FAQs

UW–Madison employees who wish to talk to an ombuds should call the Ombuds Office at 608-265-9992 and leave a message, with your last name clearly spelled out and a phone number or email address. Employees may also contact the office by email at uw-ombuds@wisc.edu.

Although the office is not staffed for drop-in visitors, ombuds rotate weekly on-call duties, monitoring the phone and email, and responding to all inquiries. Generally, ombuds meet with individuals or small groups virtually, by phone, or at agreed upon locations on or near campus.

The Ombuds Office works with interpreters from the university’s Cultural Linguistics Services (https://hr.wisc.edu/cls) to serve non-native English-speaking faculty and staff.

Find the phone number for your preferred language at https://ombuds.wisc.edu/language-assistance.

Employees may schedule a visit with an ombuds during their normal work hours. Under some circumstances, it may be necessary to receive approval to leave an assigned work area. Employees may also work with the ombuds to identify a meeting time outside of normal work hours that is more convenient or provides greater privacy.

Yes. The visitor (person who sees an Ombuds) decides whether the issue will go beyond the Ombuds Office. It is important to remember that the confidentiality of email cannot be guaranteed. Email is suitable for setting up an appointment, but visitors should not include personal or confidential information in the message. For more information on confidentiality, view UW–Madison’s Ombuds Code of Ethics (https://ombuds.wisc.edu/uw-madison-ombuds-code-of-ethics).

To protect visitors’ confidentiality, ombuds do not create or maintain documents or records for the university about individual matters. The only information retained from contacts by visitors is that regarding demographics and types of challenges, issues and concerns. These data are not associated with visitors’ names or any other identifying information such as department or school/college/division.

Yes, if you are an employee at UW–Madison and you wish to discuss a workplace issue. If you are not an employee or if you are simply unsure where to go for assistance, an ombuds may be able to suggest other campus resources. For example, you may wish to contact Student Affairs (https://students.wisc.edu) about general student life concerns.

No. Without the opportunity to discuss the situation or concern with the employee, understand essential details of the concern and potential outcomes the employee seeks, an ombuds cannot respond with suggestions, options or strategies for potential action or resolution. The ethical standard of confidentiality and supporting practices for the office and each visitor (employee) protects identity.

No. The Ombuds Office is not designated by UW–Madison as an entity authorized to receive reports of violations of university policies or of unlawful practices. Therefore, communications made to ombuds regarding possible violations do not constitute notice to UW–Madison. This provision ensures the freedom of ombuds to work independently and confidentially with individuals seeking assistance.

The Ombuds Office submits an annual report to the provost. The report is subsequently distributed to the campus governance groups and made available to the general university community. The report provides general information about visitor demographics, issues and concerns they have experienced, any trends or patterns observed, and recommendations for improving campus climate for employees.

The most recent annual report can be found on the https://ombuds.wisc.edu/services page.