Ways in Which the Ombuds Office *Can* Help 

There a number of ways in which the Ombuds Office can help you, including by:

• Providing a safe and confidential forum to surface individual and group issues
• Listening and helping to clarify underlying issues and interests
• Aiding in talking through thoughts and feelings about a touchy or thorny situation
• Helping to think through the most appropriate strategies and approaches to an ongoing dispute
• Assisting in developing and evaluating options or courses of action, and thinking through how to pursue them 
• Offering an impartial perspective
• Thinking through an agenda for a meeting to be efficient and constructive
• Assisting in developing a structure for a difficult conversation or meeting; helping a visitor prepare for a negotiation
• Looking into a problem informally (with permission from the visitor)
• Providing information regarding policies, procedures, services and programs
• Coaching and role-playing to help provide conflict management skills and enable the visitor to manage the issue themselves
• Identifying appropriate resources or services inside and outside of Brown
• Facilitating discussions and/or informally mediating conversations, voluntarily agreed to by the parties, to resolve issues that might otherwise escalate into formal grievances or legal proceedings
• Providing shuttle diplomacy by talking with parties involved in a matter separately, going back and forth between them, to help resolve a conflict
• Collecting and evaluating data on emerging trends and patterns while safeguarding anonymity and confidentiality
• Providing upward feedback regarding trends to appropriate stakeholders — while protecting the confidentiality of individuals — to support positive change
• Training on conflict management topics for both small and large groups
• Utilizing summary data to create annual or special reports
• Proposing recommendations for positive systemic and organizational change (based upon analyzing data)
• Serving as a resource to committees and groups on conflict management matters and trends/issues seen in the Ombuds Office that relate to the employee/student experience

Ways the in Which the Ombuds Office Can *Not* Help 

Importantly, the Ombuds Office is prohibited by the International Ombudsman Association's Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice from doing the following:

• Advocating for either party in a dispute; taking sides
• Making, changing, or setting aside policies
• Representing individuals or groups in formal hearings, processes, or procedures
• Addressing matters that involve the terms and conditions of employment or are within the scope of collective bargaining
• Providing legal advice or psychological counseling
• Rendering judgments, investigating complaints, or making decisions on issues brought to the office
• Acting as a witness in a formal grievance or process
• Accepting notice on behalf of the University