In September 2024, Mgr. Zuzana Labudová, Ph.D., MBA became the first ever ombudsperson at FEE CTU. You can read about her priorities in the role of ombudsperson in an interview that was conducted on the occasion of her taking up the post.
Ombudsperson of the FEE CTU
The ombudsperson of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU is an independent body that contributes to the development of a friendly and respectful environment, and the promotion of equal opportunities for students and employees at our faculty. It provides support for those studying and working at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU and addresses issues of ethics, equal treatment and conflict situations.
Mgr. Zuzana Labudová, Ph.D., MBA
Dr. Zuzana Labudová studied Language and Literary Culture at the Faculty of Education, University of Hradec Králové and Gender Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, Charles University in Prague, where she also received her PhD in Applied Ethics. Professionally, she has been involved in education all her life, especially in the field of equal opportunities. She leads a team implementing equal opportunities audits, gender audits, and diversity audits. She works in the non-governmental non-profit organization called Osvětová beseda, which focuses mainly on the education of teachers and school managers. For the last two years, Dr. Labudová has served as an ombudsperson at The Crop Research Institute in Prague. Since September, she has been an ombudsperson for students and employees at the FEE CTU and also at the University of Pardubice.
Contact
When and how to contact the ombudsperson?
If you are studying or working at FEE CTU and you feel that you are discriminated against, do not have equal conditions, or have been a victim of bullying, mobbing, bossing, sexual harassment, inappropriate behaviour or other discriminatory behaviour.
You can contact the ombudsperson by email, send a complaint by post, or visit them in person during office hours. However, by prior arrangement, the meeting may also take place outside the Faculty premises for greater confidentiality. The complaint can also be made anonymously, but in this case, the possibilities for investigation may be limited.
At each stage of the complaint, the ombudsperson will ask whether the person who has made the complaint wishes to remain anonymous.
How will the investigation of the complaint be conducted?
The author of the complaint will first agree with the ombudsperson on how to communicate with each other and whether he or she wishes to remain anonymous. The ombudsperson will then ask everything that is needed at the time to deal with the complaint and start the investigation. During the investigation, they may ask for testimony from people in a similar situation and, if necessary, for the necessary documents. At the next stage, she will offer mediation to both parties to the dispute. If no agreement is reached, the ombudsperson will summarise the results of the investigation, together with a recommendation for an appropriate course of action, in a report to be submitted to the Dean of the FEE CTU. The ombudsperson shall inform both parties to the conflict of the investigation result. They may also suggest how to resolve the matter systemically.
What principles does the ombudperson follow?
Two documents regulate the work of the ombudsperson at FEE CTU: the Dean's Directive and The Methodological Guideline for Investigation of Complaints by the Ombudswoman of CTU FEE.
The ombudperson maintains three main principles of their work: confidentiality, impartiality and independence. In their work, the ombudsperson seeks to understand the motivations of all involved and to find the best possible solutions. The ombudsperson maintains the confidentiality of information discovered in the course of the investigations and does not disclose confidential information to third parties without the consent of the persons who have disclosed it or to whom it relates.
The ombudsperson shall investigate complaints in a manner that is fair to all persons concerned.
