Trend Reports: What We Share & How We Protect You

Part two of our series on confidentiality and the ombuds practice

One of the best ways industries improve is when they can see how things really are for workers: what’s working, what isn’t, where problems lie, and how workers feel about outcomes. In a fast-paced and shifting environment where workers move constantly between jobs and employers, companies need to identify patterns that harm or help workers – to keep accountability a priority amid tight timelines and project schedules. 

One way to get this is through the broad trends in the information shared in calls to helpers like the Ombuds. 

But how can the Ombuds share this key information – the information that companies need if things are going to improve for everyone – without putting the individual callers at risk?

The answer comes in how we aggregate data for our annual trend reports. This data includes only non-identifying visitor demographics, like guild and union membership, the prevalence of issues impacting workers, and the kinds of outcomes workers reach after visiting an ombuds. This data does not include names or other identifying details that would put our visitors' anonymity at risk. 

Because Ombuds only offers guidance – never stepping in as an advocate – these cases taken together become a true reflection of workers’ experiences and their larger concerns. This kind of information is what facilitates meaningful systems change, and access to it is largely possible because of the work ombuds do. 

Public documents like trend reports show workers we take their challenges seriously and communicate them directly to decision-makers within the industry. With the public reports I create, I can include recommendations for proactive steps to prevent and strengthen their responses to production issues. 

Trend reports are essential because of how they capture the experiences of the most vulnerable workers. This year, 67% of visitors to my office were not affiliated with unions or guilds, a significant number in an industry where union/guild membership is standard practice. These young professionals worked on independent productions, and most were entering our industry with limited experience and access to resources, circumstances that often place early-career professionals in vulnerable positions.

That’s a great example of the way my reports reveal an overall pattern, not individual circumstances. No single conversation would have surfaced these questions on its own, but when we look across the year’s visits without names, productions, or identifying details, a pattern emerges that no individual could raise. 

This is why trend reports matter: they shed light on the systemic issues visitors bring to the ombuds without putting their safety at risk. 

About the ombuds

Lillian Rivera (she/they) is the Entertainment Industry Ombuds.

The Ombuds is an unbiased resource to help members of your organization navigate their experience and/or explore available reporting options and next steps.

Lillian serves in an informal capacity and does not have the authority to act on behalf of any member of your organization. 
Click here to learn more and schedule time with the Ombuds.

About the Hollywood Commission

Led by board members Anita Hill, Chair and President; Cindy Holland; Alan Jenkins; Kathleen Kennedy; John Landgraf; and Nina Shaw, The Hollywood Commission brings together 26 companies, unions, guilds, academies, and talent agencies to end harassment, discrimination, bullying, and abuse in the entertainment industry. 
Click here to learn more.