In practical terms, neutrality means the ombudsperson, to the best of her/his abilities, operates without bias and has no stake or personal ownership in the outcome of a case. The ombud's ability to remain impartial while gathering and assimilating information is not compromised by an allegiance to a specific individual or to an administrative unit. An ombud does not automatically advocate for or against the position of any disputant. In cases where the ombud has permission to speak with multiple parties, the ombud gives each party an equal opportunity to express viewpoints and relate the facts from her/his perspective.

"Neutrality" also means the ombud does not participate in formal procedings because participation in formal processes undermines the actual or percieved neutrality of the office.

In the end, however, in order to promote "fair processes," the ombud may move away from a neutral position if the synthesis of all information of which s/he is aware points to a lack of fairness. This means that, after gathering the relevant information, if an ombud believes that a process was, indeed, unfair, s/he may make recommendations to individuals with authority to reverse such actions. In circumstances where unfairness appears to have occurred, to gather information and not take actions to correct the problem, would render the ombudsperson ineffective and a protector of the status quo. Similarly, if, after gathering all the relevant information, an ombud believes unfair did not occur, s/he indicates this to the complainant and assists the complainant in redefining - and addressing - the issues.