Are you Ready for Ombuds Day 2024?

By Lana Smith-Hale, Assistant Ombuds at UCSB & Anthony Keen-Louie, Associate Ombuds at UCSC,

If you’ve been a part of the IOA community for a while, you probably have a good sense of what Ombuds Day is, and have found creative ways to recognize the day with your colleagues and constituents. But for the newer Ombuds or for the Ombuds who are looking to refresh their Ombuds Day practices, this blog post is for you! 

Ombuds Day grew out of the ABA Dispute Resolution Committee, which realized that the field needed to better understand the role of an Ombudsperson. So now, every second Thursday in October, we celebrate Ombuds by both connecting Ombuds with others in the Community (usually with a free webinar - link to sign up for this year’s event), as well as an opportunity to encourage each Ombuds to engage with their own constituents. IOA highlights this as an opportunity to understand the profession deeper and encourage greater awareness and use of the Ombuds services and programs.         

This is where this article comes in handy! Are you: 

  • Short on ideas? 
  • What to know what your colleagues are doing? 
  • Want to explore new ways of helping to recognize Ombuds Day?

Here are some ideas we hope might be helpful to you in promoting Ombuds Day:

Use announcements, testimonials, or proclamations to promote your office:

Many of our constituents in our organizations have never heard of an Ombuds, and we know “word of mouth” is often one of the most common ways visitors find us. However, using Ombuds Day as an opportunity to get the word out can help!
  • Announcements: does your organization have newsletters that go out to the whole organization, or even individual units? If so, seek out ways to promote your office there. One example from these authors is the “Tuesday Newsday” weekly email that goes to the entire UC Santa Cruz community where the recent re-opening of the Office of the Ombuds was promoted under the “briefly” section: https://news.ucsc.edu/tuesday-newsday/2023/october-10/
  • Proclamations: One idea is the mirror proclamations that ABA, in collaboration with IOA, seeks from all 50 states and Washington D.C. – perhaps within your own organization. Of course, you will want to consider how to do this and maintain independence – but a collection of recognition from a university or corporate system, supporting the work of Ombuds is a possible way to raise visibility. Check out more details on your state’s proclamations here (https://abaombudsday.wordpress.com/proclamations/
  • Testimonials: Are there other ways to have testimonials/endorsements of your office that could help raise awareness? A recent example was of a Human Resources Director that used an Ombuds informational session to share not only how helpful the Ombuds can be, but also that her work with the Ombuds matches our SOPs – noting that HR does not receive any information when meeting with the Ombuds regarding visitors.

Outreach opportunities to visitor communities to increase engagement is another main goal for many Ombuds: 

  • Some Ombuds offices will use the day as an opportunity to celebrate, opening their doors and inviting participants into the office space.  Some food items that have been successful: Donuts (to symbolize the O), Swedish fish candies(to symbolize the origin of the Ombuds name), and coffee tend to have a mass appeal (it’s not just undergrads who are drawn to where free food is!).   
  • Consider your visibility in your organization. Update your signages, refresh your flyers, and make sure your outward presence makes it clear how to access your services. Use this day as a “deadline” to get this and other marketing plans done. Consider finding an “Ombuddy” (Ombuds buddy) to be accountable with – you can both share your efforts/get feedback/help with meeting deadlines!
  • Offer a training session, by partnering with a speaker on an Ombuds related topic to your constituents (e.g., change management, managing conflict in the workplace, Effective communication skills). 
  • Make your outreach fun and engaging by including fun games into your efforts (e.g., spinning wheel for prizes, bubble machine to attract folks to see what is happening, games like back-to-back drawing (where folks pair up and sit back to back. One has a picture and describes the image, without naming it, while the other draws what they are told). 
  • Take stock of your outreach efforts. Ombuds Day is a great opportunity to think about what areas of your organization you have not connected with at all, connected a while ago, or recently. What areas of your organization are you most receiving visitors from and the least? Do you track this? Use Ombuds Day as an opportunity to perhaps reach out to the leaders or groups of individuals who you do and do not hear from often - perhaps tailoring messages (offering to join a staff meeting to those you may see little visitors from - as an example).

Please consider Ombuds Day as an opportunity to reignite interest in your office, connect with Ombuddies for ideas/support, and help promote our critical work supporting those in our organizations. 

If you have a great idea or suggestion for how you have recognized Ombuds Day in the past or your plans for 2024, please share below in the comments section!

Happy (early) Ombuds Day!

 
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