March 6, 2008
Got a complaint? Help is available in several places
If you are a UW employee with a workplace issue, you have several options for finding help. The good news is, the options provide a continuum of services and the offices involved can work together to try and achieve an acceptable outcome.
A panel discussion on complaint procedures was hosted recently by the Professional Staff Organization. The panel included Nicki McCraw of Human Resources, Julia Gold of the Law School’s Mediation Clinic, Susan Neff of the Ombudsman’s Office and Jill Lee of the University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office (UCIRO).
All four stressed that the best time to deal with a workplace concern is early, before it escalates. “Often a good place to start is with your internal human resources person, if your unit has one,” McCraw said. She added that every unit has access to a human resources consultant; a list of departments and assigned consultants can be found <a href=http://www.washington.edu/admin/hr/contacts/servicetms/deptorder.html>here</a>.
“All of our consultants, by the way, have received training at the UW Mediation Clinic,” McCraw said. She said that HR sees its role is preventing a situation from escalating, resolving issues at the lowest level, while adhering to existing policies and agreements.
McCraw acknowledged that sometimes Human Resources is perceived to be purely a representative of management and therefore biased against the interests of employees, but she said this misrepresents the role the Human Resources plays.
“Our goal is to resolve problems at the lowest level,” she said. “Employees should know that they have several options when a situation of concern arises in the workplace. They have more options than they would with most private employers. They can use any or all of these. The only restriction is that they can’t have more than one process under way at a given time.”
Another option for employees is the Mediation Clinic, which uses third year law students supervised by Law School faculty. “We regard ourselves as a neutral third party,” Gold said.
The clinic’s approach is to facilitate a structured conversation in which each side has ample opportunity to be heard. The mediator then works with the parties to forge an agreement. Such a process can take anywhere from a few hours to an entire day. But the result must be an agreement that is mutually acceptable. By state law, anything discussed in mediation is confidential.
Gold estimated that 65 to 75 percent of those coming to the clinic reach an agreement. “The key,” she said,” is to come with an open mind.” She pointed out that, in some cases where one party consults the clinic and is reluctant to contact the other party, the clinic mediator will take that additional step.
The Mediation Clinic’s work is not limited to employment-related issues. It also can help with issues such as roommate conflicts, landlord-tenant disputes, neighbor disputes and consumer complaints. More information about the clinic is <a href=http://www.law.washington.edu/Clinics/Mediation.html>here</a>.
Employees also may choose to consult with the Ombudsman’s Office. This office’s mission is to protect the rights of individual members of the UW community, said Interim Ombudsman Susan Neff. The office provides an independent perspective. When tension exists in the workplace the Ombudsman provides an informal complaint process in which the individuals develop a plan for resolving the situation. When mediation is involved, the head of the unit is invited to participate in this process, both to observe and to help ensure that any agreement is carried out.
“One of our key goals is giving voice to the individual, and to humanizing the bureaucracy,” Neff said. “Conflict resolution is not our driving force; our goal is to help individuals present their complaints.” More information about the office is <a href=http://www.washington.edu/about/ombudsman/>here</a>.
UCIRO helps individuals with a concern about a University employee to identify corresponding investigation or resolution resources on campus. If the individual’s concern involves conduct that could violate the University’s non-discrimination and non-retaliation policy, then UCIRO offers its investigation and resolution services.
When UCIRO investigates, it provides notice of the individual’s concerns to those who have a business need to know and then interviews witnesses and reviews documents. When possible, Lee said, UCIRO facilitates resolution, which varies with the nature of the complaint and could range from training, to recommendations for improved communication, to an apology, to correction of records, or to revisions of procedures or practices, among other things.
When UCIRO issues a final report, it does not typically attribute statements to individual witnesses, but summarizes the facts and conclusions of the investigation. More information is <a href=http://www.washington.edu/admin/risk/services/uciro.html>here</a>.
Employees who have safety concerns or issues about potential violence in the workplace should visit http://www.washington.edu/safecampus/.
