External Grievance Policy

Last updated: 21/02/2025

Purpose & Scope

The purpose of this policy is to enable external stakeholders (individuals e.g. customers, communities or organisations) to raise a concern or complaint they have with FCL’s operations, and to have the matter dealt with as quickly and fairly as possible.

Overview

FCL is committed to quality, transparency, social responsibility, sustainability, integrity & professionalism in all of our operations. If you've experienced something that is not inline with these commitments, we want to know.

Any complaint must be submitted to FCL in writing and must include supporting evidence for the claim made. An external party may lodge a complaint anonymously through the external FCL grievance form, or by emailing contact@fullcirclelabs.bio. Receipt of complaints will be acknowledged within 5 working days of submission, and a full written response will be issued within 15 working days of receipt.

Procedure to address complaints

FCL will review the complaint in accordance with the following procedure. The FCL Director determines the acceptability of the complaint. Complaints are accepted if they:

  • relate to a FCL service
  • include sufficient objective evidence to reasonably support the complainant’s claim
  • are submitted in good faith

Where a complaint does not fulfil these conditions, FCL will inform the complainant of this decision, including the reasons for FCL to reject the complaint.

Where a complaint is accepted, FCL will conduct an investigation covering all elements of the complaint. Upon completion of the investigation, the complainant will be informed by FCL of the conclusion of the investigation and the corrective actions identified (if any) to address the complaint. FCL commits to working within the following timelines to address a complaint where possible and regularly communicating each step and its outcome in the process for seeking a resolution:

  • Confirm receipt within 5 working days
  • Provide full written response within 15 working days (including acceptance or dismissal of the complaint)
  • Conduct full investigation within a further 10 working days and provide information on next steps consisting of a final decision and resolution. The outcome decision will be based on findings from the investigation and what is fair and reasonable.

Stakeholder protection when raising grievances

To ensure stakeholder protection and compliance with this policy the following processes and controls are in place:

  • Confidentiality: grievances will be handled with strict confidentiality
  • Independent oversight: where required or appropriate an impartial manager or third-party investigator will oversee the grievance process
  • Consequences of retaliatory behaviour against complainants: If it is established that an employee of FCL has committed retaliation against a complainant, the employee may be subject to disciplinary action, which, depending on the severity of the case, may include termination of employment.