PART 4: HOW SHOULD BUSINESS RESPOND?
To make it possible for
grievances to be addressed
early and remediated
directly, business
enterprises should
establish or participate in
effective operational-level
grievance mechanisms
for individuals and
communities who may be
adversely impacted.
UN Guiding Principle, 29
Under the UN Guiding Principles, a business
should establish accessible and appropriate
systems to address grievances to ensure the
remediation of negative impacts your company
may have caused or contributed to. Having
an effective grievance mechanism provides a
direct line between an impacted individual or
community and the business. This can enable
a business to address a harm early before it
escalates further. Going through the courts
can also be a timely and expensive exercise.
Examples of operational grievance mechanisms
may include a confidential hotline, complaints
box and an internal alternative dispute resolution
process.
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Company operational
grievance mechanism:
IHG Resorts & Hotels
IHG has established an independent
and confidential channel where
complaints can be made online or via
the phone.138 Those who can make a
complaint include IHG employees and
anyone with a relation to IHG including
its suppliers and their workers.139
Complaints can be made in relation
to breaches of the company’s Code
of Conduct which covers a broad
range of issues related to human
rights, the environment, fraud and
theft, tax evasion and corruption and
bribery.140 Complaints can be made
in any language and the complaints
management system is administered
on an external server. Complaints are
then sent to a small group of IHG staff
who are responsible for reviewing and
responding to the complaints.141