Politique en matière de griefs

DOWNLOAD GRIEVANCE POLICY FORM

Introduction

FHANA’s Grievance Policy is designed to address problems or perceived problems within the organization.

FHANA’s Board of Directors will not take action based on unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing. Any such allegations will be addressed through the Grievance Policy and will be subject to thorough investigation.

Types of Grievance

Informal Complaint

A member who feels there has been an error or issue with administrative procedures within the FHANA Office will contact the office at [email protected] or by phone at 859-455-7430. This includes such things as horse transfer or registration issues, DNA concerns, or inspection problems. Every attempt should be made to correct these issues with the office.

Alleged breaches of Code of Conduct should also be forwarded to the FHANA Office.

If the issue can not be resolved by the office or is not an administrative issue, it may proceed to the Formal Grievance Procedure.

Formal Grievance Procedure

A formal grievance may be filed by any Full, Sport, Business, or Lifetime Member of FHANA in Good Standing. Formal grievances may be filed for a serious breach of ethics, such as abuse of power or conflict of interest, or other serious infractions requiring the attention of the FHANA Board of Directors.

Grievances being filed by multiple members for one issue should be included on a single grievance form.

Interpersonal conflicts between members do not constitute a formal grievance and grievances filed of this nature will not be considered.

Complaints that include legally defined issues, such as harassment or slander, will also not be considered as a formal grievance. These issues should be addressed with the appropriate legal authorities.

Procédure

1. The person making the grievance (complainant) will complete and submit a FHANA grievance form along with the grievance investigation fee of $100 USD and any current or additional documentation. The grievance Investigation fee will be refunded if the grievance is resolved in the complainant’s favor.

2. The FHANA Office will contact the FHANA Board of Directors and provide them with any documentation and information already accrued regarding the grievance. The FHANA Board shall set the date and time for a meeting to review the grievance within 72 hours of the Board receiving the grievance from the FHANA Office. This meeting should be held within 14 days of the receipt of the grievance. If for any reason the Board can not meet within this time period, the delay is to be communicated to the complainant with an approximate time that the review will be held.

3. The FHANA Board of Directors will review the grievance and vote to either dismiss the grievance without investigation, or investigate the grievance further. If further investigation is warranted, the Board of Directors will appoint an ad-hoc Grievance Committee of neutral Members at Large of the organization. One Director will be appointed as the Board Liaison for the Committee. The Grievance Committee will be comprised of 3-5 Members at Large in addition to the Board Liaison. All members of the Grievance Committee are required to maintain confidentiality regarding matters involved with the grievance. Breach of confidentiality may result in facing penalties as outlined in the FHANA Penalty Table.

4. The Grievance Committee will meet and appoint a Chair of the committee. The committee will review all provided information and may contact the complainant of the grievance for further information or clarification.

5. The Committee will review and send a copy of the grievance to the person(s) about whom it was written (the accused), giving them the opportunity to respond and provide information to the Grievance Committee regarding the alleged infraction. The accused is required to treat all correspondence and conversation regarding the grievance as confidential. Any breach of this expectation of confidentiality may subject the accused to penalties as outlined in the FHANA Penalty Table.

6. If at any time the complainant feels the matter is fully resolved, they may request that the grievance be withdrawn. If the grievance is withdrawn before the FHANA Board of Directors meets to determine whether the grievance will be investigated, the grievance investigation fee will be refunded to the complainant within 30 days. If the grievance is withdrawn after the FHANA Board of Directors has met to review it, the fee will be retained by FHANA.

7. Based on the content of the provided information from the complainant and the accused, the Committee shall determine whether additional investigation or action is necessary. The Committee reserves the right to contact other parties involved with the complaint for further information and clarification. Once investigation is concluded, the Committee shall submit a report to the FHANA Board of Directors outlining its findings and recommended course of action.

8. Upon completion of the review of the grievance, the FHANA Board of Directors shall meet to review the Committee’s findings. The Board of Directors shall then decide on a course of action by a 2/3 vote.

9. If the issue is voted in favour of the complainant(s), the grievance fee will be refunded within 30 days. If the vote is not resolved in the complainant’s favour, or if the grievance is dismissed by FHANA for any reason, the grievance investigation fee will be retained by FHANA.

10. The investigation process will be completed within 90 days of receipt of the formal grievance. Both the complainant and the accused will receive a written (or email) notice from the FHANA Board of Directors as to the action taken.

11. All documentation regarding the formal grievance and its disposition will be maintained by the FHANA Office.

12. If a grievance is filed against any member of the FHANA Board of Directors, that Director shall be recused from any decision making or votes regarding the grievance. Grievances filed against multiple members of the FHANA Board of Directors will not be considered and must instead be pursued via FHANA’s Bylaws Article 6.