Leibniz Advice Centre
The external Leibniz Advice Centre for Conflict Guidance and Prevention was set up following a resolution by the Executive Board of the Leibniz Association. It supplements existing local and central advice structures in instances where a suspected case of misconduct does not primarily concern good scientific practice but relates to other principles governing behaviour – for instance if it falls within the area of good conduct, or protection against discrimination and bullying. Employees of the Leibniz Association institutions can access the Leibniz Advice Centre free of charge. It is run in cooperation with the ZENK law firm, which has offices in Hamburg and Berlin. The contact person is
Rolf Zeißig
T +49 30 / 24 75 74 27
zeissig(at)zenk.com
Website
Available: Monday to Friday, 9 am to 6 pm
How the Advice Centre works
The Leibniz Advice Centre is a point of contact providing initial advice over the phone and by email, in German or English, on conflict prevention, guidance and resolution channels. It acts as an independent body, outside of the institution involved, and is supposed to advise and point out possible solutions in the event of conflicts that might arise.
The Leibniz Advice Centre asks the person requesting advice to outline the relevant circumstances. It works with them to clarify related issues in order to conduct an appropriate initial evaluation of the conflict, based on an adequate presentation of the facts. It evaluates conflicts from a legal – especially employment law – point of view. The Advice Centre also directs individuals to the relevant contact persons and procedures within the Leibniz Association (ombuds system, equality officers, staff and works councils) and, where appropriate, the relevant public offices. The aim is to give the person seeking advice an initial response and guidance so that they are in a better position to assess the conflict and possible courses of action. In the vast majority of cases brought to it, the Advice Centre has played a direct role in helping to resolve the issue; in the remaining cases, it has been able to refer people to other competent offices or investigate the possibility of mediation.
The person seeking advice can make use of the service offered by the Leibniz Advice Centre while maintaining full anonymity and retaining full control over the information they share. Transparent information is provided at the start of every consultation about relevant data protection issues and about the anonymised recording of incoming requests. Moreover, provided the person seeking advice explicitly agrees, Leibniz Headquarters can also be informed of the conflict situation.
The Leibniz Advice Centre offers neutral advice but will not represent the person seeking advice in any labor law conflict. Its work is supported and evaluated by Leibniz Headquarters.