Systemic Trends

The Ombudsman promotes systemic change within the organization through upward feedback on the underlying root causes of conflict in the workplace. The Ombudsman identifies and reports on recurring practices and procedures as well as policies and workplace cultures that adversely affect the employment experience within the Funds and Programmes. The objective of reporting on systemic issues is to identify best practices and to help to correct recurrent maladministration. Such feedback also helps the organization to assess potential areas of risk that would benefit from immediate corrective action and thereby increase organizational efficiency.

The graph below shows that the categories where the majority of systemic issues have been identified during 2021 are in the areas of evaluative relationships (relationships between supervisors and supervisees), job- and career-related issues and compensation and benefits.

Issues that have consistently been reported by the Office Ombudsman since it began its work in 2002 to date are listed below.

  • Abuse of authority
  • Career management
  • Change of assignment
  • Communication
  • Harassment (including bullying)
  • Interpersonal conflict
  • Non-renewal of contracts
  • Performance management and feedback
  • Recruitment process
  • Re-profiling
  • Separation
  • Termination

More information on systemic issues as well as all recommendations from the Office of the Ombudsman can be found in our Annual Reports.