Although he does not define the role using the IOA standards, his description will resonate with all Organizational Ombuds:
Mr Tröster, can you briefly summarise what the duties of an ombudsperson are and what kind of skills should they have?Gerhard Tröster: The duties are defined in the ETH Organisation Ordinance. In a nutshell, they consist of supporting all ETH members who are experiencing difficulties with their work or studies. In terms of skills, I can definitely second the three Es mentioned by Rector Günther Dissertori when he took office: enthusiasm, empathy and expectation management. These terms are a nice summary of what one should bring to this role. A certain affinity for ETH is also helpful.* * *What courses of action does an ombudsperson have when dealing with a case?An ombudsperson doesn’t have any executive powers, meaning they can’t enforce or mandate anything. But they have the right to question any unit at ETH and receive an answer. In many cases, there are issues at play such as a lack of clarity in an employment or research contract. In the instance I’m thinking of, the person who came to us didn’t want to contact the legal department themselves because they were afraid their case could become public. Here I took on an intermediary role and inquired at the legal department myself without naming any names.
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