UT Employee Advisory Council Ombuds Issue Bringing equal treatment to all UT System Employees

1. UT Employee Advisory Council Ombuds IssueBringing equal treatment to all UT System Employees Erin Waneck, ex officio Chair, UT Austin Staff Council, March 2009

2. Ombudspersons in Higher Ed • Our focus group of 17 peer institutions found • 13 have full-time staff ombudspersons • The majority of those 13 house have both faculty and staff ombudsperson(s) in the same office, with shared resources

3. Peer Institutions with Ombudspersons • Texas Tech University • Southern Illinois - Carbondale • Clemson University • Savannah College • University of Arizona • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign • University of California Los Angeles • University of Oklahoma • University of Virginia • University of Wisconsin - Madison • University of California Berkeley • University of Washington • Michigan State

4. Peer Institutions with Ombudspersons • Of UT System component institutions, UT - Dallas has approved the establishment of a Staff Ombudsperson • Working with the International Ombuds Association for objective development of their position.

5. Who is an Ombudsperson? • Someone who does not advocate for any one side, and remains neutral and supportive of a fair resolution to disputes and differences. • A professional who reports directly to the President or his/her designee, alleviating any appearance of institutional conflict of interest.. • A “Troubleshooter” to identify areas within the institution having systemic problems or malfunction.

6. What Does an Ombudsperson do? • Independent, meaning this individual is not part of the management hierarchy within the institution. • Impartiality, offers an objective assessment for those seeking services and whom are experiencing difficulties. • Confidentiality, where employees are free to say what is on their minds, and no records or documentation are kept. • Informality, where staff are encouraged to resolve issues at the lowest effective level.

7. PROs vs. CONs • CONs • No policy decisions are binding • Cannot compel anyone to implement their recommendations • Cannot give legal advice • Do not determine guilt or innocence

8. PROs vs. CONs • PROs • Influence of campus climate • Impartiality • Friendly collaboration with HRS • Mediation • Consulting • Training • Advising

9. Metrics • Metrics from peer institutions reveal • 85% of all conflicts occur between employee and their supervisors. • Most conflicts concern a “Break-down” of communication, therefore mediation is always a constructive form of resolution. • Leading issues for Conflict resolution are: • Civility 43% • Work-styles 26% • Structure/organization 15% • Performance 14% • Job status 14% • Discrimination 10% • Discipline 9% • Compensation 8% • Taken from survey conducted from UCLA’s Ombudsperson 2008

10. Survey results from UT Staff Council: • University of California-Berkeley has had an Ombuds position for staff since 1984 • Capturing feedback from staff utilizing their services report 100% satisfaction rate • According to Margo Wesley current Ombudsperson at UC Berkeley • Texas A&M University is currently working with their faculty and staff to create an Ombuds position on their flagship campus.

11. UT Austin Staff Council Ad Hoc Committee Information The ad hoc committee sent a survey out to peer institutions and found that most already have instituted an Ombuds position for staff The LBJ School of Public Affairs Student Assembly passed a resolution to support an Ombuds for staff Dr. Mary Steinhardt, the current faculty Ombudsperson attended our January meeting where she offered support and information for gaining an ombuds for staff

12. Garnering support & gainingbuy in from University groups The President of Student Government has agreed for myself and the LBJ students to present a resolution in support of a staff Ombudsman at their March 10th meeting. The resolution is expected to be passed The Faculty Council Chair has agreed for us to make a presentation at the Faculty Council meeting on March 23 requesting a similar resolution The ad hoc committee will be hosting a presentation on the issue at the free speech zone in April The ad hoc committee will ask the administration to review our information in June

13. What a resolution looks like: IN SUPPORT OF A STAFF OMBUDSPERSON POSITION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS Authors: Members of the LBJ Graduate Student Body: Akram Al-Turk, Becca Carson, Clare Duncan, Alice Gerhart, Garrett Groves, Katherine Samuels, Nirav Shah, Emily Vasile Sponsors: Akram Al-Turk, Katherine Samuels LBJ School of Public Affairs Support for the Creation of a Staff Ombudsperson WHEREAS the University of Texas is one of the largest and most respected universities in the nation; WHEREAS President William Powers, Jr. articulated in his address to the staff recognition program of May 3, 2007 that the UT staff “make it possible for the university to fulfill its responsibilities to teach, to research, and to serve the public,” and refers to the UT staff as “the backbone of our institution”; WHEREAS students are consumers of an educational product that relies heavily on the expertise of staff who support the academic excellence of the university;

14. Resolution continued WHEREAS undervalued staff result in higher turnover leading to lower quality staff performance, which affects students through inconsistencies in financial aid, health services, grade reporting, diplomas and other administrative processes; WHEREAS UT students secured an ombudsperson in 1968, and UT faculty secured an ombudsperson in 2002, leaving staff as the only group unrepresented by a neutral, third-party arbitrator; WHEREAS the UT staff voice concerns through the Dispute Resolution Office that is aligned with Human Resource Services, and who are directly responsible for their employment and advancement; WHEREAS the UT Staff Council does not feel that the Dispute Resolution Office offers an unbiased and confidential process;

15. Resolution continued WHEREAS The University of Texas at Dallas recently approved an Ombudsman position for staff; WHEREAS the UT Staff Council has established the creation of an office for a Staff Ombudsperson as their top priority, “to provide a vehicle for communication of interests, concerns and issues that affect staff”; WHEREAS staff provide invaluable support to current students, future students and their families; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the graduate student body at the LBJ School of Public Affairs supports the Staff Council in their mission to secure an Ombudsperson for all staff personnel at the University of Texas at Austin. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this resolution be sent to the University of Texas Student Government, and the University of Texas Graduate Student Assembly.

16. Concluding • In the new millennium, and the new economy, organizations are facing new challenges, diverse workforces, increased litigious society, less job certainty and employee loyalty, increased challenges in balancing work-life and family pressures; it is appropriate that organizations focus on handling conflict in the workforce by updating the proven model of an ombudsperson to meet these challenges.