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FAQs

Here are some of the frequently asked questions about Employee Liaison Service (ELS) and workplace coaching.

Who can use this?

Workplace coaching with Fair Way is available for free to employees of organisations who have signed up to the service. This includes:

  • Staff members
  • Managers
  • Volunteers.

If your organisation has signed up for ELS, information about ELS is usually available on your intranet or through your HR team. If you are not sure, please contact us by freephone on 0800 35 55 55 to confirm.

What kind of information do you report to the organisation?

No personal details about employees are shared.

Fair Way reports on usage statistics, including the kinds of issues Fair Way is seeing. This allows the organisation to be proactive about dealing with issues it may not be aware of. Fair Way also provides anonymised case studies to the organisation for educational purposes. 

Why do organisations sign up?

Organisations sign up for Fair Way’s Employee Liaison Service (ELS) and access workplace coaching services because:

  • It is a way for employees to talk about difficult, work-related issues off-the-record and in confidence
  • Employees feel more in control and better able to resolve issues
  • Benefits can include higher productivity, more engaged staff, less employment relations problems, and greater staff resilience
  • It empowers employees and supports, not replaces, HR, EAP, unions, and the organisation’s existing processes, roles and channels.

What professional standards apply?

Services like this are often known internationally as an 'organisational ombudsman'.

Fair Way’s workplace coaching service (known as Employee Liaison Service or ELS) practices in accordance with the International Ombudsman Association’s Standards of Practice. These standards ensure that our practitioners work to the highest professional standards.

However in New Zealand, under Section 28A of the Ombudsman Act (1975), the use of the name ombudsman is restricted to those appointed under the Act or where the Chief Ombudsman has given prior written consent to use the name. That is why we do not describe our service as an ombudsman.