Grievance Policy: Reviewing a Grievance

To appropriately review a grievance, an organization should review the matter, talk to any witnesses or individuals involved, and do this within a specific timeframe.

After the organization has completed a grievance review, the program also needs to share the findings with the resident who filed the grievance.

• If the grievance was verified, include what the organization’s response to the situation is and the steps that have been or will be taken to address the situation.
• If the grievance was not verified, the organization should still communicate the findings and determination with the person who filed the grievance.

An organization can have a meeting with the resident, but the organization must also follow up in writing so there is documentation of the findings and that it was shared with the person who filed the grievance.

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The grievance report must include contact information for an actual person. Don’t just say “a manager.” A real name and phone number needs to be included.

It is very frustrating when you’re upset about something, and you are trying to do something about it, but you have to do extra legwork to figure out who to contact.

We have all been in situations where we are upset about something, but it is impossible to figure out how to fix it. How does that make you feel? Likely, you feel even more angry and upset than you were to begin with.  Including contact information can help avoid those situations. Remember, making it easy for residents to bring these matters to the organization can keep an already difficult situation from escalating.