This policy draft is adapted from the internal policy infrastructure applicable at One Future Collective and is made publicly accessible in the interest of our mission to build safe, just, and inclusive workplaces for all. If you are an organisation curious to know more about how to build socially just workplaces, we invite you to use and adapt these policies to make them relevant to your context. If you have used any of our policies, we request you to please credit us.
You can know more about us, our journey, how we work, and our commitment to Nurturing Radical Kindness through our internal organisational Manifesto: Sunflowers. We would also love to hear from you – if you have any feedback, questions, or comments, please feel free to use this form.
Some guidance on using this policy:
We understand that each organisation is distinctly placed, works in different contexts, and within diverse realities and organisational policies have to be resilient and responsive to these contexts. In this background, we would like to share the following guidance for your reference:
- All the segments marked in yellow and/or left blank are spaces for you to update with details which are relevant to your organisational contexts.
- The entire policy may not be applicable as it is – please treat this as an invitation to adapt parts of it to better suit your demands.
- The policies are developed in the context of the legal obligations, politics, and resources available to One Future Collective. Whenever you are developing your organisational policies, please ensure that you are conducting your own due diligence in relation to compliance and other obligations that you may have to adhere to.
- Some key identifying information and details about processes unique to our organisation are anonymised from the drafts below for reasons of privacy and confidentiality.
In case you would like to reach out to us to get to know more about a policy or are feeling a bit stuck, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@onefuturecollective.org.
Our Grievance Redressal Policy
| Date of adoption | _____________________ |
| Date of review | _____________________ |
| Policy Holder | _____________________ |
| Queries | _____________________ |
1) Purpose
Everyone at <Name of Organisation> should have access to a fair grievance procedure to be heard, to have conflicts addressed and grievances responded to. <Name of Organisation> grievance procedure policy explains how individuals can voice their complaints against <Name of Organisation> and/or its members.
2) Applicability
This policy is applicable to anyone engaging with <Name of Organisation> in the capacity of employees, volunteers, interns, apprentices, and consultants. This policy is applicable only to the duration in which the individual is associated with or engaged in with <Name of Organisation> as an employee, volunteer, intern, apprentice, and/or a consultant.
3) Definitions
- We define the term “grievance” as any complaint, problem or concern of an employee, consultant, intern, or volunteer regarding their workplace (any and all spaces occupied as a result of a person’s work), roles, responsibilities, and policies at <Name of Organisation> as well as relationships with their co-workers.
- We define “misconduct” to include any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination, including but not limited to homomisia, transmisia, body shaming, racism, casteism, sexism. It also includes any and all forms of lying, cheating, participation in bribery, spiteful/abusive use of power and related behaviours and actions.
- We define “power” as not absolute. Power includes job positions, and positionality in terms of personal and social identity. It also acknowledges the relationship dynamics between and amongst individuals.
4) Grievance Redressal
- Open Communication
The team at <Name of Organisation> follows values of mutual respect, transparency, and reciprocity at the workplace. We value our relationships with our coworkers, not just because they work with us, but because every person must be treated with dignity and empathy.
If you ever face a difficult situation or have a grievance in relation to your work at <Name of Organisation>, we encourage you to reach out to the person who is responsible for causing such grievance and have an open and direct conversation with them about it. If you would require another team member [member of the Senior Leadership Team and/or reporting manager] to be present for this conversation, please inform them in advance.
- Reporting a Grievance
- If you are unable to resolve your grievance through dialogue or open communication, and in case you wish to report it, you may choose to <please add relevant details about steps to follow in case open communication and dialogue fails>.
- In case your grievance is with respect to the behaviour of any team member, they shall be excluded from the redressal process.
- In case the grievance is against the CEO or misconduct is by the CEO, formal legal processes are to be followed.
- Please note that in all such cases, your reporting manager and the CEO will be involved in the grievance redressal process unless the grievance is being raised against them.
- You cannot raise a grievance anonymously or on behalf of someone else, without their written consent.
Note: Please note that this grievance redressal policy is not a substitute for any existing formal legal recourse that may be available to you. In the event that you would prefer proceeding with filing a formal legal complaint, please feel free to.
We assure you that your concerns will be noted and maintained with confidentiality. Any constructive feedback will be addressed by the team in the best possible manner.
Complaints of the nature that fall under sexual harassment should be filed in accordance with the relevant Anti Sexual Harassment Policy. Such complaints will not be processed under this policy.
3. Addressing a grievance
- All grievances raised as per this policy will be resolved by the <add relevant detail>. In cases where the grievance is against any member of the team, they will not be involved in the process.
- The <add relevant authority> shall take assistance from other members of <Name of Organisation>, depending on the nature of the grievance, to resolve the grievance. This may include your reporting manager. If the grievance is against the reporting manager, they will not be involved in the process.
- All grievances will be addressed through a panel of 3 members (please update as relevant) – details and identities of whom will be revealed to you and the respondent before the proceeding is initiated.
- In the event that you would like to report a conflict of interest with any of the members of the panel, you are required to raise such a complaint at the earliest instance possible. In such cases, your complaint will be heard and resolved before proceeding with your grievance under the policy.
- <Name of Organisation> will try its best to resolve all grievances within a reasonable time frame, and ensure that you are able to work in a stable environment. The time period for resolving a grievance will not exceed 6 months in any case.
5) Grievance Redressal Process
- Once you submit your grievance, you will receive an acknowledgement receipt within 7 days via email, and will be requested for an initial conversation to understand the issue better.
- Once all relevant information about the grievance has been received, we will proceed to inform the respondent of the grievance raised along with details about the inquiry process that is to be initiated.
- An investigation will be conducted where all parties involved in the process will be given an opportunity to present their case.
- Once the investigation has been completed, the decision of the inquiry panel should be made available to all parties involved in writing via email.
- In case you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can let the investigating officers know, and inquire about next steps (if any). Where the grievance is related to a legal offence, action may be taken by you as you desire.
6) Consequences of Grievance Redressal Process
In all cases where an inquiry has been made, the final decision will be made in writing and in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct at <Name of Organisation> and may result in termination of employment of the respondent.
7) Documentation
- All documentation relating to any grievance redressal needs to be made as it would be for a complaint under the Anti Sexual Harassment Policy.
- An annual report regarding grievances will be filed in the same manner as an annual report under the Anti Sexual Harassment Policy is filed, internally only.
8) Confidentiality
All information provided by you as part of this process, measures undertaken to redress the grievance as well as the final decision arrived at will only be available to the members as mentioned above, in addition to you and the person against whom you raised a grievance. Any subsequent change in internal policies at <Name of Organisation>, as a result of your grievance, will be communicated to the team without disclosing any identifying information about you or the person against whom the grievance is reported. All documentation regarding the grievance will also be kept confidential.