Meeting Tahirih Varner, the new Ombuds

Jul 24, 2024 | News | 1 comment

Tags: ALMA

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She has been in Chile for a little less than a month, but claims to bring a little Spanish with her from Atlanta, USA.

A mother of two university-educated children, a lover of swimming and being in nature, Tahirih Varner, the new ESO Ombuds (80%) and ALMA Ombuds (20%), invites us to think differently about problems or conflicts: “One of my favourite quotes is an African proverb that says: ‘Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors’. Unless the sea gets rough and choppy, we don’t have a chance to be really good, do we? If it’s calm all the time, then how can we grow to our full potential?”

With that optimistic outlook, Tahirih explains her role: to support collaboration and conflict management within the organization.

Ombuds is a word of Swedish origin, meaning “advocate”, but Tahirih takes a finer point and points out that the role of Ombuds is to advocate for fair practices and policies and not to take sides with any person within the organization or with the organization as a whole. “My job is not to take sides, but to try to make sure everyone has a voice and the ability to participate in fair practices and policies, and to try to work together to find win-win solutions,” she explains.

For any work-related conflict, Tahirih is all ears: whether it’s a problem getting along with a colleague or a concern that they are being paid less than others of the same rank. “Whether it’s a problem with a policy or it’s interpersonal with another colleague or maybe their supervisor, I can show them how to do it, how to have that conversation, help them know what their options are.”
Her role may resemble that of the Human Resources team, but it is nuanced. First and foremost, all communication with her is completely confidential and cannot be shared with anyone in the organization, nor does she conduct formal investigations of individual cases. “The Ombuds is a place for employees to explore their options and then decide what they want to do. Maybe they want to take the case to HR for a formal process or maybe they prefer to have a conversation with the person they have a problem with and hopefully I can give them tools to have that conversation, or mediate between the two parties,” Tahirih says.
Whatever the problem, Tahirih is ready to work: “When you’re doing work as amazing as astronomy, where the stakes are high, the tension can be high and create some conflict. Which is uncomfortable, but it’s not necessarily negative, it can be seen as an opportunity for something better. So we’ll see. I’m here to serve and I hope I can be useful,’ she concludes.
Tahirih will be giving talks to deepen her role in ALMA. You can find her on the following dates:
– July 25th – Via Teams – 10 AM – In English
Click here to enter the talk
– August 5th – OSF Main Conference room – 6PM – In Spanish
– August 8th – OSF Main Conference room – 6PM – In Spanish
For any questions, you can contact Tahirih through these channels:

• Her email [email protected]
• Her phone +56 9 3921 4617
• At her office 141, located at SCO
• On chat with her on Teams

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1 Comment

  1. Martin Diaz
    Martin Diaz on July 24, 2024 at 8:45 pm

    Welcome Tahiri!

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