***
**Is there a formal process for stakeholders to communicate grievances that apply to this entity?**
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## Assessment Instructions
Intent: What is the purpose of this indicator?
This indicator identifies whether the reporting entity has a grievance mechanism in place. Procurement decisions and activities can result in negative sustainability impacts in the supply chain, including human rights violations, even when operations are otherwise well managed. Grievance mechanisms provide access to remedy and reflect the entity’s commitment to responsible supply chain management by enabling stakeholders to raise concerns and seek redress.
Input: How do I complete this indicator?
**Select Yes or No:** If selecting ‘Yes’, select applicable sub-options.
**Characteristics of the stakeholder grievance process:** Select the applicable elements, which are based on the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It is possible to report using the ‘Other’ answer option. Ensure that the ‘Other’ answer provided is not a duplicate or subset of another option.
**Stakeholders:** Indicate which stakeholders are included in the process to communicate grievances. It is possible to report using the ‘Other’ answer option. Ensure that the ‘Other’ answer provided is not a duplicate or subset of another option.
### Terminology
**Accessible and easy to understand**
> Known to relevant stakeholder groups and provides adequate assistance for those who may face particular barriers to access (e.g. 24/7, language translations)
**Contractors**
> Persons or organizations working onsite or offsite on behalf of an entity. A contractor can contract their own workers directly, or contract sub-contractors or independent contractors.
**Clients/customers**
> A customer is understood to include end-customers (consumer) as well as business-to-business customers.
**Community/public**
> Persons or groups of people living and/or working in any areas that are economically, socially or environmentally impacted (positively or negatively) by the entity’s operations.
**Dialogue based**
> Ensuring the consulting of stakeholder groups by focusing on dialogue as a means to address and resolve grievances.
**Equitable**
> Ensure that parties have reasonable access to sources of information, advice and expertise necessary to engage in a grievance process on fair, informed and respectful terms (e.g. independent review).
**Grievance mechanism**
> Formal, legal or non-legal (or ‘judicial/non-judicial’) complaint or feedback process that can be used by individuals, communities and/or civil society organizations that are being negatively affected by certain business activities and operations.The process enables the complaining party to flag an issue, seek redress and remedy.
**Improvement based**
> Drawing on lessons learnt to improve processes and prevent future harms.
**Investors/shareholders**
> The entity’s current investors and/or equity stake owners in the entity.
**Legitimate and safe**
> Enable trust from stakeholder groups, and being accountable for the fair conduct of grievance processes.
**Predictable**
> Provide a clear procedure with an indicative time frame for each stage, and clarity on the types of process and outcome available.
**Prohibitive against retaliation**
> Protect stakeholders from potential threats and retaliations through a secure, anonymous, independent and two-way communication system.
**Rights compatible**
> Ensure that outcomes accord with internationally recognized human rights.
**Special interest group**
> Organization with a shared interest or characteristic (e.g. trade unions, non-governmental organizations).
**Stakeholder groups:** Terminology for the various stakeholder groups is defined below:
* **Clients/Customers**
> A customer is understood to include end-customers (consumer) as well as business-to-business customers.
* **Community/Public**
> Persons or groups of people living and/or working in any areas that are economically, socially or environmentally impacted (positively or negatively) by the entity’s operations.
* **Contractors/Suppliers**
> Organization in the entity’s supply chain which provides a product or service. Note that for the purposes of this assessment, ‘contractors/suppliers’ only refers to tier 1 contractors/suppliers with whom the entity has a direct commercial relationship.
* **Contractors/Suppliers (beyond Tier 1)**
> Range of activities carried out by organizations upstream from the reporting entity (i.e., with whom the entity has an indirect commercial relationship), which provide products or services that are used in the development of the entity's own products or services. Contractors/Suppliers with whom the entity has an indirect commercial relationship.
* **Employee(s)**
> Someone who works directly for the asset and receives compensation in the form of an hourly wage or annual salary for their work. This can be both onsite or offsite (such as in an administration office). Employers typically have to pay specific benefits such as contributions to pensions or taxes for employees. Employees may be either full time or part time and may operate on a short term contract.
* **Investors/shareholders**
> The entity’s current investors and/or equity stake owners in the entity.
* **Regulators/Government**
> The state and/or local authoritative and administrative governing body.
* **Special interest groups**
> Organization with a shared interest or characteristic (e.g. trade unions, non- governmental organizations).
* **Users**
> Users are people that interact physically with the asset when they use its services.
**Suppliers**
> Organization upstream from the reporting entity (i.e., in the entity’s supply chain), which provides a product or service that is used in the development of the entity’s own products or services. Note that for the purposes of this indicator, 'suppliers' only refers to tier 1 suppliers with whom the entity has a direct commercial relationship.
**Supply chain**
> Range of activities carried out by organizations upstream from the reporting entity (i.e., with whom the entity has an indirect commercial relationship), which provide products or services that are used in the development of the entity's own products or services.
**Transparent**
> Stakeholders are kept informed about the process and sufficient information about the mechanism’s performance is given to build confidence in its effectiveness and meet any public interest at stake.
Validation: What evidence is required?
No evidence required. Only the 'Other' answer is manually validated.
#### **Other Answer**
Add a response that applies to the entity but is not already listed. Ensure that the ‘Other’ answer provided is not a duplicate or subset of another option (e.g. “recycling” when “‘Waste” is selected). It is possible to report multiple ‘other’ answers. If multiple ‘Other’ answers are accepted, they will be awarded fractional points.
Validation Basics
## Scoring
**Is there a formal process for stakeholders to communicate grievances that apply to this entity?**
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Scoring: How does GRESB score this indicator?
The scoring of this indicator is equal to the fraction assigned to the selected option, multiplied by the total score of the indicator.
#### **Other Answer**
The 'Other' answer is manually validated and assigned a score which is used as a multiplying factor, as per the table below:
| Validation status | Score |
| ----------------- | ----- |
| Accepted | 1/1 |
| Not Accepted | 0 |
| Duplicate | 0 |
Scoring Basics
***
References
[ISO20400: Sustainable Procurement](https://www.iso.org/standard/63026.html)
[UN - Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights](https://www.ohchr.org/documents/publications/GuidingprinciplesBusinesshr_eN.pdf)
[Grievance Mechanism ToolKit](https://www.cao-grm.org/)
**Alignment with External Frameworks**
[GRI Standards 2021 - General Disclosures 2021 - 2-25: Process to remediate negative impacts](https://www.globalreporting.org/standards/gri-standards-download-center/)
## Get Support: Solution Providers
**GRESB Solution Providers** are independent, third-party organizations within the GRESB Partner network that offer specialized products, tools, and services to support sustainability performance outside the GRESB Assessment process.
Currently, there are no GRESB Solution Providers associated with this indicator.
GRESB will continue to update this section as the GRESB Solution Provider network grows. Please check back regularly to find GRESB Solution Providers who can support your sustainability performance.
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