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Employee and Student Ombuds Officer

As an employee, you can contact the Ombuds Officer easily and confidentially if a need arises for independent and impartial advice, referral, or mediation in the work situation.

This can apply to different situations, e.g., collaboration problems, harassment, or integrity issues. The Ombuds Officer can refer you to a different person or may order an investigation, supplementing the existing support structure. You can also go to the Confidential Advisors for unacceptable behavior, the Confidential Advisor on Academic Integrity, or the Confidential Advisors for PhD students.

Employee and Student Ombuds Officer

Tilburg University invests in fostering a safe working environment. As a neutral party, the Employee and Student Ombuds Officer contributes to a safe and healthy working environment and an inclusive organization and increases the university's learning ability. To that end, he/she advises the Executive Board on unacceptable patterns of behavior in the area of social safety. In addition to giving advice, both when asked and on his/her own initiative, the Ombuds Officer can provide mediation in conflict situations and handle complaints.

  • Jellienke Stamhuis

    Ombuds Officer for staff and students (temporary)

    Contact Jellienke

    Staff are welcome to make an appointment for an informal initial meeting. Jellienke can be reached at j.n.stamhuis@tilburguniversity.edu. She is on campus (room TZ201) mainly on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but she is also available on other days by appointment.

    In urgent cases or in case of long-term absence, the Ombuds Officers may substitute for each other.

Employee and Student Ombuds Officer Regulations

The Ombuds Officer is neutral and impartial and always has the interests of both the organization and the employee at heart. The Tilburg University Employee Ombuds Officer Regulations  contain the safeguards as well as the Employee and Student Ombuds Officer’s powers and duties and the procedure in the event of an investigation requested by the employee.

What are the duties of the Ombuds Officer?

Giving advice on unacceptable patterns of behavior to the Executive Board

Important objectives of the Ombuds Officer’s job are to increase the organization's learning ability, to stimulate an inclusive organization, and to improve the working environment. The Ombuds Officer identifies unacceptable patterns of behavior and advises the Executive Board on the subject. This includes identifying any patterns of undesirable behavior and social safety concerns, or systematic deficiencies in the application or interpretation of regulations. The Ombuds Officer can investigate this on his/her own initiative.

Advice/mediation/referral and investigation at the employee’s request

As an employee, you can make an appointment with the Ombuds Officer for advice or mediation, or if you do not know where to go and need a sympathetic ear. Questions can be related to a great variety of questions and issues. You can also request an investigation into the behavior of a person or university body. The Ombuds Officer will not assume the role of a special commission or of a court and will refer you if relevant (see below under 3).

If you need a sympathetic ear, you can also go to the Confidential Advisors for unacceptable behavior, the Confidential Advisor on Academic Integrity, or the Confidential Advisors for PhD students. They can also help you submit a complaint based on one of the complaints handling schemes.

Powers and limits to powers

In some fields, the Ombuds Officer does not have the authority to mediate or initiate an investigation at the employee’s request.

Examples

  • If a matter relating to legal status or the application of the collective labor agreement or further regulations is concerned;
  • If a complaints, objection, or appeal procedure is available;
  • If the matter is before a court or the court has already rendered a decision.

Matters that are explicitly regulated by a special commission are set out in the regulations below.

Can a pattern be discerned from several individual complaints (for example, unwelcome conduct)?

Then the Ombudsperson can investigate that pattern. The Ombudsperson can also analyze the complaint procedure(s) as such and suggest improvements to the Board of Governors.

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