Mindful Chef's Stakeholder Grievance and Feedback Procedure
Overview
This grievance and feedback procedure provides an overview of the process for stakeholders of Mindful Chef to raise concerns or complaints about any aspect of their relationship with the business. This process is available to all stakeholders regardless of their relationship, position, or level of responsibility.
The grievance procedure can be used to raise concerns in parallel or conjunction with the company's whistle-blowing policy. It may also be used before or after the whistle-blowing policy has been used.
Formal Grievance and Feedback Procedure
Although we make every effort to work professionally with our stakeholders, we are aware that there can be situations in which someone may want to raise a concern or complaint against Mindful Chef.
Feedback Mechanisms
Mindful Chef welcomes feedback at any stage during our working relationships with our stakeholders.
If stakeholders have any complaints, we would encourage them to first raise concerns with their primary point of contact or another appropriate person (such as the General Counsel) as soon as possible. Mindful Chef will aim to resolve any concerns at this stage if possible. If stakeholders feel unable to raise concerns with their point of contact or the matter remains unresolved, a formal grievance may be raised and handled as set out below or on Mindful Chef's anonymous reporting platform Speak Up.
Reporting a Grievance
If stakeholders want to raise a formal grievance without filing a report on the Speak Up platform, they can do so in writing to the General Counsel of Mindful Chef (subject title marked FAO Reporting a Grievance to victoria.moore@mindfulchef.com) who will then pass the grievance onto the relevant person and support where necessary. Ideally, a statement of formal written grievance should include the following information:
- The nature of the grievance;
- Relevant background information;
- Specific actions or outcomes sought; and
- Steps already taken to resolve the matter informally
Once received, the formal grievance will be handled as below:
| Reception |
i) Acknowledgement of receipt of report of the grievance by email |
| Assessment |
i) Assessment of if the complaint can be accepted as legitimate and/or request of additional information. ii) Identification of parties to the complaint iii) Mediated discussions between the parties iv) Notification to complainant of assessment outcome (i.e. acceptance/rejection of complaint, incl. reasons for rejection) |
| Investigation |
i) If resolution cannot be reached it will be independently investigated |
| Remediation |
i) Implementation of corrective and preventative actions ii) Monitoring and reporting back |
Reception
The General Counsel will acknowledge the receipt of the reported grievance within 5 working days in writing and will arrange a meeting with the stakeholder and any other relevant personnel if appropriate.
Stakeholders raising a grievance can elect to be accompanied to any meeting by other stakeholder colleagues or interested parties (if appropriate). Following the meeting, the General Counsel supported by the ethics committee will investigate the grievance and make a decision, which will be communicated in writing. The decision may be appealed.
Appeal
If you wish to appeal a decision, you should do so in writing to the General Counsel within 10 working days of receiving the decision. Ideally, an appeal should include the following information:
- Grounds for the appeal;
- New evidence or information that has become available; and
- Specific actions or outcomes sought
The General Counsel will arrange a meeting to discuss the appeal as soon as practicable (as before, any stakeholder may choose to be accompanied to the appeal meeting). Following the meeting, the General Counsel supported by the ethics committee will make a final decision, which will be communicated in writing.
The decision will be final and binding, notwithstanding the stakeholder's right to use the whistle-blower policy and/or seek legal remedies.
Confidentiality
All grievances will be treated confidentially and in accordance with the Data Protection Act. However, it may be necessary to disclose information to other parties involved in the grievance process, including witnesses and business stakeholders. Disclosure will normally be discussed with the person pursuing the grievance in advance.
Time Frames
The company will aim to resolve all grievances as quickly and efficiently as possible. However, the time taken to resolve a grievance will depend on the complexity of the issue and the availability of relevant parties.
Record Keeping
A record of all grievances raised, the outcome of any meetings, and any actions taken will be held by the ethics committee.
Transparency
This policy is available on our website and is publicly available.
Review
The ethics committee will review this grievance procedure regularly to ensure that it remains effective and up to date.
This grievance procedure is intended to provide a fair and consistent process for resolving any grievances that may arise during the stakeholder relationship. By following this procedure, Mindful Chef hopes to resolve any concerns quickly and fairly, while maintaining a positive working relationship for all.
At Mindful Chef we promote an open culture of feedback and will deal with any formal grievances as a matter of urgency.