Ombudsmen helping resolve workplace conflict

The offices of federal ombudsmen aren't well known or widespread, but agencies that use them find them helpful in quickly resolving workplace conflicts, according to a new General Accounting Office study. The study, "Human Capital: The Role of Ombudsmen in Dispute Resolution"(GAO-01-466), identified 22 ombudsmen's offices in 10 federal agencies. Ombudsmen deal with a wide range of workplace issues, from answering questions about agency policies to dealing with discrimination charges, GAO found. Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, asked for the study to find out more about how ombudsmen work in the federal government and how successful they are in reducing complaints and grievances. GAO focused on the roles of offices of ombudsmen at the National Institutes of Health, the International Broadcasting Bureau and the U.S. Secret Service. "Common among the three ombudsmen's offices was their broad responsibility and authority to deal with almost any workplace issue, their ability to bring systemic issues to management's attention and the way in which they worked with other agency offices in providing assistance to employees," the report said. In addition, ombudsmen are working in conjunction with agencies' alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs, GAO found. ADR encompasses a wide range of techniques, including mediation, fact-finding and arbitration. ADR is intended to cut the time and cost of traditional administrative and legal procedures used to resolve personnel and contractual disputes. According to GAO, ombudsmen offices often use ADR techniques to solve workplace disputes, but primarily focus on developing conflict prevention strategies. The core principles for professional ombudsmen include independence, neutrality and confidentiality, but there are no federal guidelines for ombudsmen, GAO found. Since the offices of federal ombudsmen are not keeping formal records and because agencies are not evaluating the programs, accountability needs to be built into the process, GAO said. The Interagency ADR Working Group, which is chaired by Attorney General John Ashcroft, is studying the role of the federal ombudsman and may issue guidance on standards for ombudsmen's offices. GAO asked the attorney general to ensure that any issued guidance be clearly defined and to explain how the guidance can be applied consistently across federal agencies. In his written response, Ashcroft said he would ensure that the group's guidance meet those standards.