The NC State Faculty and Staff Ombuds Office empowers people and the university to reach their full potential by offering a range of independent, impartial, informal and confidential services. Bradley Davis, the faculty and staff ombuds, helps achieve this goal by engaging with faculty and staff to help inform critical decisions; building and strengthening relationships across the university; and surveying the university terrain, monitoring trends and promoting fair process.
We recently spoke with Davis about the office, his position and how he serves the university, helping make NC State a more welcoming place for all.
What are your primary responsibilities in your role as faculty and staff ombuds?
My role as the faculty and staff ombuds is to serve the NC State faculty and staff community as a confidential, informal, impartial and independent source of assistance for faculty and staff at the university; who have complaints, concerns or disputes involving others at the university; or want to otherwise discuss or seek advice on a matter involving their experience at NC State. Additionally, I serve as a source of information on university policies, processes, procedures and available resources and responsible parties to assist in conflict resolution. My role does not conduct formal investigations or serve as an advocate or representative for any individual visitor or group, nor do I have authority or capacity to render decisions, alter policy, offer legal advice or provide psychological counseling.
While working with faculty and staff, my role is to also analyze and assess avenues for potential resolution and provide information about such avenues, including but not limited to information on university policies, regulations and rules; administrative processes and procedures; and available resources to assist with resolution. Additionally, I utilize my role to convey concerns, disputes, trends, systemic problems and organizational issues brought forward by visitors to the Faculty and Staff Ombuds Office and to high-level leaders and executives in a confidential manner.
Why is it important to the university to have an ombuds on campus?
Having an ombuds on campus for faculty and staff provides visitors with a safe and informal opportunity to be heard and share their respective concerns, conflicts and challenges. The faculty and staff ombuds is also a valuable resource for providing assistance in identifying options for managing or resolving concerns as well as facilitating communication between or among conflicting parties. Visitors who are experiencing conflicts or challenges in their work experiences may feel nervous or anxious about bringing their concerns forward and having an ombuds gives those individual visitors a neutral place to be heard. For university leadership, having an ombuds provides another channel of feedback to bring forward concerns that could potentially have far-reaching consequences or outcomes.
How does your previous experience at NC State allow you to better serve faculty and staff?
I am thankful for the opportunity to continue my work at NC State as the faculty and staff ombuds, having previously worked within the Division of Academic and Student Affairs in the Office of Student Conduct. My previous experiences have provided me with the opportunity to build and cultivate relationships across campus as well as having familiarity with the administration of the institution. Being aware of campus resources available for faculty and staff helps in conversations with visitors about resources available to address their particular concerns and needs. I have spent my professional career working at institutions in the UNC System. With knowledge about UNC System policies as well as institutional knowledge about rules, regulations and policies, I feel well-equipped to share accurate information that can help visitors.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
One of the areas of my role that I enjoy the most is programming and outreach, including getting out of the office and interacting with different groups, units and departments to educate them about the ombuds role and services. The ombuds profession continues to grow, so I appreciate any opportunity to bring awareness on the value of having this resource available for our faculty and staff. I also love listening and helping others who are experiencing challenges and conflict in the workplace.
I enjoy connecting with faculty and staff, building rapport and providing a space for individual visitors to be heard who feel unseen or unheard by their managers and supervisors. As a lifelong learner, being in this role has opened the door to new learning opportunities and the ability to expand my professional network of other ombuds locally, regionally and nationally. Over the past six months, I have completed the foundational ombuds course with the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and an Alternative Dispute Resolution certification.
What is something that people might not know about faculty and staff ombuds services?
Often those who work in the ombuds profession will use the term “visitor” to describe the person whom the ombuds is helping. I am able to meet with visitors in-person, virtually or by phone. I am flexible to meet the needs of the visitors and their schedules. Appointments can be made online, by email or by phone.
The Faculty and Staff Ombuds Office operates pursuant to the IOA’s Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics. As a best practice for establishing an ombuds office, the IOA highly suggests creating an office charter. When starting this role at the end of August 2023, one of the first orders of business was to update the Faculty and Staff Ombuds Office charter. This charter serves a governing document and establishes the practices of the office. As a growing profession, I believe there can be a lot of mystery and confusion about what exactly an ombuds does and operates. The Faculty and Staff Ombuds Office charter can help eliminate such confusion and better the campus community about the office’s scope and structure.
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