The Ombuds Blog: Ombuds as a Best Practice for Corporate Boards

January 25, 2019

Ombuds as a Best Practice for Corporate Boards

An article posted by the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation (the leading online resource for discourse on corporate governance) asserts that Ombuds are a best practice for companies in the #metoo era.

"The Board, CEO Misconduct, and Corporate Culture" by Laurie Hays offers ten best practices for companies seeking to adopt constructive reform before sexual misconduct issues become a major governance crisis. An Ombuds comes in third on the list:

3. Establish a culture ombudsperson who reports to the board with a dotted line to help oversee Human Resources. As a credible resource for employees, many HR departments have been seriously damaged by #MeToo revelations because they didn’t act unless the CEO was on board. The ombudsman can receive complaints if victims are too afraid to talk to HR or management.

(HLS Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation.)

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Organizational Ombuds

Organizational Ombuds serve as a confidential, independent, neutral and informal dispute resolution resource for a specific entity. They are accessible to a defined population and can advocate for fairness. These unique characteristics distinguish Organizational Ombuds from Classical Ombuds, mediators, arbitrators, and other alternative dispute resolution professionals. The term "Ombuds" is shorthand for "Ombudsman," "Ombudsperson" and "Ombuds Officer," which also are used widely.

Some other variants include:

Austria -- Ombudsstelle

Brazil -- Ouvidor

Croatia -- pravobranitelji

France -- médiateur/defénseur

Germany -- Ombudspersonen

Italy -- difensore

Netherlands -- ombudspersoon

Norway -- ombudet

Poland -- Rzecznik

Portugal -- provedor

Russia -- омбудсмен

Spain -- ombudsman organizacional

Sweden -- studentombud

Switzerland -- ombudsmann

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January 25, 2019

Ombuds as a Best Practice for Corporate Boards

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