Tag: Ombuds role
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Feeling beyond help
Feeling beyond help The World Health Organization ( WHO) web site defines mental health as: “a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community”. The site also lists – non-exhaustively – risks to mental health, also
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The CERN Ombud, a unique resource as we return from the summer break
The CERN Ombud, a unique resource as we return from the summer break As the summer draws to a close and we all gradually return to work and meet our colleagues again after the holidays, I thought it would be useful and appropriate to remind you of the Ombud’s role in serving the CERN community
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No judgement… Really?
No judgement… Really? The principles underpinning the Ombud’s work, as set out in the Code of Ethics of the International Ombuds Association, are confidentiality, informality, independence, neutrality and impartiality. In my opinion, another important principle – namely freedom from judgement – is not sufficiently reflected in the Code, even though it is partially covered by
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2022 Annual Report by the Ombud – Why read it?
2022 Annual Report by the Ombud – Why read it? The 12th Annual Report by the Ombud is now available on CDS at this address. I hope you enjoy reading it. This year, for the first time, the full, detailed version is accompanied by a more concise PowerPoint version giving the key points. The annual
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Have you encountered excluders?
Have you encountered excluders? This week marks the International Women’s Day – a day that I always want to celebrate in some way. Last year I shared with you my experience of being a woman at CERN in the 1990s. As I was exploring a new angle to gender diversity at CERN – a topic
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No, don’t do anything!
No, don’t do anything! My first duty as Ombud is to listen actively to the visitors who, in my office, explain the challenging situation they’re facing. Listening actively to them enables me to understand the situation, measure the impact that the problem is having on them and get a sense of what their goals are.
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Books and plenty more besides…
Books and plenty more besides… The Ombud’s office is a large office in the Main Building (room 500-1-004), close to one of the entrances to the Main Auditorium. It’s fitted out in a way that allows me to receive visitors comfortably and in a relaxed and pleasant environment. When I took up my duties –
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I hope I won’t need to come and see you
I hope I won’t need to come and see you When I took up the position of CERN Ombud in April 2021, I was faced with a variety of reactions when I told my colleagues the news: Of all the reactions, the one that struck me the most was the last one: “I hope I
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Open Space meeting of UNARIO ombuds – a unique opportunity for experience sharing and professional network support
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. In the past, my predecessors reported to you regularly on their participation in the international conferences of the IOA
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I’m feeling harassed …
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”. Following this discussion, we consult the definition of harassment given in CERN’s Operational Circular No. 9 (OC9),