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JTW-JME-05 Justice, Trade & Work Justice & Market Ethics CORE Excellence v2.9.7

Staff awareness of grievance mechanism

This criterion assesses whether at least 90% of staff and volunteers demonstrate awareness of the organization's justice and dispute resolution mechanisms when surveyed. It evaluates the organization's commitment to ensuring that all team members understand how to access support when conflicts arise or ethical concerns need to be raised. The maxim ‘No harm and no reciprocating harm’ (La darar wa la dirar) and the principle of blocking means to evil (Sadd al-dhara’i) oblige leadership to provide safe, accessible channels and protect from retaliation. This mechanism is linked to the Hisbah tradition of public accountability and the Prophetic command to 'help the oppressor' by stopping them from oppression (Sahih al-Bukhari 2444), making explicit the institutional lineage of speaking up for justice.

Compliance 2
  • Maintain a 1-page escalation map: (1) personal grievance, (2) whistleblowing/public interest (incl. prescribed persons and Charity Commission signposting), (3) safeguarding (incl. DSL/lead and statutory routes), with examples relevant to the organisation; review annually.
    Process Essential
  • Privacy safeguards for segmentation: suppress reporting for any segment n<5; aggregate to higher level (e.g., region not site); publish only percentages and not free-text; conduct DPIA for survey tool; restrict raw data access to HR/trustee lead; retention max 24 months for raw survey data.
    Quality Important
Good 3
  • Independent speak-up channel (one of: trustee/chair route, external hotline provider, or outsourced HR provider) that is structurally independent of line management; must allow anonymous reporting and two-way communication (web portal or hotline reference code).
    Process Essential
  • New staff onboarding assessment
    Excellence High
  • Clarity on routes: personal grievance vs whistleblowing (public interest) vs safeguarding, with examples and escalation map.
    Continuous Improvement Medium
Better 17
  • Regular staff awareness survey (at least annual)
    Monitoring Important
  • Standardised survey instrument and scoring rubric: maintain a version-controlled question bank (minimum 10 knowledge items + 3 scenario items per role family), with defined correct answers, weighting, and pass/fail logic; scenario score = (correct scenario items ÷ total scenario items) × 100; awareness = must pass all core items + ≥80% on role-relevant scenarios.
    Quality Essential
  • Minimum 90% of respondents meet the awareness standard (can locate the policy, name ≥2 reporting routes including an independent/anonymous option, and correctly state confidentiality and non-retaliation principles).
    Performance Essential
  • Include 3-item speak-up confidence index in the annual survey (e.g., ‘I feel safe raising concerns’, ‘I believe concerns are handled fairly’, ‘I believe I will not face retaliation’) with target ≥80% favourable overall and action plan where any item <70%.
    Monitoring Important
  • High response rate (minimum 75%)
    Performance Essential
  • Non-response bias test: compare respondents vs workforce by (a) role family, (b) location, (c) staff/volunteer status. If any group is underrepresented by >15 percentage points, implement targeted outreach (paper/phone survey option, facilitated session, translated version) and re-run for that group within 30 days.
    Monitoring Important
  • Analysis of awareness gaps and action planning based on results
    Process Important
  • Tracking of awareness trends over time
    Monitoring Important
  • Higher targets for managers and case handlers (≥95%)
    Performance Important
  • Clarity check: ≥90% of respondents can distinguish grievance, whistleblowing (public interest), and safeguarding routes in scenarios relevant to their role.
    Quality Important
  • Mixed assessment methods (surveys, interviews, scenarios)
    Continuous Improvement Medium
  • Differentiated awareness targets for different roles
    Excellence High
  • Educational interventions for identified gaps
    Continuous Improvement High
  • Practical application questions beyond theoretical knowledge
    Innovation Medium
  • Stakeholder input into awareness priorities
    Stakeholder Engagement Medium
  • Creative communication strategies for key information
    Innovation Medium
  • Accessible, translated materials and QR-coded posters for non-digital workers
    Innovation Medium
Best 2
  • External third-party independent speak-up channel (e.g., EthicsPoint, Safecall) for higher assurance
    Excellence High
  • Periodic 'mystery shopper' tests of channels
    Continuous Improvement Medium

Related Criteria

JTW-JME-01 Independent Maẓālim panel active JTW-JME-02 Dispute resolution timeliness JTW-JME-03 Restorative-justice policy JTW-JME-04 Whistleblowing protection tested (Speak‑Up) JTW-JME-06 Code-compliant complaints policy; learning log published
Version
2.9.7 2025-11-05

Discussion (1)

Administrator 2026-03-07 11:07:54.908657

📋 **Version updated: 1.0.0 → 2.9.7** **Changes:** Updated islamic_references from mizan-297.json

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