Grievance Policy

Newbury Hackspace is an inclusive organisation where all members are obliged to ensure that other members, visitors and guests are all made welcome and are not made uncomfortable.

This policy offers a process whereby any grievances affecting members, visitors or guests can be addressed and resolved. This policy serves to safeguard members, visitors and guests from being subject to situations where they are unable to resolve their own grievances.

Examples of unacceptable behaviour include (but are not limited to):

• Bullying.
• Derogatory treatment of an individual based upon race, gender, sexuality, belief or appearance.
• Excluding individuals from activities.
• Abuse (mental or physical).
• Contravention of the Rules.

Within this document the terms Junior, Guest, Visitor and Member have the meanings documented in Membership Levels.

Grievance Process for Juniors, Visitors and Guests

1. The accompanying Member is responsible for the Junior/Visitor/Guest at all times.
2. The Junior/Visitor/Guest is encouraged to engage any other Member to escalate any grievance.

Grievance Process for Members

All grievances escalated to a Member by a Junior or Guest must be treated in absolute confidence unless the disclosure of identifying specifics (e.g. individual's name, time/date) is both authorised by the affected parties and required to resolve the issue.

Where the grievance is escalated to a meeting (EGM, QGM, AGM) the affected individuals should be anonymised for all discussion and any resulting documentation (e.g. meeting minutes), even if all parties present at those meetings are aware of the identity of the individuals.

Where a grievance is caused by a single individual the victim of that grievance should first consider approaching the individual to resolve the issue. If this is impractical, makes the victim uncomfortable or causes an escalation then the grievance process below should be followed.

Emergencies

For urgent issues where the grievance is ongoing and cannot be resolved immediately (e.g. by the affected parties leaving the space) the Hackspace Directors should be immediately engaged (e.g. by phone or other immediate contact method). The Directors will take such action as necessary to resolve the immediate issue, likely to include exclusion from the Hackspace and/or temporary suspension of Memberships pending the resolution of the grievance.

Non-emergencies

Where the grievance can be resolved by a Member while complying with the Articles of Association, Rules and without negatively affecting any other individual that Member is encouraged to resolve that grievance. After taking the remedial action the Member should notify other Members using the email distribution list taking care to anonymise the victim of the grievance.

If the grievance cannot be resolved in this manner the Member should contact the Directors. The Directors will attempt to:

• Resolve the grievance as quickly as possible.
• Initiate an Emergency General Meeting, if appropriate.
• Initiate any procedure, policy and rule changes as necessary to avoid further incidents.
• Ensure that any aggravating parties or individuals understand the consequences of their actions.
• Enforce the Rules, if necessary suspending or excluding aggravating individuals from the Hackspace.