Staff Ombuds Office

Backgrounds for ombuds officers are varied, from lawyer to secretary, to engineer. Most, however, have been with their organization for a long time. Surveys indicate the average tenure is 16 years.

A great deal of what an ombudsperson does is listen with a respectful ear. The most important quality for an ombudsperson is to be a good listener and to possess the ability to offer absolute neutrality.

There are many work related problems and issues that can be resolved before they escalate to a point that causes an employee to file grievance, seek legal assistance, or resign their position. The campus administration recognized that the campus did not have a staff resource to provide mediation and negotiation services. The Ombudsperson is expected to take all reasonable steps in protecting records and files, pertaining to confidential discussions, from inspection by all other persons, including management. The Ombudsperson should not testify in any formal judicial or administrative hearing about concerns brought to his/her attention. The administration intends for the Ombudsperson, when making recommendations, to assume the responsibility of suggesting actions or policies that will be equitable to all parties.

If you are a campus staff member involved in a situation at your job that hinders you from performing your duties, and you feel you have tried to resolve it without success, you have a resource on campus that can assist you. Examples of cases referred to the Ombudsperson include, but are not limited to: supervisor and/or co-worker conflicts, age/race/gender discrimination, P.R.D. and other personnel issues. The Ombudsperson deals strictly with work related issues.

Campus employees experiencing personal or any other types of non-work related issues should refer to our list of other resources.

Ms. Mashanda Mosley
Phone: 301.405.0805
Fax: 301.405.0806
Email: umd-staff-ombuds@umd.edu

By appointment only: A variety of appointment times are made available to offer flexibility.  Appointments are offered via a virtual format (Zoom), by phone, or in person. To schedule an appointment, please send an email request to umd-staff-ombuds@umd.edu.

Voicemail messages are checked regularly, and please include your email address when leaving your voicemail. Messages are confidential and only handled by the Staff Ombuds personnel. Every effort is made to return your call as soon as possible.

• University of Maryland Ombuds Services
• The Conflict Resolvers Network