Grievance and Complaints Policy

In this policy ‘grievance’ means the formal reporting by external stakeholders of  a concern relating to suspected misconduct, illegal acts or failure to act within the business. As a B Corp you are required to make the process of submitting a grievance clear and easily accessible. The aim of this Policy is to encourage stakeholders who have serious concerns about any aspect of the business’s work to come forward and voice those concerns.

You can place the relevant information from this policy onto your website as a section on your ‘Contact’ or ‘Policies’ page or as a separate page on the website.

Aila Recruitment Limited Grievance & Complaints Procedure

1. Overview

At Aila Recruitment, we are committed to acting responsibly, ethically and in alignment with our membership of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and our status as a certified B Corp. We understand that our activities may have impacts across a wide range of stakeholders, including clients, candidates, suppliers, partners and the communities where we work. As part of that commitment to maintaining trust and accountability, we have established a grievance process that enables external stakeholders to raise concerns, offer constructive feedback, or report serious matters. 

We take all concerns seriously and aim to address them quickly and constructively.

This policy sets out how you can raise a grievance with us, how we will manage and respond to it, and what protections apply to those who speak up in good faith.

2. Purpose of this policy.

This policy aims to:

  • Provide a clear and confidential pathway for external stakeholders to raise concerns or lodge complaints.
  • Describe how early recruitment will process, assess, and resolve reported issues fairly and promptly.
  • Ensure that individuals can raise legitimate issues without fear of retaliation or prejudice.
  • Align with global due diligence principles, including those of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

3. Who can use this Policy?

This external grievance policy is available to any non-employee stakeholder that interacts with or is affected by Aila Recruitment Limited’ s operations, including:

  • Job candidates placed through Aila Recruitment Limited (Permanent, temporary and contract).
  • Clients and contracting companies.
  • Suppliers and service vendors.
  • Business partners and community stakeholders.
  • Observers or organisations affected by our commercial relationships.

A separate internal grievance policy exists to support staff and employees.

4. What can you report

You can use our grievance process to raise concerns about conduct specific to Aila Recruitment Limited such as:

  • Discrimination, unfair treatment or bias during recruitment or service delivery.
  • Unethical or unprofessional conduct By an Aila Recruitment Limited representative or associated partner.
  • Environmental or social concerns related to the activities of Aila Recruitment Limited
  • Concerns about how we work with clients, suppliers, or candidates

5. What we will not investigate.

In many instances, there may be other mechanisms available to raise complaints or resolve disputes, including communicating directly with the company concerned. As such, Aila Recruitment Limited will not investigate:

  • Concerns relating solely to the conduct of an employer, manager, or organisation that we have placed a candidate with (such as internal workplace disputes, working conditions, or management style). These are typically the responsibility of the direct employer and should be raised through their internal processes.
  • Complaints arising from legal or contractual disputes relating to the terms and conditions of a candidate’s employment contract after the point of placement.
  • Customer service inquiries or administrative concerns not linked to ethics, discrimination, or professional conduct.
  • Issues already being investigated through legal, regulatory, or tribunal processes. For example, a case already open with an ombudsman or regulator.
  • Complaints intended to cause harm submitted without a genuine basis or containing discriminatory, defamatory, or abusive language.

In some cases, it may be more appropriate to contact:

  • The Employees HR department, union or citizens advice.
  • The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate.
  • The REC complaints process

If you’re unsure, feel free to contact us using the methods provided below, and we’ll help guide you to the appropriate forum.

If your concern relates to how we manage personal data, please refer to our separate Privacy Policy.

6. How to submit a grievance

You may raise your concern in writing.  The earlier you express your concern, the easier it is to take action.  You will need to provide the following information:

  • The nature of your concern and why you believe it to be true
  • The background and history of the concern (giving relevant dates)
  • We will not accept anonymous complaints.

You can submit a grievance through any of the following methods:

  • Email us at: [email protected] 
  • Use our contact form here: Contact Us
  • Or write to us at: Aila Recruitment, Sterling Accounting Solutions, Chipperfield Road, Kings Langley, WD4 9JB
  • Please include a brief summary of your concern and any details that may help us understand the issue. We will not accept anonymous complaints.

7. What Happens Next

Once we receive your grievance:

  • We will acknowledge receipt within five business days.
  • We will review the concern raised and determine whether it qualifies under this policy. You will be informed about the rationale for an issue not being accepted as a grievance.
  • Concerns qualifying for an investigation will be assigned to a designated grievance officer.
  • The officer may contact you for clarification or to obtain additional information and update on the steps involved in the investigation.
  • The officer will notify you of the outcome, including any action taken and to confirm when a resolution has been reached.
  • You will be notified of the outcome, including any action taken or where relevant, information about why a grievance was not accepted. We aim to resolve all accepted grievances within 6 months.

8. Confidentiality

Aila Recruitment Limited does not tolerate retaliation or victimization of any kind towards individuals raising concerns in good faith.

We encourage grievances to not be raised anonymously as this makes them more challenging to address. If provided, identities of individuals will be kept confidential where requested and practicable. In cases where identity must be disclosed (for example, legal requirement), consent will be sought.

All information provided will be treated with strict discretion. Only individuals directly involved in the review and resolution process will have access to relevant details.

All grievances will be logged for internal monitoring and continuous improvement. Patterns of concern may inform systemic policy updates.