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Oct 8, 2015

NC State Faculty Ombuds Office Announces New Initiative

  The “Be Nice Campaign:  Be Hard on Problems and Soft on People”   On June 19, 2015, in a New York Times opinion, Christine Porath wrote “No Time to Be Nice at Work” opening with “MEAN Bosses could have killed my father.” I wrote about this article in the summer (see entry of 7/31/15)…

Sep 1, 2015

Difficult Conversations – Office of Faculty Development Workshop

Conflict resolution workshop featuring Roy Baroff, NC State Faculty Ombuds, presented by the Office of Faculty Development on Friday September 18th from 1:30 pm – 2:45. Come learn about Conflict Styles, how to have that difficult conversation, and meet the NC State Faculty Ombuds.  Here’s a link to registration for this event: OFD Registration Hope you…

Aug 27, 2015

What’s Your Conflict Resolution Style?

  I recently conducted a negotiation/mediation training for members of the military who were working with both military and civilians from other countries. The idea was to explore how to negotiate and even mediate when one did to have authority to order an outcome. One aspect of this training considered conflict resolution styles. Much has…

Jul 31, 2015

Be nice at work!

  When should you be nice at work? The answer is “all the time” and doing so can lead to advancement and productivity. That’s part of the conclusion presented by Christine Porath, Associate Professor at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, in her recent New York Times Opinion piece, No Time to Be Nice (June 19. 2015). According…

Jun 9, 2015

Navigating the storm of Conflict

How do we deal with conflict?  That’s the question John Zinsser asks and answers in his recent TedX Charleston talk. I met John at the recent IOA (International Ombudsman Association) annual conference and he provides a great tool for thinking and dealing with conflict.  John calls himself a communication catalyst and has significant conflict resolution and…

Apr 24, 2015

IOA Conference – build relationships to build resolution

I just returned from the IOA (International Ombudsman Association) annual conference in Atlanta. Just imagine 400 ombuds from across the country and the world gathering to talk, learn, and network around the work of the ombuds. The program was packed with plenary sessions and smaller seminars with topics to meet a full range of interests.…

Mar 16, 2015

Meet the Faculty Ombuds Program

Have you seen the NC State Faculty Ombuds on campus?  If so, this is part of the Meet the Faculty Ombuds Program. The Faculty Ombuds, Roy Baroff, appreciates meeting on campus to learn more about the various colleges and departments at NC State.  He believes that a faculty ombuds office should be both separate and…

Mar 3, 2015

Moving Day

  While its been a few weeks, the Faculty Ombuds Office is now “informally” open for business.  We moved into office space at 112 Cox Avenue, Suite 213, with plenty of free parking and confidential access. Of course, informality is one of the hallmarks of the office as our goal is to help faculty think…

Jan 2, 2015

Hello NC State Faculty!

Welcome to the NC State Faculty Ombuds Office! I’m Roy Baroff, your Faculty Ombuds and I’m here to help! The NC State Faculty Ombuds Office is designed to help faculty with issues or conflicts. It’s a confidential resource to help you think through a situation and consider how you want to proceed. Learn more about…