Counseling and Mediation Services for Employees Planned

UZH employees are to have professional advice available to them in the future for all work-related problems, distress, and conflicts in the workplace. To this end, UZH is planning to establish an office that provides counseling and mediation services. A concept for this office has been in development – with the involvement of all stakeholder groups – since the end of 2016 and has now been approved in principle by the Executive Board of the University.

“In my opinion, such an office is part of any university’s good governance,” says UZH President Michael Hengartner. The services are to be easily and directly accessible as well as unbiased.

Implementation planning is currently under way. The team of advisors should be trained in psychology as well as legal matters. “At the moment we can imagine having two specialists, each working part-time, and we’ll then see how the demand for their services develops,” says Hengartner.

When exactly the new office will take up its work can’t yet be determined, since its creation also involves putting in place the corresponding legal basis. “But we’re confident that we’ll be able to begin offering these services in the coming Fall Semester,” says Hengartner.