Work / Family Life Balance

How can the role of an Ombudsman fit with Marriage and Family Life Education and help with Work / Family Life Balance?

A healthy work / family life balance is essential for a good marriage yet spouses often bring home work or are burdened after hours by work conflict. Managing time properly at work along with working through unique career issues can help with work / family life balance. After spending all day at work, often spouses use valuable marriage and family time to do after hours work or solve issues within their work environment. This can affect the couple relationship in negative ways. Working on a marriage may, at times, involve working through or processing work issues if needed. During those times, it can be helpful to speak to someone who is trained to help navigate complex work issues.  Patrician decided to get trained as an Ombudsman and Civil Mediator / Neutral due to the high frequency of clients seeking marital help who struggled with work / family life balance and needed a trusted advisor to be a sounding board for complex and high stakes issues within their work which spills over into family life and affects marriages and family life. An Ombudsman and a Civil Mediator / Neutral deals with work related issues and does not mediate family divorce conflicts or get involved in divorce proceedings. Not every client needs assistance with work related issues, but for those who need a trained professional to be a sounding board to help process work issues, Patrician can assist.

History of Ombudsman

The history of the Ombudsman begins with King Charles XII of Sweden when he appointed the first Ombudsman in 1713. The role was added to the Swedish Constitution of 1809 and was called a Justitieombudsman. The concept of Ombudsman spread through Europe with Finland establishing a similar role 1919, Denmark in 1954, Norway in 1963, Canada and the United Kingdom in the 1960's, and the United States in 1966. The Modern Ombuds empowers People, Businesses, and Organizations to reach their full potential.

The Modern Ombudsman

Organizational Ombuds assist people at all levels of an organization with navigating complex relationships, policies and work environments while working to promote civility, fairness and justice. When fulfilling the role of an Ombuds in the context of Marriage and Family Life Education, Patrician follows the guidelines and ethical practices of the International Ombudsman Association.

An Organizational Ombuds is a trusted advisor who is:

Independent- An Ombuds functions independently of formal channels and other services.

Impartial- An Ombuds does not take sides but works to support empowerment and fair process.

Confidential- An Ombuds protects your identity and the confidential information you share, unless it is determined that there is an imminent threat of serious harm.

Informal- Speaking with an Ombuds is off the record. An Ombuds does not retain permanent records of confidential communications.

An Ombuds will not:

Receive notice of claims against an organization.

Conduct Investigations.

Make management decisions or policy.

Advocate or take sides.

Substitute for formal channels.

Testify or produce documents in legal or other proceedings.

Call 706-831-6026 or email 

[email protected]

for an appointment today.


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