Last year, the Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) announced its intent to create a new “Ombud Service” within its national office to facilitate resolution of concerns raised with the agency by the agency’s stakeholders. The new Ombud Service is designed to receive stakeholder concerns, promote and facilitate resolution of matters at the local level, and accept and review matters referred by the national office.
The creation of this Ombud Service at OFCCP provided us with an opportunity to put together a guide to what an Ombuds program is and how it typically operates in the private sector workplace. For employers that may be interested in learning more about corporate Ombuds programs, we have also included some references that provide more detailed information.
Please note that this guide contains only general information and is not intended to provide legal advice. For questions regarding specific issues, legal counsel should be consulted.
Members of the Center for Workplace Compliance (CWC) can read more here.