When the CRJ was switched to departure could tower/approach verify that the C182 was direct the VOR? Because just issuing a "proceed direct" somewhere doesn't mean that any turn has been started.
When giving "proceed direct" and you're counting on divergence in a short time, you should always give "turn right/left heading xxx, when able direct" because the time it takes to actually get started direct to a fix can drastically vary pilot to pilot/nav equipment.