University of South Florida Establishes Ombuds Continuity Plan
USF Faculty Staff Ombuds Steve Prevaux has established a continuity-of-operations plan for his office by engaging MWI as a backup service provider. The arrangement is intended to ensure uninterrupted Ombuds services for more than 15,000 faculty and staff across three campuses in the event of an unexpected absence, addressing a vulnerability for solo Ombuds offices.
Thanks, Tom, for highlighting this example.
ReplyDeleteOne of the strengths of the ombuds field is the creativity and care practitioners bring to supporting their communities. Steve's planning reflects a commitment to ensuring continuity of service, particularly in a solo office where unexpected absences can leave visitors without access to support.
We hope this encourages conversations about continuity planning and how offices can best serve their communities when the unexpected happens in whatever form makes sense for their circumstances.
It can take years to build highly functioning Ombuds operations. Ensuring the continuity of those sustained operations is essential given the likelihood of unplanned service interruptions over time. Living in Florida, this is the summer season when we are most appreciative of capable colleagues, including MWI, who are reliable and ready to add capacity whenever needed.
ReplyDeleteFor the sole practitioner (or even small office of two where the unavailability of one Ombuds will be felt) this is a wonderful solution. Whether it is MWI, or some other outsourced Ombuds provider, this should be a best practice for Ombuds offices and their respective institutions. Before we hired our Ombuds Associate this was an option that I considered seriously (and only did not pursue simply because the ability to hire an Ombuds Associate became a reality). The ability to offer continuity of services when one take leave (sick, vacation, etc.) brings ultimately both peace of mind to the Ombuds and the organization.
ReplyDeleteAt $390/hr., the rate in the MWI contracts floating around in the UC system, having just 1/4 time (2 hours per day) stopgap service will cost an institution about $17,000 per month. That works out to $67,000 PER MONTH on a 1.0 FTE basis. Institutions might reasonably consider whether it makes more sense to just hire a retired ombuds to step in for a while, like a locum tenens physician.
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