NIH Employee Resources

Resources for Contractors

As a non-federal employee in the NIH community, the Office of the Ombudsman is a resource for you offering assistance in work-related concerns you may have with a federal employee. Our staff members help people express concerns, resolve disputes, manage conflicts and learn more productive ways of communicating. Our office does not serve as an advocate for employees or managers, and our services are offered on a voluntary basis. Our function is to provide many services, including mediation, facilitation, and coaching for individuals and groups to encourage better communication and promote early problem-solving in the workplace. Depending on the situation, we may ask that you also include your contract supervisors in any process involving our office.

The Office of the Ombudsman can provide help in addressing concerns about difficult interpersonal situations, unfair treatment, harassment, and other workplace issues. Our office will discuss various options with you and assist you in obtaining the information and resources needed to address your concerns. We can also help clarify NIH policies and procedures and explain how they apply to you. Your communication with our office will be kept confidential, including the fact that you contacted our office. Because of the nature of our work, employees are not required to reveal their visit to our office with anyone, including supervisors. All of our services are offered on a voluntary basis; thus we cannot require any person to engage even if you might wish that a person would participate in a conflict resolution process.