External stakeholders – Grievance procedure
1. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to provide a clear, transparent, and fair procedure for external stakeholders to raise concerns or grievances and have them addressed promptly and effectively. This policy also outlines the safeguards in place to protect stakeholders from retaliation. Timescales have been fixed to ensure that grievances are dealt with quickly, however these may be extended if it is agreed upon by both parties.
2. Scope
This policy applies to all external stakeholders, including but not limited to:
Clients or customers
Partners and suppliers
Community members
Civil society organisations
Regulators or government entities
It covers grievances related to the organisation’s conduct, services, employees, or operations. This procedure is not intended to deal with dismissal or disciplinary matters which are dealt with in a separate procedure. However, where an employee wishes to submit a grievance anonymously, this policy will apply.
3. Grounds for accepting a grievance
We encourage concerns raised in good faith, even if they later turn out to be mistaken. However, knowingly false or malicious allegations undermine trust and may cause harm.
A grievance may be accepted if it relates to any of the following:
Breach of contract or agreement
Failure to meet service or product expectations
Unethical, discriminatory, or inappropriate behaviour
Environmental, social, or community harm caused by StudioLR’s actions
Lack of transparency or access to information
Violation of legal, regulatory, or compliance obligations
Inappropriate or unfair treatment by a representative of StudioLR
Anonymous grievances may also be reviewed if sufficient detail is provided for investigation.
We may decide not to accept or progress a grievance if it is:
clearly outside StudioLR’s reasonable control
abusive, threatening, or spam
a duplicate of a previously closed concern with no new information
made in bad faith (for example, knowingly false allegations).
Where we do not accept/progress a concern, we will provide a brief explanation (where contact details are available).
4. Grievance management procedure
Step 1: Submission
Stakeholders may submit grievances:
by writing to us at StudioLR, 25 The Bond Building, Breadalbane Street, Edinburgh EH6 5JW
by emailing concerns@studiolr.com
by completing the form at www.studiolr.com/concerns
Required information:
Detailed description of the issue, including any supporting evidence
Desired resolution
The following information is not a mandatory requirement, but will allow StudioLR to provide updates on the status of a submitted grievance, or request further information to help us investigate where appropriate:
Name
Contact details (phone/email address)
Step 2: Acknowledgment (within 5 business days)
Where contact details are provided, StudioLR will confirm receipt in writing, including:
the name and contact of the grievance handler
an outline of the next steps and estimated resolution timeframe
Step 3: Preliminary assessment (within 10 business days of receipt)
The grievance will be reviewed to determine:
whether it meets the grounds for acceptance
whether it contains sufficient detail for investigation
any immediate actions required (e.g., risk mitigation)
If the grievance is outside the organisation’s scope or lacks necessary detail, and contact details are provided, the complainant will be informed with reasons and guidance, if appropriate.
Step 4: Investigation (completed within 20 business days)
For accepted grievances:
a fact-based investigation will be conducted by a trained staff member or an independent reviewer
interviews or clarification may be sought from the complainant and relevant parties
all findings will be documented.
Stakeholders may be updated if timelines are adjusted
Step 5: Resolution and response (within 10 business days after investigation concludes)
A written resolution will be provided, including:
findings from the investigation
decisions made and rationale
corrective actions or remedies, if any
rights to appeal the outcome
Possible resolutions may include:
an apology or explanation
remedial action (eg. service correction)
disciplinary action within the organisation
process or policy changes
Step 6: Appeals process (within 10 business days of resolution)
If dissatisfied, the stakeholder may submit a written appeal, which will:
Be reviewed by a different decision-maker (or independent adviser) where feasible
Include a re-assessment of the case
Lead to a final decision within 20 business days of the appeal submission
5. Protection against retaliation
The organisation strictly prohibits any form of retaliation, harassment, or disadvantage directed at individuals who:
Submit a grievance in good faith
Participate in an investigation or provide evidence
Controls in place include:
Confidentiality of complainant identity (where legally permissible)
Independent oversight of grievance handling
Disciplinary actions for any employee found retaliating
Regular monitoring and reporting of grievance cases to senior leadership
We will handle concerns sensitively and share information only on a need‑to‑know basis. At the outset, we will explain who may need to be involved to investigate or resolve the matter and seek consent before wider sharing where possible.
6. Risk and safeguarding
We will assess whether the person raising the concern could be at risk of harm or retaliation, and adjust how we investigate and communicate accordingly. Where appropriate, we may involve an independent third party (for example, an external adviser) to support risk assessment or handle conflicts of interest, or we may take appropriate contractual or commercial steps.
If your concern involves suspected wrongdoing that is in the public interest (for example, criminal activity, breach of legal obligation, danger to health and safety, or environmental harm), StudioLR may handle it under our Whistleblowing Policy so that the additional protections (including confidentiality safeguards, risk assessment and protection from retaliation) apply. We will still follow the same core principles of fair handling, clear timelines, and communication of outcomes set out in this procedure.
Any stakeholder who feels they are experiencing retaliation should report it immediately via the grievance channel.
7. Monitoring and accountability
Annual reporting on grievance management (anonymised) may be published as part of the organisation’s transparency or ESG commitments.
8. Data protection and record‑keeping
We will handle personal data received through this process in line with UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018). We will keep records secure, limit access to those who need to know, and retain them only as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose of investigating the concern raised.
If your concern includes personal data about others, please share only what is necessary to explain the issue.
9. Policy review
This policy will be reviewed annually or earlier if required due to legal or operational changes.