CGIAR Ombuds Office

The Role of the Ombuds Office

All conversations with the Ombuds are confidential.  When a visitor seeks support, the Ombuds Office will listen, serve as a thought partner, help plan or develop options that can be used to surface an issue or to carry out a difficult conversation. The Ombuds person can provide resources and information about CGIAR policies and systems, and assist with informal conflict resolution and problem-solving.

The Ombuds Office uses non-adversarial and informal approaches to resolve difficult work-related problems. The Ombudsperson will go back and forth between parties to clarify misunderstandings (we call this shuttle diplomacy) and when needed, the Ombuds can facilitate discussions and mediation as an impartial third party.

The Ombuds Office notes trends and patterns to provide systemic feedback to the leadership of CGIAR. This feedback on critical incidents and systemic issues is shared without divulging the identity of individuals.  The Ombudsperson thus helps to identify and address organizational and systemic issues within CGIAR by elevating the concerns to the leadership.  The Ombuds also can provide information and referrals to organizational resources and processes such as Human Resources, the Office of Ethics and Business Conduct, and Grievance and other formal policies envisaged in your Center’s HR Policies.

On a day-to-day basis, the Ombuds fulfills the purpose and mission of the Office by confidentially receiving inquiries, concerns or questions from staff, and tailors the Office’s response based on the specific needs of each situation. 

The Services of the Ombuds Office

• Listen and clarify issues.
• Serve as a thought-partner and conflict coach.
• Make informal inquiries, gather additional information, and provide referrals.
• Offer information on available resources, identify available pathways and options to address or raise concerns.
• Provide shuttle diplomacy, wherein the Ombuds clarifies intentions and issues between two or more persons to improve relationships, without face-to-face contact between parties in dispute.
• Facilitate difficult conversations.
• Mediate with parties in conflict as an impartial and neutral resource.

The Ombuds Office is an independent, impartial, informal, and confidential channel for communication for all CGIAR leaders and staff. The Ombudsperson does not take sides or advocate for individuals. The office is not an office of notice and is designed to be “off- the-record.” The Ombuds Office does not keep records of individuals with identifying information but keeps notes of issues and concerns.

The Ombuds office is an alternate mechanism that supplements existing formal channels such as one’s own supervisor, People and Culture, Human Resources, or institutional grievance mechanisms.

Another important feature of The Ombuds Office is that it is independent of the management structure of the organization and reports directly to the organizational chief executive. The Ombuds works outside the chain of command and has access to documents and information that is relevant to the case at hand. The Ombuds Office at CGIAR is set up according to the Standards of Practice of the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) like other International Ombuds Offices around the world.  More than a 1000 Ombuds Offices, worldwide, practice according to the Standards of Practice of the International Ombudsman Association which recommends that the Ombudsperson should report to the highest executive in the organization—such as the President, CEO, or Managing Director.”

The Ombuds Office is a resource for informal dispute resolution and problem-solving services only. The Ombud Office functions on an informal basis by such means as listening, clarifying, providing, and receiving information—the Ombuds Office facilitates dispute resolution and provides mediation services as part of its range of solutions.

The Ombuds does not make binding decisions and will not participate in formal investigative or adjudicative procedures, whether internal or external. The Ombuds will not serve as a witness or participate in any process which is formal.  The Ombuds will, however, endeavor to provide visitors with information about relevant formal grievance or complaint processes to help educate them about their options. Use of the Ombuds Office will be voluntary and is not a required step in any grievance process or policy.

What are the "Standards of Practice"?

The following Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics for Ombuds are provided by the International Ombudsman Association, which include:

• Independence: The Ombuds Office is functionally independent and reports directly to the Executive Managing Director of CGIAR. Its duties are not part of the Institution’s management, ensuring that it remains free from interference. This provides employees with an alternative and confidential space to discuss workplace conflicts or concerns outside of formal channels and without fear of retaliation.

• Impartiality: The Ombuds Office advocates for a fair process, not for any individual or group of people . It seeks to provide balanced, timely assistance for resolving workplace issues.

• Informality: The Ombuds Office is an informal and organizational resource. It does not make management or policy decisions, arbitrate claims, or conduct formal investigations. It helps individuals explore informal pathways for resolving disputes. It does not keep records and has no authority to receive notice of claims against CGIAR. If an individual wants to notify CGIAR of an issue, the Ombuds can discuss the available formal options.

• The Ombuds Office will be a resource for informal dispute resolution and problem-solving services only. The Ombuds does not make binding decisions and will not participate in formal investigative or adjudicative procedures, whether internal or external.  The Ombuds will not serve as a witness or participate in any formal process.  However, the Ombuds will endeavor to provide visitors with information about relevant formal grievance or complaint procedures  to help educate them about their options. Use of the Ombuds Office will be voluntary and is not a required step in any grievance process or policy.

Confidentiality
Confidentiality is a defining feature of the Ombuds Office. All communications and discussions with the Ombuds Office are confidential. Visitors agree to be bound by the same confidentiality provision, and their identity is not revealed.

If the conflict resolution process requires information about the individual, then the Ombuds Office will seek the caller’s permission before moving forward. In case there is an imminent risk of serious harm, and no other option is available, the confidentiality of the individual may not be protected.

FAQs

About Dr. Anu Rao, Ombuds

Dr. Anu Rao is a systems thinker, organizational ombudsman consultant, diversity and race relations trainer, and facilitator. She currently serves as the Organizational Ombudsperson at CGIAR.

Prior to this role, Anu worked as an Ombudsperson for 22 years at several organizations, including:

1. Consulting/Founding Ombuds at OMV Petrom in Romania
2. Founding Ombudsperson at the Asian Development Bank in the Philippines
3. Director of the Ombuds Office at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, USA
4. Ombuds at Coca-Cola Enterprises in Atlanta
5. University Ombuds at Princeton University, USA

Anu integrates her values of equity, fairness, and mutual respect with her knowledge of human behavior and organizational cultures.

She has experience in Human Resources Development at the University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Health Systems, and Princeton University. Additionally, Anu taught Social Policy and Practice at the Graduate School of Social Work at UPenn and at Bryn Mawr College.

She earned her Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania through the Graduate Group in City Planning and Wharton. She also holds an MA in Planning and an MSW degree from UPenn and Bangalore University in India, respectively.  Her Ph.D. Dissertation is an organizational ethnography that studied the culture of academic science and medicine.

Anu is a native of India and a US citizen.