EBB & FLOW WELLNESS
Grievance and appeals procedure
Complaints Handling Policy
The Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio Complaints Handling Policy ensures that users, suppliers or third parties have the right to the principles of fairness, accessibility, transparency, responsiveness, accountability and constructiveness.
Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio welcomes feedback, both positive and negative, from users or suppliers. This allows us to correct any problems with our service, to learn how to improve our service quality and to maintain positive relationships with our clients, students and teachers.
The policy sets out the procedures for dealing with complaints concerning Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio classes, courses, events and administration of our activities.
Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio is committed to a fair and just system for responding to complaints and grievances. This policy ensures complaints are dealt with sensitively, confidentially, effectively and promptly.
Definition of Complaint
Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction with our service by a student, client, teacher or other user.
Principles
The following principles underpin this policy:
- That users have the right to know what they can expect from Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio services.
- That Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio complaint-handling processes will be consistent with current complaint-handling standards.
- Every effort will be made to deal effectively and timeously with complaints, initially at a personal and informal level, involving arbitration between the complainant/client and the person complained about. If this does not produce a satisfactory outcome for the complainant/client there are mechanisms for formal complaint involving more extensive investigation.
Making a complaint
(1) Informal Complaint
Clients, students, teachers and other users of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio are, in the first instance, invited to raise their concern / complaint informally with the individual concerned, another teacher or the Organiser who has responsibility for the subject in question.
Informal complaints may take the form of:
- An expression of dissatisfaction within a broader discussion
- An issue being raised verbally or by email, perhaps without the use of the word ‘complaint’
In such circumstances, Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio will endeavor to understand the nature of the issue being raised and establish whether or not this can be resolved easily. If the issue cannot easily be resolved by the individual in receipt of the communication, they are encouraged to contact another appropriate Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio representative.
If the matter is not satisfactorily resolved, the complainant is invited to make a formal complaint.
(2) Formal Complaint
If the issue has not been resolved satisfactorily through informal channels, the complainant is invited to make a formal complaint in writing, by letter or email. Depending on the nature of the complaint, it should be directed to the appropriate recipient via:
- The Owner of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio, Di Meade; or
- The supplier or third party
Response to Formal Complaints
Formal complaints will be acknowledged within seven working days.
Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio aims to respond to any complaint within 28 working days, but this will depend on the nature of the investigation required. Should the investigation extend beyond this time period, the complainant will receive written notice of this.
Monitoring and Review
This policy and its procedures will be reviewed every two years.
Procedure for Handling Complaints
A) Investigation of complaints
The complaint should initially be investigated by the Owner of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio and/or the supplier or third party, depending on its nature. This will include a request for information from the person about whom the complaint was made and make a recommendation as to further investigations, depending on the seriousness of the matter.
B) Formal complaints against Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio Yoga teachers
- A meeting will be convened to investigate the complaint in whatever way they consider appropriate, including interviewing the complainant, and decide on the action to be taken. Action to be taken may include the Owner of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio to observe the teacher in a class situation.
- A report with recommendations will be made.
- In the case of a complaint being upheld, the teacher concerned will be notified by writing. Advice will be provided, leading to agreement on the nature of the improvements to be made and how these are to be demonstrated.
- If this strategy fails to produce the desired change/improvement, the Owner of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio will recommend, that the teacher be directed to undertake further relevant training.
- A review will determine whether the issues identified have been resolved.
- Should this work not lead to a satisfactory outcome, the supplier or third party may propose that the teacher be removed from the schedule.
- Whatever the final outcome, the Owner of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio will write to the complainant with a copy to the teacher involved, explaining what action has been taken.
- Full written records will be kept of the entire procedure.
C) All other complaints
Complaints concerning any other aspect of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio business (e.g. administration) will be investigated in a way that is proportionate to their nature.
The Owner of Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio will investigate the complaint and may include mandated training or mentoring, or a change in policy or procedure.
Record-Keeping
A report must be kept on file for the record of all complaints.
Confidentiality
All complaint information will be handled sensitively, telling only those who need to know and following the Ebb and Flow Wellness Studio Privacy Policy and the supplier or third party’s relevant policies and procedures.