Annual report by staff Ombuds Officer available
Leiden University has had a staff Ombuds Officer since 2022, Marjan van Dasselaar. Based on her experiences she has written a report for calendar year 2023 including a summary of her work, an outline of the number of reported incidents and the nature of the underlying problems, and a number of recommendations.
Reports
The number of reports made in 2023 is proportionally higher than in 2022, indicating that staff members know how to contact the Ombuds Officer. The Ombuds Officer was contacted on several occasions by managers with questions about social safety issues. ‘It is good to see that managers are asking for help at an early stage’, says Van Dasselaar. On the other hand, PhD candidates still appear reluctant to contact the Ombuds Officer. ‘The contacts with the graduate schools and participation in information sessions for PhD candidates seem to have made people more likely to contact the confidential advice network, but for PhD candidates there is still room for improvement in terms of seeking attention and standing up for themselves’, says Van Dasselaar.
In the past year, the Ombuds Officer has become even better acquainted with staff members and managers at all levels of the organisation. ‘Everyone was willing to speak with me and our conversations were open and valuable’, says Van Dasselaar. The conversations have given the Ombuds Officer more insight into the work environment at the university.
Recommendations
Based on the conversations with staff who reported issues to the Ombuds Officer and managers, the Ombuds Officer has made some recommendations. She advises talking about unacceptable behaviour instead of ‘working around it’. She also calls for better support for new managers and more clarity about appointment procedures for academic staff. Many of the recommendations made in the 2022 annual report – such as speaking to each other in person instead of mailing back and forth about unacceptable behaviour – are still relevant.
For more information read the full annual report.
Contact the Ombuds Officer
As staff Ombuds Officer, Marjan van Dasselaar gives independent advice to the University on how the staff’s work environment can be made safer. She can be reached by mail and phone (06-38950408). Anonymous reports cannot be dealt with.
Social safety at Leiden University
Have you experienced or witnessed unacceptable or transgressive behaviour? The staff website on social safety gives information about what you can do yourself and which ‘helplines’ can assist you in this situation.