Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Los Alamos National Laboratory Ombuds Office Biennial Report FY2017-2018

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1499308· OSTI ID:1499308
 [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Visitors contact the Ombuds Office to obtain coaching, explore options, develop strategies, learn about LANL resources, understand formal processes and policies, or request a facilitated discussion/mediation. The number of visitors who contacted the office in FY17 and FY18 was 540 and 555, respectively - the highest annual numbers since FY08. The Ombuds Office supports professional workplace communication and conflict management skills through individual consultations, presentations, the resource library, and special events. Courses are regularly scheduled and available to the LANL workforce. Annually, an average of ~1950 participants attended Ombuds courses, workshops, and talks in FY17-18. The total number of individuals who attended presentations in FY17-18, both internal and external to LANL, was 4005. Staff continue to present annually at the International Ombudsman Association Conferences and New Mexico Alternative Dispute Resolution Symposiums. In this reporting period, the Laboratory Ombudsman was recruited to present communication and negotiation skills courses for several universities and prestigious national science and engineering organizations. The mission of the Ombuds Office is to enhance communication and mitigate conflict. Staff provide expertise, feedback and resources to employees, leaders and organizations in order to strengthen conflict and communication capabilities. A related function of the office is to identify and report trends, without breaching confidentiality or anonymity. Trends and concerns may be raised around policies and procedures - including potential future issues – or concerning unhealthy patterns within an organization. The underpinnings of Organizational Ombuds work at LANL are provided by the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) Standards of Practice, (IOA Standards of Practice, 2009; Code of Ethics, 2007). The four IOA tenets are neutrality/impartiality, independence, confidentiality and informality.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
1499308
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--19-22098
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English