ARE OMBUDS AND MEDIATION THE SAME THING?

In Scandinavian countries an Ombudsman originally meant someone authorized to act for another. Later, in Sweden, the concept was used for an agency independent of the executive branch of government to safeguard the rights of citizens by investigating complaints and attempting to resolve them. To avoid the masculine-limiting word, the concept is now more often referred to as Ombudsperson, or simply Ombuds.

Ombuds are now used by corporations and nonprofit organizations, hospitals, universities, and government agencies to serve employees who find themselves in a conflict and request help. The Ombuds acts as a neutral party to resolve work-related disputes in a confidential and safe environment and reports only to the CEO or board of directors. Ombuds typically deal with the variety of disputes that can arise between employees and managers, including performance reviews, pay, benefits, discipline, transfer and promotion disputes, inappropriate behaviors in the workplace, and termination.

Ombuds use a variety of skills, including mediation, as well as fact finding and counseling. They make suggestions to top management, and while they do not have the authority to make decisions that are binding by the parties involved, they can make objective recommendations to the parties as how best to move forward.