Task 16 – Report – Anglo American Social Way toolkit

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Task 16 – Report

Contents in this section:

Task 15 ‒ Adjust

Task 16 – Report

Sites are required to share the results of incident and grievance monitoring, analysis and evaluation with senior management on a regular basis, according to the existing site-BU-Group reporting schedule.

Additionally, sites are required to report on the volume and nature of incidents and grievances received. Within the site SP team, it is helpful to develop weekly and monthly reports to submit to their HoD. It is then easier for the SP HoD to monitor the team's progress, and to use the data from these staff reports to generate the content of other reports up to the BU and Group.

Considerations include:

having a 'dashboard style' summary (e.g. colour-coded) for a snapshot of the current situation
highlighting any support or input required from managers and other departments
providing comparisons with data from previous reports, or use visual elements to demonstrate any trends or fluctuations (e.g. graph)
Monitoring reports should only include factual information (hard data)
Analytical reports should focus on your findings and assessments of the monitoring reports, along with recommendations.

A summary of relevant incidents and grievances should also be included in the site’s Social Management Plan (SMP).

BOX 3B. 11 COMMON PITFALLS

Using the grievance process as a replacement for local law enforcement and legal processes. The mechanism should not in any way try to duplicate or prevent access to local judicial systems.
Using the grievance process as a replacement for stakeholder engagement. The mechanism should not be a substitute for stakeholder engagement.
Not having consistent and objective procedures. The company must consider all the grievances that it receives, whether they are deemed founded or not, and regardless of the person or group making the complaint (e.g. a complaint from a chief or government official should not carry more weight or receive privileged attention). Every complaint must undergo the same process, with the same level of transparency and commitment.
Immediately resorting to compensation or benefits to resolve a grievance. Aim to remedy problems first before using compensation as a resolution. Example: The best resolution for damage to property caused by the company is to restore the damage, rather than to pay compensation for the damage.
Addressing symptoms rather than root causes. Remedies should address the underlying causes of the problems raised to prevent re-occurrence.
Compensating too much, or not compensating enough. When a remedy involves compensation, it should aim to return the situation to a level equal to the previous situation (before the incident occurred). Overly generous compensation encourages opportunism, whereas inadequate compensation can appear insulting or dishonest and can damage relationships.

BOX 3B. 12 Potential challenges and risks

Depending on local customs or the hierarchical structure of local communities, some administrative or traditional authorities may expect all grievances to go through them first.

If this is the case, special engagement efforts will be required to help them understand why this is not possible, without undermining their authority. Having a third-party conduit compromises some of the fundamental tenets of a good grievance process: confidential, transparent, without risk of reprisal, without potential interference by other parties/interests.

During stakeholder engagement activities, tensions may rise to the point where crowds form, and where people become verbally or physically abusive. Staff participating in the investigation could find themselves in a vulnerable position, bearing the brunt of stakeholders' frustrations and at risk of being harmed.

Work with the Security department to develop procedures for these eventualities, so that staff can recognise the warning signs of violence, know how to defuse tense situations, and have clear instructions on how to stay safe if a situation becomes dangerous.

Some complainants may be reluctant to undergo the formalities of registering a grievance when they realise that there are forms and signatures involved.

Staff should take the time to explain why documentation and signatures are necessary and should offer to complete the forms with or for the complainant (particularly if the person has weak reading and writing skills). It is good practice to have identified third parties who could assist, in case the complainant does not want a staff member involved. Stakeholders should also be reminded of the option to submit a grievance anonymously.