Hi,
I am preparing a flow chart of which policy to use in which situation in relation to complaints, grievances, whistleblowing, safeguarding and preventing harassment. Has anyone else done this so I can compare please?
Thanks
From Rachel
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Hi @rachelheilbron -
Will be very interested to see this - it’s such a tricky nexus, with a lot of political/values dimensions baked in. A few that come to mind are:
- What constitutes harm vs what is conflict or disagreement?
- Is harm best addressed individually or structurally or both?
- How close or far are our organisational values, from the legal requirements of these policies?
- How do different experiences of privilege or power position different staff in relation to accessing these policies?
- Can we accept punitive approaches to addressing harm, or do we want to always default to transformative or restorative approaches? What limits are we comfortable with to these approaches?
As we are in the process of moving from freelance to PAYE at RadHR, we are starting to think about having our own versions of these policies, so are trying to think critically about all these overlaps and how to do them in ways that align with our values, so will be interested to hear what you (and others!) come up with/have come up with! Good luck!
Hi,
It’s an odd feeling sharing something on a (very friendly) public forum which you aren’t sure you have completely correct. In the spirit of sharing and being very open to constructive feedback, here’s where I have got to:
Are you, or is anyone else, in immediate risk of harm or is a crime being committed?
Yes - contact 999
Are you, or is someone else, at risk of being in a vulnerable or dangerous situation where abuse, harm or neglect might be taking place
Yes - follow the safeguarding policy
Have you tried to talk with the person or people involved or asked your manager for help to deal with the issue informally? We strongly encourage this approach if you feel able to. Or have you tried informally but the issue isn’t resolved?
Yes - decide which process or policy to follow as explained below:
Are you involved with our programmes or are you a member of the public who wants to make a complaint about our services, programmes or delivery?
Yes - follow the complaints process
**Are you a staff member, board member, contractor or volunteer and do you have a complaint about how you have been treated by someone else involved with the organisation or about being an employee, trustee, contractor or volunteer?
Yes - follow the grievance policy
Do you feel you are being bullied or harassed by someone connected to the organisation or experiencing discrimination whilst being involved with the organisation? Or do you think someone else is?
Yes - follow the preventing harassment policy
Is the issue very serious, does it affect others or involve a large number of people? Do you feel something was done deliberately? Do you think making a complaint about this is “in the public interest”
Yes - follow the whistleblowing policy.