Grievance

It is our policy to ensure that our external stakeholders have access to a procedure to help deal with any grievances relating to our operations. This is implemented through our External Grievance and Whistleblowing policy (PL-50) which sits alongside our internal grievance procedure (PR-33).

We aim to investigate any formal grievance raised and share a written outcome of any decisions taken.

External grievances process (clients, customers, suppliers)

Issues that may cause grievances include:

(a) quality of service

(b) contractual issues

(c) professional standards

(d) health and safety

(e) human rights violations or abuse

(f) environmental violations or unsustainable practices

(f) ethical misconduct e.g. fraud, corruption, bribery

Complaints should be submitted to us directly by email to [email protected] or via the contact form on the Contact Us page of the website.

The grievance should contain a brief description of the nature of your complaint, including any relevant facts, dates, and names of individuals involved. In some situations, we may need to ask you to provide further information.

We will acknowledge each grievance and, after review, will record it in our Issues Log within 5 working days. Following this, an investigation will commence and a written outcome with a clear explanation of any decisions will be shared, ideally within 5 working days after the conclusion of the investigation.

The process is summarised in the table below.

Stage	Timeline	Details
Acknowledgement	Within 3 business days	A confirmation will be sent to the complainant.
Initial Review	Within 5 business days	Assess admissibility and assign a Director. Record in our Issues Log.
Investigation	Within 30 calendar days	A thorough and impartial investigation. Updates provided every 10 business days.
Resolution	Varies by complexity	A written outcome of the conclusion with a clear explanation of the decision will be shared. Update Issues Log and Action Tracker accordingly.

Appeals

Appeals may be raised with the Managing Director, Strategic Leadership Team or external mediator.

Confidentiality

All grievances will be handled confidentially. Information will only be shared if necessary. No client, or stakeholder will suffer any consequences for raising a grievance. Retaliation will be treated as serious misconduct and may result in disciplinary or contractual action as per our Disciplinary procedure (PR-32).

Gross Misconduct

An employee can be dismissed without notice if, after an investigation and disciplinary hearing, they are found to have committed gross misconduct, in line with our Disciplinary procedure (PR-32).

Monitoring and Review

Records of grievances will be maintained confidentially within our Issues Log Register and reviewed regularly.

This policy will be reviewed annually to ensure it remains effective and compliant with best practice and B Corp standards.

 

Whistleblowing

We are committed to conducting our business with honesty and integrity, and we expect all staff to maintain high standards. However, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential in order to prevent such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur.

Our external whistleblower protection policy provides a mechanism for external stakeholders to raise concerns about malpractice, wrongdoing, or breaches of ethical standards in a safe, confidential, and protected way. It sits alongside the Internal Whistleblowing policy (TH-09).

Raising a concern

Complaints should be submitted to us directly by email to [email protected] or via the contact form on the Contact Us page of the website.

We will acknowledge each concern as described in the External Grievance procedure, with updates provided to who raised them where appropriate.

Information will be handled in compliance with UK data protection law. Confidentiality will be respected throughout, with disclosure only where strictly necessary or legally required.

Consequences for retaliation

We are committed to protecting whistleblowers from any consequences, maintaining confidentiality, seeking permission before involving additional parties, and following a honest process. Any retaliation against a whistleblower will be treated as gross misconduct and subject to disciplinary action as per our disciplinary procedure (PR-32).

Appeals

If the grievance has not been resolved to your satisfaction you may appeal in writing to the Managing Director, stating your full grounds of appeal, within one week of the date on which the decision was sent or given to you.

Monitoring and Review

This policy will be reviewed annually or in response to significant legal, regulatory, or organisational changes.