[PDF] Community Development Toolkit - CommDev

5Grievance MechanismcontinuedRELATIONSHIPS TOOLSHow to use this toolBy designing a grievance mechanism in atransparent and participatory manner withthe community you are likely to increasebuy-in and understanding of the mechanism.You need to consider issues of accessibility,especially ensuring that vulnerable or lessvisible members of the community haverecourse to the procedure. Regardless of theexact method, it is important to define aclear process involving regular updates forcomplainants. One method is shown in theprocedure flowchart (see Figure 4). The sevenpotential steps are summarized as follows:STEP 1Receive grievanceThe staff member receiving the grievance isresponsible for documenting and recordingthe grievance and ensuring that it is enteredinto the stakeholder engagement databaseor complaints log.STEP 2Preliminary assessmentAn initial assessment of the grievance shouldbe conducted to assign the grievance to therelevant person in the company. Grievancesmay be classified into a number of categories,such as environmental, cultural heritage,land disturbance, recruitment procedures,health and safety, human rights, physicalor economic displacement or related to aspecific community development project.For each of these categories, a differentperson within the company would beassigned to deal with the specific details ofinvestigating the grievance.STEP 3Respond to grievanceWritten communication to the complainantto acknowledge the grievance and provideinformation as to expected steps andtiming for resolution of the grievance.This communication is to be provided withina set period of time, typically seven workingdays of the receipt of the grievance.Where illiteracy is common, considerationmust be given to the means ofcommunicating this message.STEP 4Investigate and resolveThis procedure investigates the underlyingcause(s) of the grievance and developsactions needed to prevent recurrence of asimilar grievance. The approach and teammembership to complete the investigationwill depend upon the category and level ofthe grievance. Some investigations mayrequire a simple examination of thecompany’s records, whereas others mayrequire discussions with many stakeholders,both internal and external.A grievance resolution report should becompleted no later than one month fromthe start of the grievance investigation,which begins on the date the grievancewas entered in the consultation database(this obviously depends on the nature of thegrievance, but this time frame should beaimed for). The community relations (CR)manager shall co-ordinate conflict resolutionactivities required to contain and resolveactual or potential conflicts and ensure thatthe complainant is kept informed of theprogress of the grievance procedure,especially if a longer period of time isneeded to complete the investigation.76 Community Development Toolkit