How is an Ombudsperson like or not like a Counselor?
A. An Ombudsperson (Ombuds) is a special Human Resource person. He is the expert on the grievance procedure processing. He runs the office and makes it all go smoothly. There are three points in the grievance process where the Ombuds acts somewhat like a counselor: 1. When someone initially comes to say there is a problem, the Ombuds helps separate out the different aspects of the problem, helps identify the important issues and state them in a way that they can be addressed in the grievance procedure processes; 2. When someone is in the midst of pursuing any specific grievance procedure the Ombudsman can help individuals understand what is happening, their roles and their procedural options; and 3. When someone asks to try to solve the problem through Informal Resolution procedures, the Ombuds, serving as a go-between to try to come up with a workable solution, may make suggestions as to possible ways to resolve the situation and may help individuals relate to what is possible, probab
