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/67" hreflang="en">Self management</a>

The 4W repair kit for work relationships

How can we support members of our Laboratory in addressing conflict early on, before it reaches the Ombud’s Office?

<a href="/taxonomy/term/66" hreflang="en">Communication</a>

Videoconferencing and creativity: a wobbly coupling

Creativity is one of the five values of CERN. That’s why, when I heard on my favourite radio programme that Nature had published an article on the impact of virtual interactions on creativity, I reached out to the online journal to find out more about this piece of research.

<a href="/taxonomy/term/70" hreflang="en">Code of Conduct</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/73" hreflang="en">Teamwork</a>

The cost of conflicts

Conflict is part of workplace life. It is unavoidable and inescapable because we all have different expectations and needs. There are numerous well known causes of conflict.

<a href="/taxonomy/term/71" hreflang="en">Conflict management</a>, <a href="/taxonomy/term/68" hreflang="en">Ombuds role</a>