The Office of the Ombuds Is Here to Support You and Your Students!

As you continue through the semester, we want to remind you that the Office of the Ombuds is here to support you. If faculty/staff, administrators, students or affiliates of NOVA are reluctant to formally report a situation, the Office of the Ombuds can serve as a confidential, neutral and independent resource to address:

• Student issues (e.g., unethical behavior, violations of College policies/procedures).
• Claims of workplace misconduct/prohibited conduct (including but not limited to bullying; abuse of power; harassment; discrimination; retaliation; and disruptive behaviors in the workplace such as rudeness, unethical behavior or gossiping).
• Policy/procedure concerns or violations (e.g., safety/health issues, misuse of state equipment, potential conflict of interest violations).
• Assistance as a new employee with bringing more serious, work-related concerns to your supervisor.

When you find yourself seeking informal guidance, assistance with navigating NOVA procedures, or need further information on formal reporting processes and external resources that can help you make an informed decision, the Office of the Ombuds is here to help.     

The charter linked below includes information on the following:

• the purpose of the ombuds program,
• standards of practice,
• the ombuds’ operational relationship to the College,
• authority granted to the office and
• interference with accessing the Office of the Ombuds and retaliation.

A common question from employees: How does the Office of the Ombuds differ from HR Employee Relations?

Employee Relations (ER):

• Uses formal processes to represent the College and offers disciplinary or corrective action for misconduct.
• Investigates claims of misconduct.
• Manages the formal grievance and formal mediation processes of DHRM and VCCS.
• Practices misconduct analysis and, if a conflict falls outside of policy guidelines, makes referrals to the Office of the Ombuds.
• Provides education and training on disciplinary/corrective action, as well as other conflict resolution techniques, to help resolve conflicts.
• Works with management on employee performance issues and provides guidance on formal procedures.

Office of the Ombuds:

• Works informally with employees who voluntarily visit the office. 
• Practices conflict analysis to determine if the conflict should be escalated to ER and makes referrals to that department.
• Provides education and training on how to manage conflict.
• Helps employees and students navigate formal processes.
• Offers individual or group consultation and facilitates discussion to help willing participants solve conflicts informally. No records are kept.

Learn more by reviewing the Office of the Ombuds Charter. If you have questions, please reach out to the Office of the Ombuds at EmployeeOmbuds@nvcc.edu (for employees) or Ombuds@nvcc.edu (for student matters).

Submitted by:
Shawn Addison, Employee Ombuds, SAddison@nvcc.edu