Grievance Procedure (External Stakeholders)
Purpose and Scope
This procedure has been created to offer a way for external stakeholders who may be negatively affected by Sheard Packaging’s activities, to raise concerns or provide feedback, in a safe and predictable way.
Our aim is to be able to resolve any issues that could arise as early and directly as possible. This procedure is open to contractors, the community, our suppliers and their employees or anyone who is impacted by our business. Issues might be those that impact the environment or the lives of those in our wider community.
Conflict of Interest and Protections
It is important to avoid conflicts of interest when aacting on grievances. To avoid these we have provided multiple possibilities to raise grievances including third-party mechanisms. Where requested, an arbiter can be introduced into the process (and these individuals will be asked to sign a conflict of interest declaration). There will be no direct or indirect retaliation or adverse consequences for anyone raising a grievance. We will inform you at the outset which stakeholders will need to be engaged and what information we propose sharing. If we consider one or more of the parties to be vulnerable, we will seek help from external specialists.
What do we need to effectively resolve a grievance?
- Clear and concise summary of the key facts
- An outline of the events linked to the grievance
- Your name and contact details (If you want to remain anonymous please review your options below, if you are submitting a grievance on behalf of another person, please state that you have their permission)
- State whether consent to share your details with other process/affected stakeholders (you may request for information to be kept confidential from particular stakeholders)
- Whether you have raised this issue before, formally or informally, and what the outcome was
- The resolution you seek
If you do not share all of the above we may be limited in our ability to resolve the grievance. If for any reason we cannot accept your grievance we will contact you within one week to let you know what additional information we need or the alternative approach we recommend. You should keep to the facts and avoid language that is insulting or abusive.
How serious/sensitive is your grievance?
Before submitting a grievance please consider what approach would make you feel most comfortable. Below, we outline the process for informal, formal and sensitive reporting. If you feel that your human rights have been impacted we take that very seriously and recommend you take the formal approach. If you are uncertain about what your rights are please refer to this website in which you can read about your rights in different languages.
Options to raise a grievance
Dealing with grievances informally
All feedback is taken seriously at Sheard Packaging, however where we can solve an issue informally we invite you to speak with our HR Manager or the person most relevant to the topic of the issue. Our preferred way of dealing with issues is to discuss them early and resolve them before they become a serious issue. The following process may be written or verbal but the final resolution should be documented in writing:
Step 1
Acknowledgement of receipt by the contacted party with details of next steps
Within 2 working days
Step 2
Follow-up questions if needed
Within 2 weeks
Step 3
Company suggests remediation action (you may request a revision)
Within 6 weeks
Step 4
You accept the remediation and the grievance is considered resolved, OR you may escalate to a formal grievance
Within 2 months
Formal grievance
If the matter is serious or you wish to raise it formally, you should put the grievance in writing to our HR Manager (email listed below). The grievance process is as follows:
|
Step 1 – Lodging your grievance |
Please send your grievance including any supporting documentation to [email protected] |
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Step 2 – Reception |
We will acknowledge receipt of your grievance within 2 weeks |
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Step 3 – Assessment |
a) Initial assessment of the legitimacy of the grievance. If necessary additional context or documentation will be requested; b) Identification of parties to the complaint; c) Mediated discussions between the parties; d) Notification to you of the assessment outcome (i.e. acceptance/rejection of complaint including reasons for rejection) This step can vary in length depending on the issue. If an outcome has not been reached within two months we will update you on a weekly basis on the status. |
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Step 4 – Investigation (if needed) |
If an outcome cannot be reached, we will seek an independent investigation through a third party |
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Step 5 – Remediation |
a) Implementation of corrective actions and preventative measures b) Monitoring and reporting Reporting shall be included in our annual impact report |
Policy approved and monitored by: Lee Shackleton
Next review: September 2026
