Halliburton Ombuds Explains Her Work

Anamaris Cousins Price, Halliburton's Latin America Region Ombudsman, has penned a post for Argentinian attorney and blogger Guillermo Ceballos Serra. Price, who has worked in the profession eight years, gives an excellent overview of the role of an Organizational Ombuds in an corporation. Since Halliburton is a multi-national organization, much of her work is handled by phone:

[T]he truth is that most of the work I do is over the phone. I spend a lot of time listening to callers who need help with things such as understanding why they haven’t received a promotion, coaching them on how to work with a difficult colleague, finding out when they will receive their final paycheck or simply who to call to change their medical benefits. When the phone rings, I never know who it is or what they will need; the only thing I know for sure is that they need help. 

Because OO spend so much time speaking to the members of an organization, you could say we have a finger on the organization’s pulse. We are able to hear from people who may not be heard of because they fear retaliation, or they are not sure who or how to report problems. Although we maintain confidentiality, we are able to provide valuable feedback to senior management regarding the health of the organization and ways to improve employee morale.

(Ceballos Serra Blog.)