Ombuds Dilemma: Should I be a Brand Ambassador?

Dear In Practice,

In a recent virtual visitor meeting, I looked at my reflection and realized I was not only wearing a shirt embroidered with my organization’s logo but also drinking from one of our organization’s mugs. Thank goodness I had temporarily deactivated the virtual background that prominently features our organization’s logo and which all employees are now strongly encouraged to use.

I’m starting to realize that the opportunities to promote the organization’s brand are endless, and so, too, are the associated choice points for me as an ombuds. Do I align with the organization’s brand or am I supposed to create my own office brand? Do I use the organization’s colors in outreach and marketing? Should I wear clothing with our organization’s logo? I have so many questions.

I know I’m independent, yet I’m also an employee and a part of this community. I don’t want to give visitors the wrong impression about whether I’m independent and impartial, and, at the same time, I do want to convey my organizational connection. What’s even harder is that I love our organization’s branding – our signature “organizational orange” is one of my favorite colors!

Please help. Where do I draw the line?

The Kinds of Spaces We Enter and Create

The appearance of impartiality and independence is undercut when we are surrounded by organizational regalia. An ombuds brand may help you build awareness and signal your distinctive relationship with the institution. In some cases, choosing an ombuds-specific color scheme and logo might be straightforward. But there are also organizations so committed to uniformity that creating a distinct identity for your office will require creativity and persuasiveness. You might advocate for “independent indigo” in addition to “organizational orange,” they go together. And you might consider how to tie into an employer logo without fully adopting it.

I think a lot about the kinds of spaces we enter and create. Having unique branding for your website, employee fairs, and other public venues, where you have limited time to create an impression, makes sense. During visitor consultations, I sometimes encounter people who feel deeply hurt and betrayed by their organization. I hesitate to navigate that kind of woundedness with the employer logo on my shirt.

For these reasons, I avoid virtual backgrounds and only wear organizational apparel during off hours. I am less squeamish about items that cannot be mistaken for a uniform: mugs, pens, and the like. My advice is to remain thoughtful and trust your instincts.

Josh Canzona
Associate University Ombuds
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

A Level of Mindfulness

I relate to this dilemma as an ombuds for an organization that prides itself on its strong brand identity. The official branding at my institution is encouraged throughout all departmental marketing and communication channels, therefore, I must be mindful to retain my independence and impartiality while adhering to the brand identity of the institution.

You highlighted one of the benefits I see in maintaining organizational brand identity. Branding creates an immediate visitor connection based on a perceived shared understanding of the organizational dynamics. Visitors find value in an ombuds who understands the complexity of their situation due to familiarity with the organization and may hesitate to reach out to someone they suspect isn’t familiar with the organizational dynamics.

You can establish your independence through your words and actions as you engage with the community. Ombuds are committed to the betterment of the organization by offering a safe place to discuss the difficult challenges and conflicts that compromise a community members’ experience. To do so effectively, we must be careful not to let our connection to the brand imply a dismissiveness about the importance of what’s shared.

This level of mindfulness allows us to both assert a sense of independence and maintain the branding of our organization.

Bryan Hanson, EdD, CO-OPⓇ
Ombuds
The Graduate School – Virginia Tech

Ombuds Are Values Ambassadors

Brand Ambassador, please try to relax.  Although you never want to go overboard (moderation is always a good thing,) I think it is appropriate for an ombuds to “lean into” connecting to our organization’s brand.  Thinking practically, our independence and impartiality standards of practice relate to how ombuds manage our programs and perform our interventions (i.e. being self-directed, autonomous and unbiased,) not our affiliation/connection to the organizations/communities we serve.

At Shell, our brand is represented by the “Shell Pecten,” and it is not uncommon for Shell visitors to tell me they are looking for Shell respondents to live up to the stated “Shell Pecten” core values of honesty, integrity and respect for people.  Considering these 3 values as synonymous with my role as Shell’s ombuds, I believe if anyone should be displaying the “Shell Pecten” at Shell, it is me.

In my experience, the concern that potential visitors have about ombuds independence and impartiality relates more to where an ombuds reports, how we are evaluated and/or who pays our salary; not whether we are wearing organizational swag.  I encourage you to proudly display your organization’s logo, colors and/or swag – in moderation.

Sean Banks
Shell Ombuds Services (SOS)
Director and Company Ombuds

Dilemma #6: What Does the Survey Say?

Dear In Practice,

I know that customer surveys are considered a best practice in most service sectors. Almost every interaction I have with a service professional (or even a website chatbot) will be followed by a survey about my satisfaction with the provider or my experience. Personally, I find these surveys annoying and seldom respond.

My ombuds program tried an anonymous post-service survey several years ago and ultimately discontinued the practice for several reasons. First, our response rate was poor and didn’t come close to providing a representative sample. We were also concerned that asking visitors to fill out the survey introduced a transactional feel to the ombuds/visitor dynamic. As an impartial resource we wondered - were visitors satisfied with our services only if they got their desired outcome? Lastly, we felt that the survey ended up pushing us and our visitors toward closure - sometimes prematurely.

Still, I know that surveys can provide important feedback or data for understanding our visitors’ needs, experiences, and satisfaction. They can be helpful in establishing value with our organization, guiding our efforts toward continuous improvement, and tracking our performance over time. Despite all of the benefits, I’m torn about whether or not we should reconsider surveying our visitors. What do you think?