House of Reps seal and a whistle

Testimonials

Individuals who interact with the Office may provide feedback on its services and resources. If you would like to provide feedback, please contact the Office.

General
  • Whistleblower cases can be very difficult to handle. It's great having input and support from the Whistleblower Ombuds Office. - Constituent Services Representative
  • I feel much more confident in working with whistleblowers since the creation of the Office of Whistleblower Ombuds. Before your office, there were no manuals or on-call guidance to help congressional staff. – District Office Staffer
  • Tremendous depth of knowledge and resources; ability to tailor advice and resources to particular situations; emphasis on confidentiality of process; very practical solutions and ideas that recognize the gray areas and challenges of various circumstances. – Committee Counsel
  • Our experience with your office was one of the best I've had in my experience in the office so far. – Caseworker
  • Responsiveness, depth of knowledge and experience [were most helpful]. – Staff Director
  • Can-do attitude when approached with new ideas; true kindness and ability to "meet people where they are" when explaining protocols and advising. – Professional Staff Member
  • The Office is a great resource for an under-appreciated part of our jobs serving constituents in often tricky matters. I'm glad to have a place to go for information beyond just Committees of Jurisdiction. – Legislative Director
Resources
  • The ability to sift through large amounts of information quickly is so essential in our line of work, and the Whistleblower Ombuds Office make it easy to do so with their tools and resources. - Counsel
  • Resources on how to work with whistleblowers (i.e., how to protect them, how to protect the office), as well as resources to consider to deal with the issues presented by the whistleblowers [were most helpful]. – District Director
  • This is a very helpful manual. I share it when we have new staff come on board, especially those who handle casework and whistleblowers. – Staff Director
  • I have relied heavily on the office's list of resources that I can refer whistleblowers to. – Legislative Correspondent
  • The flowchart is right next to my desk on the wall. [It is] a very helpful tool while on a call. – Constituent Services Director
  • Great resources, especially the whistleblower intake workflow. Thank you for mailing that flyer to the [District Office], it has helped us create better office procedures for when we get a new case. – Caseworker
  • I think the best resource was getting to talk to someone and share the questions and concerns I had. I was able to understand clearly what I and the office can do and what information I still needed from the constituent. – Congressional Staffer
Trainings
  • It was a quality training.  I particularly liked the role-playing situations. People seemed to have learned a lot and now I have a lot of help! I’m a big fan. - Staff Director
  • This training was extremely helpful in improving my confidence in speaking with whistleblowers. Although I'm far from an expert, I feel equipped with the resources to ask the right questions, protect confidentiality, and provide helpful referrals and survival tips. – Congressional Staffer
  • Helpful information and resources for those of us who are unfamiliar with the nuances of helping individuals who are brave enough to stand up for what's right. – Constituent Services Representative
  • This was one of the best, most detailed casework presentations I have ever participated in … I typically dislike role playing, but the way you prepared it made it work well … This training was well worth the time! – Congressional Staffer
  • The trainings provided to staff proved quite a help. Since whistleblower laws and procedures are pretty complicated, it was great to have experts help us understand how we can provide support to the folks who call in with whistleblower problems. – Staff Director
  • One of the best trainings I have taken. – Caseworker
  • I was in an ongoing interaction with a potential whistleblower the day I took the training. The information taught during the class was clear and concise, and the resources provided gave me assurance in how to best handle the situation with tact. – Committee Staffer
Intake Process Development
  • It was amazingly helpful to discuss the process and resources and figure out the road ahead. - Congressional Fellow
  • Clear instructions on how to engage with a whistleblower, conduct an intake, and options for moving forward [were most helpful]. – Congressional Staffer
  • They provided language for us to respond to whistleblowers, clarified who is a whistleblower and what our responsibilities are to them. They also provided prepared quick tip/shortcut documents and templates. – Congressional Staffer
  • It was helpful that [the manual] was built specifically for Hill offices. The steps to set up processes and the resources in the appendix are extremely applicable. – Professional Staff Member
  • It helped to establish baseline policies for intake and facilitating a complainant's issue. – Office Manager
  • The Office spent several minutes with me going over different scenarios, helpful content, and references on the site to help our office better understand the whistleblower process. – Legislative Assistant
  • The step-by-step instructions on how to respond to a whistleblower [were most helpful]. – Deputy Staff Director
Case Consultations
  • The consultation was very thorough and collaborative. I was very nervous to work with a whistleblower – I don't want to complicate a sensitive situation for a constituent – but this office helped me to feel like I can handle this. – Field Representative
  • The advice was specific for the whistleblower situation our office encountered versus a one-size-fits-all approach. Appreciated that [the staff] listened and asked lots of questions, and provided quick follow-up via email. – District Office Staffer
  • Confirmation that I was following the correct steps to protect our constituent [was most helpful]. – Congressional Staffer
  • I had a really specific situation I sought guidance on, and my interaction with [the Office] helped me understand what our obligations and our options were. I left that conversation with a plan of action that I was confident in executing. – Director of Constituent Advocacy
  • I was able to speak with someone promptly, who helped me determine if the constituent issue was a true whistleblower issue or not. I also received a recap email with resources. – Caseworker
  • I appreciate the confidential advice on how to process a potential incoming whistleblower, and the guidance on how to assess the incoming comments with the sensitivity it required. – Congressional Staffer
  • We actually called in to the Office of Ombuds directly to get further guidance at the time we were processing this case. The staff member who answered … was super helpful and knowledgeable about the process and helped us a great deal. – Office Manager
Technical Legislative Expertise
  • [The Office] is absolutely amazing and incredibly helpful. [Staff] immediately responded to my emails and offered to chat over the phone when I was confused about incorporating specific whistleblower legislation into our bill … [and] took the time to pinpoint review our bill. – Congressional Staffer
Events
  • Very well communicated services, excellent tabling techniques – Staff Assistant
  • I found the discussion with your offices representatives at a technical fair a couple weeks back to have been incredibly informative - I spent the most time at your all's table! – Congressional Staffer
  • Meeting in person at the conference was very helpful, I can put faces to names. – Caseworker