Grievances Policy and Procedures –All Regions

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In a Nutshell..................

Bloom & Grow wishes to provide a comfortable, productive, legal, and ethical work environment. To this end, the Company wants you to bring any grievances you have about the workplace to the attention of your supervisor and, if necessary, to upper-level management. In light of these concerns, we have instituted the following grievance procedure. This policy applies to all employees of Bloom & Grow.

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Definitions

1. A grievance is any dissatisfaction or feeling of injustice affecting an employee, which arises out of her/his work situation or the employment relationship between the employee and the company.

The definition excludes the processing of dissatisfaction with the outcome of disciplinary action through the Grievance Procedure.

2. 'Supervisor' is to the person whom the staff member concerned reports formally on a day-to-day basis, other than the position title.

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Policy

The objective of the Grievance Procedure is to provide a formal channel for the communication of grievances in order to resolve grievances at the earliest stage possible. The grievance procedure is also to help maintain a positive work environment with respect and responsibility towards each other, therefore to avoid unnecessary employee claims and company legal exposure.

1. Guarantee

The employee and any person, who represents her/him, have Management’s guarantees that her/his or their formal grievance action will not jeopardize his/her or their position in the company.

2. It is essential that all proceedings, in terms of the grievance procedure, be held during normal working hours. Therefore all parties concerned must be allowed time off from their normal work to attend. However, the direct report who is affected by the absence of an employee must be given ample prior warning of the intended absence.
3. Timing

An employee must lodge a grievance within two (2) days of the occurrence that gave rise to the grievance.

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Procedure

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Informal stage

You must first discuss the grievance with the immediate Supervisor concerned. Attempts should always be made to resolve matters by informal approaches. If the supervisor is involved in the grievance then the next level of management should be approached.

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First stage

If you do not believe that you have received a sufficient response, then you should present your concerns to your Supervisor in writing. Please indicate what the problem is, those persons involved in the problem, and any suggested solution you may have to the problem.

The supervisor should arrange a formal meeting, normally within 3days, in order to consider the grievance. After due consideration the supervisor should then give their response in writing within a further 3days.

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Second stage

If the matter is not resolved the staff member may refer the matter in writing to their Head of department, having notified their supervisor. If the Head of department is involved in the grievance then HR Manager should be consulted for advice.

The Head of department \[or nominee] should arrange a formal meeting normally within 7 days in order to consider the grievance. After due consideration, the Head of the department should then give their response in writing within a further 7 days.

In the event that the Supervisor in the first stage is the Head of the department or any management position who is in charge of more than one department, the second stage will be skipped to the third or final stage.

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Third stage(for Regional Offices)

If the matter is not resolved the staff member may refer the matter in writing to the Regional Manager/Director who is in charge of the office, having notified their Head of department.

The Regional Manager/Director should arrange a formal meeting, normally within 7 days, in order to consider the grievance. After due consideration, the decision of the Regional Manager/Director will be given in writing within a further 7 days.

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Final stage

If the matter is still not resolved, the staff member may ask the Group HR Manager to convene a Grievance Panel. The Grievance Panel will normally be composed of an HR Manager, a member of Senior Management, and a Managing Director, none of whom have prior involvement in the case.

The Group HR Managers should arrange a formal meeting, normally within 14 days, in order to consider the grievance. After due consideration, the decision of the Grievance Panel will be given in writing within a further 14 days. The decision of the Grievance Panel will be final.

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Records

Records should be kept at each stage of the procedure and proceedings. All records will be kept confidential in the related staff’s personnel file.