Tell me if this sounds familiar.

There’s a manager who always seems to have “great” ideas. At least, that’s what upper management thinks. In reality, most of those ideas originate from his team—shared in meetings, over lunch, or in passing—and are only presented later as if they originated from the manager.

The team notices, and they stop volunteering suggestions. They keep their heads down. Why contribute when someone else gets the credit?

A few try to address it. One hints in a meeting: “That sounds a lot like what I mentioned last week…” The manager brushes it off with a joke. Another goes to HR. Nothing changes—no proof, no policy violation, no action.

And here lies part of the challenge: HR’s responsibility is to address clear violations—such as discrimination, harassment, and retaliation—not the gray-area behaviors that slowly erode trust. Without concrete evidence, it isn’t easy to take action that will hold up both internally and legally. And employees know that. They worry about retaliation, being labeled a complainer, or damaging their relationship with their boss.

An ombuds can help.

An organizational ombuds is a confidential, neutral, independent resource for employees to raise concerns and explore options—without triggering a formal complaint.

With an ombuds in place:

Safe Conversations – Employees can be candid without fear of retaliation.
Exploring Options – The ombuds helps people think through ways to respond or set boundaries.
Spotting Patterns – If multiple employees raise the same concern, the ombuds can surface it to leadership as an organizational issue, protecting the identities of those involved.
Driving Solutions – Leadership coaching, better meeting facilitation, and recognition practices can address the root cause without a public showdown.
Why it matters:

An “idea thief” might not break any policies, but they break trust. Over time, innovation stagnates, creativity wanes, and talented individuals leave. Because the harm is subtle, it’s easy to overlook until the damage is already done and the organization loses good people.

An ombuds can help leadership see these quiet culture leaks before they drain the organization. Employees get a safe place to speak. Leaders get the insight they need to act.

Some problems are loud and obvious. Others are quiet, corrosive, and easy to miss. The ombuds’ role exists to spot both—before it’s too late.

Have you ever worked with someone who was an “idea thief”? Drop a comment and share what you wish leadership had done differently.

Sarah is a Florida Supreme Court-certified mediator specializing in organizational conflict resolution. If you are interested in learning more about an ombuds program for your organization, please contact her at sa***@**************lc.com.