Grievance Procedure
Purpose, Scope and Primary Principles
Stour Sailing Club (SSC) aims to be a friendly club where every member and visitor feels welcome. SSC expects all members and visitors to show respect and understanding to each other, treat everyone equally and conduct themselves in a way that reflects the principles and values of the club.
This Policy aims to ensure that SSC sets out and maintains high standards of behaviour, conduct and practice amongst its members in accordance with Sections 3.10 – 3.21 of the Club’s constitution.
SSC is committed to the principle of confidentiality, integrity and accountability where club members are encouraged to raise their concerns if they experience issues.
For various reasons, issues/grievances can arise between members or members and visitors. When such grievances arise, it is in everyone’s interest to have them resolved without delay. For that reason, the Club has a Grievance Procedure so that members know what to do if they need to raise an issue or grievance.
Grievances will be dealt with confidentially so far as is reasonably possible and information learnt during this process must be kept confidential.
The Procedure follows SSC’s principles ensuring any grievances are dealt with in a timely, fair, reasonable and consistent manner.
This Policy may be changed by SSC at any time.
Grievance Procedure
In all cases, where possible, resolution to any dispute or grievance should be sought through an informal procedure.
As a general rule therefore, initially, all attempts should be made to address grievances as informally as possible.
The objective of this approach is to resolve the grievance with the minimum of conflict and stress for the individuals concerned.
Information collated during the investigations must be treated in accordance with SSC Privacy Policy.
Informal Stage
- To enable informal resolution a Member should, in the normal course of events, raise the grievance (verbally or in writing) with an impartial (ie to the incident) member of the Club’s Committee in the first instance.
- Two Non-Conflicting (1) Committee Members (one should be the Committee Member who received the grievance and one should be Officer level) will meet with the Member (plus a supporter/witness of their choice) at an investigatory meeting to hear the grievance, take a note of the grievance and provide an option(s) for a resolution to the grievance, if possible.
- The Member who raised the grievance should consider the option(s) provided (this can be done at the meeting or taken away to consider) and, in good faith engage with the option(s) provided in a timely manner, returning to the two Committee Members (verbally or written) providing their response within 5 days.
- Notes of the discussions should be taken.
Formal Stage
- Should the Member who raised the grievance feel the options provided did not or will not address the grievance then they must write to the SSC Committee outlining the following;
- Their grievance and the Members of the Committee they had first raised/discussed the grievance with.
- The resolutions provided at the initial investigatory meeting and the reasons why these resolutions did not address/provide resolution for the grievance.
- A formal acknowledgement of the grievance will sent to the Member along with an agreed date for the complaint or grievance meeting.
- The Committee shall appoint two of their Members (Delegated Committee), not involved in the initial process, to act on its behalf and hold the formal meeting with the Member plus their chosen companion.
- The Delegated Committee members will review the written complaint and, the notes from the initial grievance meeting with a view to providing a further resolution.
- The Delegated Committee may deem it necessary to investigate the grievance further in accordance with the principles of natural justice and fair procedures and meet with all of the individuals outlined in the grievance (each of whom can have an accompanying person with them at the meeting if they wish to).
- Notes should be taken at the formal meeting and initialled by those present as an accurate record.
- The Delegated Committee will issue an ‘Agreed Resolution to Grievance’. This must be signed by the Member who raised the grievance and co-signed by The Delegated Committee members.
Appeal
If the Member is unhappy with the Agreed Resolution there is a right to appeal against any grievance finding which must be in writing to the SSC Committee within 21 days giving reasons why and providing any new evidence they seek to rely on. The appeal will be heard by the Commodore(i) and any Members of the Committee not directly involved in the process thus far. Consideration will be given to the resolutions provided throughout the process and the grounds of appeal.
The outcome of the appeal will be provided in writing. The outcome of this appeal is final.
[1] Non-Conflicting Committee Member is any Committee member who is not the subject of the Grievance
[1] If it has been sent to the Commodore then another Committee member is to be selected to stand in as the Commodore must remain out of the process in case it reaches the Appeal Stage.
(i) Should the Commodore be in any way connected with the grievance then another Officer, not yet involved in the process thus far, will take the role for the appeal