1. Policy Statement

Pure Data Centres are committed to ensuring a positive and effective working environment where people are treated fairly and with respect.  We recognise however, that there may be occasions where employees may have concerns about their work, working environment, relationships with their colleagues or behaviour of others towards them.

It is expected that the majority of concerns will be resolved informally.  We encourage employees to resolve issues informally in the first instance through discussions with their Manager. If an employee feels unable to approach their manager directly, they should either approach another manager or seek support from People and Culture Team, who will discuss ways of dealing with the matter and outline support mechanisms.

Where attempts to resolve the matter informally have been unsuccessful or if the matter is so serious, it may be appropriate for a formal grievance to be raised under this policy.  We are committed to ensuring that employees have an opportunity to raise concerns relating to their employment and that matters are dealt with efficiently and effectively.

2. About this Policy

This procedure applies to all employees regardless of length of service.  It does not apply to agency workers or self-employed contractors.

This procedure does not form part of any Employee’s Contract of Employment.  It may be amended at any time and the Company may depart from it depending on the circumstances of any case.

If an employee has a grievance that relates to ongoing disciplinary proceedings against them, they should raise this in the course of the disciplinary procedure (for example during the disciplinary hearing or appeal stage).

If an employee raises a grievance during disciplinary proceedings that is unrelated to those proceedings, the disciplinary proceedings and grievance procedure will normally run independently in parallel.

3. Key Principles and Definitions

• The procedure will be applied consistently with a defined process for all stages
• All employees will be treated fairly and sensitively and supported during the process
• Grievances will be investigated promptly, thoroughly considered and in confidence
• Confidentiality relating to the grievance (including any investigation and outcome) will be preserved so far as this is possible
• Employees have the right to be accompanied at formal meetings
• Employees have a right of appeal against the outcome of the grievance procedure
• If any employee knowingly or maliciously makes false accusations as part of a grievance they may be subject to action under the Disciplinary Procedure.

Whilst the Company operates a separate Whistleblowing Policy to enable all employees to report illegal activities, wrongdoing or malpractice, if an employee is directly affected by the matter in questions, or they feel that they have been victimised for an act of whistleblowing, they may raise the matter under the Grievance Procedure.

4. Informal Resolution

Employees are encouraged to seek to resolve matters of concern by speaking directly with their line manager or People and Culture Team on an informal basis about their case. Other ways to resolve this informally might be arranging a 3-way meeting, facilitated meeting, mediation or talking this through with someone and coming up with ways to resolve the issue. In most cases employment related problems are likely to be resolved informally in this way.  If, however, the employee is not satisfied with the outcome of the informal discussions, or if for some reason this is not seen as an appropriate way of proceeding, then they may pursue the problem through the procedure outlined below.

5. Formal Procedure

We recognise that a formal grievance procedure can be a difficult experience for all parties involved, whether the grievance is upheld or not. The purpose of the grievance procedure is to resolve issues in the workplace quickly and fairly to minimise any stress caused during the process.

There are two stages to the formal procedure:

5.1 Grievance Meeting

The employee should set out a written summary of their grievance, outlining the basis of their complaint, including any relevant facts, dates and names of individuals involved so that it can be investigated.  The statement should be submitted to their immediate manager. If the subject of the grievance concerns their line manager, it will be appropriate to submit the statement to the next level Manager.

The grievance meeting will be arranged, normally within 7 calendar days of receiving the written grievance. The purpose of the meeting is for the manager is to discuss the details of the complaint with the employee, investigate the issues and attempt to resolve the matter.  If it is deemed necessary, the Manager may adjourn the meeting to carry out further investigations, after which the meeting will usually be reconvened.

The employee will have the right to bring a work colleague or certified trade union representative to the meeting.   Every attempt should be made to attend the meeting, if for any reason the employee or the companion are unable to make the scheduled time, an alternative time will be arranged.  If, however the companion or certified trade union representative is unable to attend at the rescheduled time and will not be available for more than 5 working days afterwards, the Company may ask the employee to choose someone else.

The employee will receive written notification within 7 calendar days of the grievance meeting confirming the decision, along with details of actions he or she intends to take to resolve the grievance. If it is not possible to respond within this period, the employee will be given an explanation for the delay and be told when a response can be expected.

The employee will be given the right of appeal.

The Company will endeavour to respond to the grievance as soon as possible and, in any case, within five working days of the grievance meeting.

5.2 Appeal

If the grievance is not dealt with to the employees’ satisfaction, then an appeal may be made in writing.  This needs to be lodged within 7 calendar days of receipt of the original decision and must be sent to the next level of management. Within a reasonable time of receipt of an appeal notification the manager will arrange a meeting to discuss the problem with you, investigate the issues and attempt to resolve the grievance. The manager dealing with the matter will respond in writing notifying the employee of the outcome of the grievance, within a reasonable time of the hearing.

An exception to this procedure will be in the case where the employee leaves the Company during the formal grievance process, whilst the grievance is ongoing. In this instance a modified procedure will apply, and this means that there will be an opportunity for the grievance to be heard, however there will be no requirement for a meeting to take place in person and the response will be provided in writing.  The employee will be given an opportunity to submit further information they wish to be taken into consideration and to request that certain colleagues are spoken to as part of any investigation that may take place in relation to the case.

This is the final stage of the Grievance Procedure and the Company’s decision shall be final and there will be no further right to appeal.

6. Roles and Responsibilities

6.1 Employee Responsibilities

• Taking all reasonable steps to attend meetings arranged to discuss the grievance
• Attempting to resolve grievances informally before taking formal action
• Co-operating with any necessary investigations
• Ensuring that time limits specified within the Procedure are complied with

6.2 Management Responsibilities

• Ensuring that grievances are properly investigated in a timely, thorough and fair manner
• Seeking advice as appropriate from the People Team
• Communicating a response to the employee at the conclusion of the grievance hearing and to follow up with a written response explaining the grievance outcome
• Ensuring that the employee is aware of their right to appeal (if applicable)
• Provide the People Team with copies of all supporting documents and outcome letters relating to the grievance