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Complaints Policy & Procedure

Complaints Policy

We are committed to providing a good standard of quality service to our candidates and our clients.

We will take seriously any concern or complaint and will investigate it promptly, for resolution as quickly as possible.

We recognise that all candidates and clients have the right to raise concerns or complaints about our services and to have access to clear information on how to voice complaints and concerns.

We will keep a register of all complaints, which will be monitored by the group Human Resources Director and reviewed regularly by the Board of Directors.

Our complaints procedure will be part of the process of monitoring the quality, effectiveness, and non-discriminatory nature of its services.

All staff, candidates and clients are required to read, understand, and comply with this policy and its procedures.

Definition of a complaint

A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction by an individual, whether justified or not.

An individual may make a complaint if they feel we have:

  • Failed to provide a service or an acceptable standard of service or made a mistake in the way the service was provided

  • Failed to act in a proper way

  • Provided an unfair service

This policy and procedure relate only to complaints received about Thrive Group and its services.

Concern or Complaint

It is important to establish the difference between a concern and a complaint. Taking informal concerns seriously at the earliest stage will reduce the likelihood of them developing into formal complaints.

If you have any concerns about our work, we encourage you to talk to a member of our team or their manager as soon as possible, so they can quickly understand your concerns and try to put things right.

If you are not happy with the response to your concern and/or want to make a formal complaint, please follow the procedure below.

Complaints Procedure

We aim to settle the majority of complaints quickly and satisfactorily. The complaint may be resolved quickly by way of an apology or by an acceptable explanation to the individual.

There are three stages to the complaint’s procedure:

  1. Stage One - The complaint

  2. Stage Two - Investigation

  3. Stage Three - Appeal

Stage One - Complaint

The complaint can be written or if the individual prefers, they can tell someone at Thrive Group, who will write it down for them. The complainant will need to sign it.

The complaint should include: -

  • The complainants name and address

  • The nature and date of the complaint

  • How they want to see it resolved

The complaint will need to be sent to complaints@thrivegroup.co.uk or write to Units 2/3, Copse Farm, South Marston, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 4UQ.

On receipt, each complaint will be allocated a reference number and logged on the complaints register.

Complainants will receive an acknowledgement within three working days of receipt of a signed complaint.

Stage Two - Investigation

All complaints at this stage should be dealt with by a manager. If they need to meet with the complainant, they will do so within seven working days of receiving the written complaint.

Complaints will be fully investigated, and a written response provided to the complainant within ten working days by the investigator.

The complainant will receive written confirmation of the outcome of any investigation any recommendations/remedies made, such as reviewing of policies, staff development and training or appropriate improvement to our services.

Where the complaint is upheld, an apology should be offered.

Occasionally investigations may take longer, particularly if the complaint is complex. Should this be the case a holding letter will be sent after ten working days and a final date given for a conclusion to be reached.

If an individual remains dissatisfied with the outcome from Stage Two, they can appeal within fourteen working days of the date of the outcome and progress to Stage Three.

The complaints register will be updated, and any pending complaints flagged so they are followed up

Stage Three - Appeal

If the complaint cannot be resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction at stage two, or if the manager feels that the complaint is of a serious nature or concerns a manager then it will be referred to the Group Human Resources Director.

If the complaint is about the Group Human Resources Director, then the matter will be discussed with the CEO.

The Chief Executive will acknowledge receipt within three working days, they will review the Stage Two investigation and recommend one of the following actions within ten working days (from the date the complainant stated they wanted to take the complaint to stage 3):

  • Uphold the action taken at Stage Two

  • Make changes to the Stage Two recommendation/actions

The complainant should be informed in writing of the outcome of stage three, the decision reached about this complaint will then be final but other options available to the complainant (as listed below) should be detailed in the letter.

If after the three stages have been concluded, the complainant is still not satisfied with the result, they should be advised that there is no further right of appeal, but they could approach any of the following agencies for advice:

  • A solicitor

  • Citizens Advice Bureau

This should be done within one month of receiving the outcome from the appeal.

Anonymous complaints

Complaints received anonymously will be recorded and considered, but action may be limited if further information is required to ensure a full and fair investigation.

Data protection

To process a complaint, we will hold personal data about the complainant, which the individual provides, and which other people give in response to the complaint.

We will hold this data securely and only use it to address the complaint. The identity of the person making the complaint will only be known to those who need to consider the complaint and will not be revealed to other people or made public. However, it may not be possible to preserve confidentiality in some circumstances, for example, where relevant legislation applied, or allegations are made which involve the conduct of third parties.

We will normally destroy complaints files in a secure manner six years after the complaint has been closed.

Monitoring

Complaints are a crucial tool which provide a useful source of information about how candidates and clients view our service. To ensure we can learn from complaints the following data will be collected:

  • Name and address

  • Name of person dealing with the complaint

  • Date of complaint and response

  • Nature of complaint

  • Action(s) taken/recommendations made in response to the complaint Lessons learnt

Complaint’s information will be considered on a regular basis by the Management Team and reported quarterly to the Board of Directors

Date last reviewed: November 2021

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