The ACME Ombuds Resource
Independent. Impartial. Informal. Confidential.
If you’d like support with any workplace issue, the ombuds team is here for you.
We can help with any workplace issue, including:
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Our Services
In a confidential, off-the-record meeting, we will listen, explore different options for addressing your concerns, help you navigate relevant organizational resources, and coach you through how to effectively communicate your concerns to others should you choose to do so. We can also help facilitate informal discussions between two or more people when appropriate or work with groups experiencing conflict.
What is an ombuds?
The term “ombuds” (pronounced “ahm–buhds”) comes from a Swedish term meaning “a person who has an ear to the people.” The ombuds team is an independent, impartial, informal, and confidential resource for ACME employees.
An ombuds can help you brainstorm and evaluate options to address your concern(s) or questions, prepare for a difficult conversation, navigate complex organizational dynamics, identify relevant policies and procedures, determine how to raise a concern effectively, proactively prevent conflict, and anonymously raise concerns to leadership.
The ACME ombuds team has two ombuds, Nnena Odim and Josh Hoch (see bios below), who are available to work with employees to effectively manage, address effectively, and surface work-related issues. The ombuds team supplements and does not replace formal administrative channels.
FAQs:
Please see this page for answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the ombuds resource.
About the ombuds team:
Contact one of the ombuds below to discuss your concerns and explore options to move forward.
Nnena Odim is a mediator, ombuds, attorney, trainer, and consultant. She has been mediating since 1997 and has mediated disputes involving issues such as employment, housing, business, consumer, academic/higher education, and domestic relations. Nnena has also designed and/or led conflict management trainings for several local and national businesses and agencies, including the Boston Public Schools, Massachusetts Housing Authority, Neighborhood Works, Coca-Cola, and Netflix. In addition to her mediation and conflict resolution training background, Nnena is trained by the International Ombuds Association and has served as an ombuds for CVS, the American Planning Association, and several local construction companies. After 25 years, Nnena has recently retired from Harvard Law School, where she was the Director and Senior Clinical Instructor of the Family/Domestic Violence Law Clinic at Harvard’s Legal Services Center. In addition to being an active practicing attorney in Massachusetts Family and Probate Courts, she provided experiential training to law students and taught them how to become effective and ethical attorneys. Nnena has worked with the Harvard Mediation Program (HMP) and Harvard Program on Negotiation to provide trainings for students and community members, and to supervise Harvard Law School students in their mediation and negotiation studies. Nnena has also served on numerous panels and speaking rosters for a variety of topics, including those on self-care and mental health for students and faculty, establishing boundaries in a professional setting, race and gender, and LGBTQ+ rights. Nnena was honored by the Harvard Women’s Law Association International Committee, received the Harvard Law School Dean’s Award for Excellence, and was a Top Women in the Law award recipient from Mass. Lawyers Weekly.
Josh Hoch has been an ombuds, mediator, and instructor with MWI since 2001. He is the Director of Ombuds & Mediation Services, overseeing MWI’s Outsourced Ombuds Panel and Conference Ombuds. He has provided ombuds services for notable clients such as CVS Health, Arapahoe Basin, and John Moriarty & Associates. Josh collaborates with organizations seeking conference ombuds services and mediates a diverse range of case types. As MWI’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) liaison, he manages employment and higher education referrals for MWI mediators nationwide. Additionally, Josh conducts advanced mediation training for various clients, including the Executive Office of the Massachusetts Trial Court. He is an active member of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and the East Coast Ombuds Group (ECOG). With over 24 years at MWI, Josh brings a wealth of experience to his work in conflict resolution.
Contact
- Email: Email a member of the ombuds team – Nnena at [email] or Josh at [email].
- Phone: Contact Nnena at [phone] or Josh at [phone] (direct and confidential phone and voicemail).
- Confidential web form: If you have a concern at work and would like to raise it anonymously, or if you would like to make an appointment with the first available ombuds, please fill out the web form below.
An ombuds team member will get back to you within one business day.
The ombuds resource was established under a charter approved by the ACME CEO. A copy of that charter can be found here. The charter incorporates by reference the Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice of the International Ombuds Association (IOA) and requires that the ACME Ombuds Resource adhere to the IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. The charter, as well as the IOA Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, contain important information about the ACME Ombuds Resource and the manner in which it functions.
Due to the independent, impartial, informal, and confidential nature of the ombuds function, communication with an ombuds team member does not constitute formal notice to ACME.
