While UNLV employees filled out their yearly self-evaluations this past January, they were given the opportunity to reflect on their achievements of the past year and goals for the next. It’s a process that can stir up pride in successes or anxiety over challenges faced.
Sometimes those challenges aren’t ones an employee feels comfortable sharing — whether in an evaluation or with a supervisor or colleague — but that’s where UNLV’s Ombuds Office comes in.
Ombuds David G. Schwartz and program manager Tifara Rachal provide a confidential space where faculty, staff, and students can be heard and explore their options without going through a formal process.
When Schwartz first arrived at UNLV in 2001, he served as director of the Center for Gaming Research within University Libraries. In 2019, he became associate vice provost of Faculty Affairs. He received his first training in mediation from William S. Boyd School of Law’s Mediation Essentials course and was appointed ombuds in 2021.
An affiliate professor in the History Department, he is also an author, speaker, consultant, and blogger. (Check out his posts on From the Ombuds blog).
Recently, he took time to talk about the services provided by his office.
What is an ombuds?
An ombuds is a neutral party who helps people resolve conflicts informally, and they’re also confidential and independent. They are an alternative or complement to the formal or administrative processes that people can pursue. A lot of the time, we help with interpersonal issues or somebody just looking at what is their next step.
What are some reasons someone might come to you?
It could be something transactional like not receiving a paycheck on time. We can’t get them their paycheck, but we can tell them who to talk to or how to get it. It can be interpersonal like not getting along with a colleague. It can be about personnel processes like: “I just got a letter of instruction” or “I don’t like my annual evaluation. What are my rights? What can I do?”
We’d have a conversation where they can explore their options. And a lot of it comes back to what the person, themselves, wants — which me, as a neutral third party, can’t tell them. I don’t know what’s important to them; I can’t tell what drives them. But I can help them think intentionally about what they really want, and explore ways they can get it.
The ombuds can’t affect policies, but can you report when an issue seems to come up frequently?
Yes. In our charter, we are empowered to report systemic issues to the campus leadership. Mostly it's looking at patterns that would affect the UNLV community. We don’t instruct administrators what to do, but we can inform them if there’s something we’ve been seeing a lot of and may warrant further investigation.
What’s one of the more frequent issues you’ve come across and can share?
The number one issue people bring to the office is: communication. So, that tells me that even though not many people come here complaining they’re not paid enough, a lot of our issues, whether with burnout or turnover, might be helped by improving communication.
For people worried about confidentiality, how can you reassure them?
Our program manager Tifara and I both take confidentiality extremely seriously. We don’t report to anybody about who visits our office. If an individual wants to talk over the phone or use another email address to set up an online meeting — we will take whatever steps are necessary for them to feel as comfortable as they can while talking about difficult issues.
What can supervisors do to provide a healthy workplace for employees?
Mutual respect is crucial, but what does that mean? Possibly different things to different people. It might help to call the ombuds and bounce some ideas around. I feel like a lot of it just comes down to communication and listening. Often when people come to us, they aren’t feeling heard, so listening can go a long way.
Does the ombuds offer services outside of one-on-one appointments?
Yes! We do workshops. We present as part of the Human Resources Professional Development program and other HR initiatives like the Administrative Assistant Academy. We can go to retreats. We’re happy to work with anyone, whether it’s three people or as many as 300.
Where are you from originally, and how did you end up at UNLV?
I grew up in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and worked in casinos there. I’ve always been fascinated by history, so I got a Ph.D. in history from UCLA, and ended up studying the history of casinos because I saw the impact they can have on a city.
Then I applied for a job here at the Center for Gaming Research. As the center’s director, I maintained the world’s biggest collection of materials about gambling and gaming. I also had the chance to write several books looking at various aspects of gambling and history.
Faculty, staff, and students can make an appointment by visiting the Ombuds Office website.
Additional Ombuds Resources Following Dec. 6
The Ombuds Office is available for those seeking help with organizational and workplace issues, including return-to-work policies, following the Dec. 6 campus shooting. The office also facilitates group discussions with units. The Ombuds resources supplement the many counseling/therapeutic resources available through UNLV Strong.
"I also conduct conflict de-escalation and communication workshops that may help participants feel more confident in their ability to advocate for themselves while appreciating the perspectives of others," says Schwartz. "Workshops can give people a chance to experiment with new techniques and approaches to resolving conflict. I really stress making workshops highly interactive and at least slightly fun."
The workshops incorporate conflict resolution principles, case studies, role plays, and improv exercises. The goal, says Schwartz, is to get people to think about what it might mean to try doing things differently.
