Post on 06-Apr-2020
Office of the Corporate Ombudsman
2018 ANNUAL REPORT
Table of Contents
A Message from the Corporate Ombudsman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Constituent Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Figure 1. All Constituents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Figure 2. Internal and External Constituents by Fiscal Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
External Constituents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Figure 3. External Constituents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Internal Constituents. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 4. Internal Constituents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ReasonsforContactingtheOmbudsmanOffice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure5.IssueIdentification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Figure 6. Issues – Yearly Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Issues Per Organizational Unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 7. Issues Per Organizational Unit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Figure 8. Issues Per Unit – Yearly Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Ombudsman Office Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Contact Information: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
FY18AnnualReportIOfficeoftheCorporateOmbudsman1
A Message from the Corporate Ombudsman
TheOfficeoftheOmbudsmanopeneditsdoorsinOctober2007inaccordancewiththeGovernanceModernizationActof2007.OurOfficewascreatedwiththeintentionandfocusofbeingasafeandconfidentialresourceforallpersonsimpactedbytheAmericanRedCross,itsworkplace,missionandservicestosharetheirconcerns.SinceOctober2007,wehaveprovidedresourcesandsupporttoover5200constituents;havereachedover16,200constituentsthroughconflictresolution,education,outreach,andfacilitation;andwehaveaddressedapproximately14,000issues.
IampleasedtopresenttheeleventhannualreportontheactivitiesandinitiativesoftheOfficeoftheCorporateOmbudsmanforfiscalyear2018—fromJuly1,2017toJune30,2018.ThisreportreflectsconcernsandinquiriesbroughttotheOmbudsmanOfficefrombothinternalandexternalconstituents.
InFY18,theOmbudsmanOfficeprovidedresourcesandsupported1,965issuesraisedby1108constituents.Throughoutreach,trainings,andgroupfacilitationswewereabletoreach1,234volunteers,employeesandleaderswhilesupportingourdonors,recipientsofourmission-relatedservices,andhelpinformtheorganizationoftrendsthatmayimpacttheorganization.
TheissuesraisedwiththeOmbudsmancompriseasmallsliceofdatafromself-selectinginternalandexternalconstituents.Moreover,theroleoftheOfficeoftheOmbudsmanistoprovideinformaldisputeresolutionandmediation,andtoprovideguidanceonhowbesttoraiseoraddressissueswithintheorganization.Whilewedonotinvestigateordeterminetheveracityoftheissuesraised,weadvocateforafairprocess.
TheofficeofInvestigations,ComplianceandEthics(ICE)investigatesallegationsofwrongdoinginadministrative,civilandcriminalmatters.TheofficeofInvestigations,ComplianceandEthicsprovidesoversightoftheWhistleblowerhotlinesandfullysupportsanyemployee,volunteerormemberofmanagementwhoreportsfraud,waste,abuse,RedCrosspolicyviolations,illegal, unsafeorunethicalconduct,oranyothermisconductwithintheorganization.
Overadecadeofprovidingresourcestoourconstituents,bothinternallyandexternally—withgrowingmomentum—ispositive.Lookingtothefuture,therewillbeincreasedoutreachensuringaccessibilityandawarenessoftheresourcesavailabletoallconstituentsandenhancedcollaborationwiththeformalpartsoftheorganizationregardingconflictresolutionprograms. Wewillcontinuetosupportthedisputeresolutionprocessasthedesignatedconfidential,neutral,informalandindependentofficeintheAmericanRedCross.
Sincerely,
JacquelineVillafañe,Psy.D.,CO-OP®
Corporate Ombudsman
2
Constituent Profile
ItisimportanttonotethatanincreaseordropinthenumberofcontactswiththeOmbudsmanOfficedoesnotnecessarilyindicategrowingorreducedproblemsintheorganization.
InFY18,1,108constituentsreachedouttotheOmbudsmanOffice,andreceivedresourcesandsupporttoaddresstheirinquiriesandissueswhichwasanincreaseof312constituentsfromFY17.
Figure1illustratesthenumberandcompositionofinternalandexternalconstituentswhocontactedtheOmbudsmanOfficeinFY18excluding1,234recipientsofoutreach,groupfacilitationsandtraining.ThisfiscalyearweexperiencedanincreaseofGeneralPublicinquirieslargelyduetotheexceptionally active Hurricane season in the Fall of 2017.
Figure 1 . All Constituents (1,108 Total)
FY18AnnualReportIOfficeoftheCorporateOmbudsman3
InFY18,63percentofcontactsreceivingOmbudsmanresourcesandsupportwereinitiatedbyexternalstakeholders,while31percentwereinitiatedbyinternalstakeholders.Theremainingsixpercentofcontacts,identifiedas“anonymous”,represents63contactscomparedto29anonymouscontacts in FY17.
Externalconstituentcontactsarecategorizedasgovernment,currentexternalpartners,suppliers(prospective),blooddonors,financialdonors,andthegeneralpublic.Internalconstituentcontactsarecategorizedasemployees,volunteers,formeremployees,formervolunteers,currentcontractors,and retirees.
Figure2illustratestherelationshipofinternal,externalandanonymouscontactssincetheOmbudsmanOfficebeganitsreportinginFY08.
Figure 2. Internal and External Constituents by Fiscal Year
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External Constituents
InFY18,atotalof699externalconstituentscontactedtheOfficeoftheOmbudsmanwithconcernsorinquiriesandreceivedsupportandresources.Wedonotcollectdetailinformationonthosethatwishtoremainanonymous,andtheyarenotincludedinthispartofthereport.
DuringFY18,RedCrossdonorsaccountedfor12percentofallconstituentscontactingtheOmbudsmanOfficeand19percentofexternalconstituents.Ofthe130donorsreachingouttotheOfficeoftheOmbudsman,102wereblooddonorsand28werefinancialdonorswithvariousconcerns. It should be noted that the blood donor contacts are from a base of nearly 2.8 million volunteerdonorsnationwide.
Figure 3 illustrates the various types of external constituent contacts.
Figure 3 . External Constituents (699 Total)
*InFY18,therewere377constituentsrequestingresourcesrelatedtotheHurricaneHarveyImmediate Assistance program.
FY18AnnualReportIOfficeoftheCorporateOmbudsman5
Internal Constituents
InFY18,187currentemployeescontactedtheOmbudsmanOffice.Employeescomprised54percentofinternalconstituentsand21percentofallconstituentstotheOmbudsmanOfficeinFY18.Wedonotcollectdetailedinformationonthosethatwishtoremainanonymousandtheyarenot included in this part of the report.
Leadershipisdefinedassomeonewhosupervisesmultipleteamsorisinanexecutiverole.Amanagerisresponsibleforaprogram,supervisesworkgroupsorteamswithdeliverables.
Figure4reflectsinternalconstituentsbycategoryandrolewithintheRedCross.
Figure 4 . Internal Constituents (345 Total)
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Issues
Reasons for Contacting the Ombudsman Office
InFY18,atotalof1,965issueswerebroughttotheattentionoftheOmbudsmanOffice.Theissuesare represented according to the uniform reporting categories promulgated for the organizational ombudsmanfieldbytheInternationalOmbudsmanAssociation(IOA).ThereportingcategoriesaredesignedtoclassifythetypesofissuesforwhichpeopleuseOmbudsmanservicesandhelpidentifytrends for consistent reporting.
Itisimportanttonotethattheissuecountreflects:individualcontactstotheOfficeoftheOmbudsman raising multiple concerns; group facilitations to address organizational issues; and issuesraisedbyconstituentswhohavereachedouttotheOfficeoftheOmbudsman.
Figure 5. Issue Identification
All Issues Identified Under IOA Uniform Reporting Categories
(1,965 Total)
Itisimportanttonote,inFY18,therewere377constituentsrequestingsupportfromtheOmbudsmanOfficefortheHurricaneHarveyImmediateAssistanceprogram.UsingtheuniformreportingcategoriesissuedbyIOA,764issues werepredominantlycategorizedas:Organizatonal,Strategic,andMission-Related;Services/AdministrativeIssues; Legal,Regulatory,FinancialandCompliance;andValues,Ethics,andStandards.
FY18AnnualReportIOfficeoftheCorporateOmbudsman7
Figure6illustratestheissuesraisedacrossthepastthreefiscalyears(FY16-FY18)
Figure 6. Issues – Yearly Comparison
*ItisimportanttonotethatServices/AdministrativeIssuesinquiriesandconcernsincluderequestsfromexternalconstitutents during the active hurricane season in the Fall of 2017.
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Issues Per Organizational Unit
Figure7reflectsthenumberandpercentageofissuesraisedinFY18pertainingtoRedCrossorganizationalunits.InFY18,HumanitarianServicesincludes:InternationalServices,DisasterCycleServices,ServicetotheArmedForces,andtheOfficeofVolunteerServices.BiomedicalServicesincludesinquiriesandconcernsrelatedtoBiomedicalRegions,NationalTestingLabsandBiomedicalServicesHeadquartersoperations.IssuesandconcernsrelatedtospecificcorporatedepartmentshavebeendesignatedtoNationalHeadquarters(NHQ).Allissuespresentedbyaconstituenthavebeenattributedtotheidentifiedprimaryunitofconcern.
InFY18,generalquestionsareassociatedwiththeorganizationalunit.Therewere26questionsfromthegeneralpublicinquiringaboutRedCrossservicesthatwerenotmissionrelatedorrelatedtoacorporatedepartmentspecificallyandhavenotbeenassignedtoanorganizationalunit.
Figure 7 . Issues Per Organizational Unit
(1,965 Total)
NotethatinFY18,therewerenineissuesbroughttotheOfficeoftheOmbudsmananonymouslywithoutaspecificorganizationalunitdesignated.ThesewerecapturedaspartofNationalHeadquarters.
*TheincreaseinissuesinHumanitarianServicesfromprioryearsisduetooutreachfromconstituentsrequestingresourcesrelatedto the Hurricane Harvey Immediate Assistance Program.
FY18AnnualReportIOfficeoftheCorporateOmbudsman9
Figure 8 illustrates issues in relation to the Red Cross organizational lines of service from FY16 through FY18.
Figure 8. Issues Per Unit – Yearly Comparison
*InFY18,generalquestionswereassociatedwiththeorganizationalunitregardingtheinquiry,anoteddifferenceinhistoricaldatacapture.Therewereninecontactswithissuesnonattributabletounit,althoughtheissuesweresignificanttotheorganizationandareattachedtotheNationalHeadquartersunit.
**TheincreaseinissuesinHumanitarianServicesfromprioryearsisduetooutreachfromconstituentsrequestingresources related to the Hurricane Harvey Immediate Assistance Program.
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Ombudsman Office Actions
TheOmbudsmanOfficeprovidesanindependent,neutral,informalandoff-the-record,confidentialandalternatechannelofcommunicationforallconstituentstobringforwardandresolveworkplaceissuesandconcernswithoutfearofretributionatanylevel.InFY18,theOmbudsmanOfficeengagedin39activitiesrelatedtooutreach,trainingandgroupfacilitation,reachingapproximately1,234individualsacrosstheRedCross.
TheOmbudsmanOfficeidentifiestrendsandemergingissueswithintheorganization.Whilemaintainingconfidentialityofindividualcommunications,theOmbudsmanOfficeprovides“upwardfeedback”toleadershiptoproactivelyaddressworkplaceandservicedeliveryissues.Thisensuresthe Red Cross values and its mission are not compromised.
OmbudsmanOfficecasesaremetwithdiverseapproachesandactionssuchasconfidentialcoaching,tohelppeoplethinkstrategicallythroughdifficultsituations.TheOmbudsmanOfficealso,asappropriate,usesshuttlediplomacy,inwhichwereachouttoindividualsinvolvedinconflictordisagreementindependentofeachothertohelpmovethemtowardamutuallysatisfactoryresolution.Wecanalsobringdisputingpartiestogethertomediateanin-personresolution.
Inourmatrixorganization,wherereportingstructuresdonotalwaysfollowatypicalhierarchy,wefacilitateprocesseswithinateam,orbetweenteams.Groupfacilitationenhancesworkingrelationships,intra-teamfunctioning,inter-teamcoordinationandcollaboration.TeamsandtheirleaderslooktotheOmbudsmanOfficeinitsneutralroleassubjectmatterexpertsinprocessconsultation,groupdynamicsandfacilitationofeventsinvolvingorganizationalchangeandreinforcingconflictresolutionstrategies.
Ombudsmantrainingincludestopicsrelatingto:engagingindifficultconversations,givingeffectivefeedback,communicatingwithtrust,identifyingwhateffectiveteamsneedtoperform,managingeffectivegroupmeetingsanddecision-making,andfacilitativeleadershipskills.
Asanenhancementtootherpartsoftheorganization,andwhenappropriate,theOmbudsmanOfficerefersconstituentstootherdepartmentsforformalresolution.InFY18,wehelpedfacilitate285referralstoformalpartsoftheorganizationsuchasConcernConnectionLine,HumanResources,OfficeofGeneralCounselandconnected73constituentstovariousdepartmentsintheRedCross.Wecoached,consulted,andhelpedconstituentswiththeirconcernsanddeterminingthebestoptionstowardsresolution.
TheOmbudsmanOfficeprovideddirectsupportandguidancethroughouttheorganizationinrelationtothe2017hurricaneseason,ourFundamentalPrincipleofNeutrality,andDiversity&Inclusionissuesrelatedtorace,age,gender,religionandsexuality.Wesupportedvariousorganizationalinitiativessuchas:employeeengagementsurveysandfeedbacksessions,disasterresponseoperationstrendingissuesandconcerns,andreinforcingtheRedCrossvaluesandguidingbehaviorsintrainings,groupfacilitations,andwhenhelpingconstituentsevaluate resolutions.
Aswecelebrateoureleventhyear,theOfficeoftheOmbudsmanremainscommittedtoserving theAmericanRedCross,itsemployees,volunteers,donors,partners,government,suppliers,andthe general public.
Contact Information:
Mainnumber:(202)303-5399|Tollfree:(866)667-9331Email:ombudsman@redcross.org|Fax:(202)639-9825
redcross.org/Ombudsman
2007 – 2018Eleven Years of Service
Another 16,200 reached through Outreach,Training,andFacilitation
5,200 Constituents
14,000 Issues
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