Ombud's Day reflections: Quiet work in a noisy world

Today is Ombuds Day, a quiet kind of holiday for a quiet kind of role. No cake or card or balloons or speeches. Instead, it is a moment for those of us in this niche, people-centered role to pause and reflect on the work we do. Our work often takes place in the in-between spaces of an organization, behind closed doors, under the radar, in whispered hallway check-ins that start with, "Do you have a few minutes? (Yes, I do. That's the job.)

What I actually do

My teenager thinks I "help people not crash out at work." They are not entirely wrong. But more precisely, as an organizational Ombuds, I serve as a confidential, informal, impartial, and independent resource for City employees navigating work-related concerns. That can mean anything from interpersonal tensions to questions about policy, to "I'm not even sure if this is a thing, but can I run something by you?"

Why this work matters

The reality is that conflict, in the broadest sense, is normal. Any time you have humans working together, there may be misalignment, miscommunication, and missed opportunities. But organizations don't thrive because they avoid conflict. They thrive when they have the courage and structures to engage with it constructively. That's where the Ombuds role comes in.

We are not fixers or enforcers. We listen without an agenda. We guide through ambiguity. We help people find options. We create psychologically safe space for honest dialogue. We offer a platform to say, "This isn't sitting right, and I don't know what to do next."

A quiet thank you

There are no quarterly metrics for avoided escalations and no dashboard that tracks trust so every second Thursday in October, we pause to recognize the critical role we play in keeping our workplace healthy. We do so with appreciation for the trust employees place in us every day. There is power in this quiet work in an otherwise noisy world.