Project Management Complaints Policy and Unacceptable Actions Policy

These policies relate to projects managed by the Changeworks Project Management team including the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes.

Changeworks Project Management Complaints policy

The nature of the projects managed by our team means that we have frequent contact with householders who have a variety of enquiries and concerns. Most of the contacts consists of general information about the projects we manage. On occasion, a householder may feel that they wish to make a complaint, Changeworks’ Project Management defines a complaint as being:

An expression of dissatisfaction with the services provided whether verbal or written that requires a response, where the organisation or individual has indicated or expressed that they have a complaint or are dissatisfied.

This page describes our complaints procedure, how to make a complaint or enquiry and tells you what you can expect from us.

Our Unacceptable Actions Policy and Procedure describes the actions we may take during the rare examples where we deem behaviour by customers to be unacceptable.

How do I make a complaint or enquiry?

If your enquiry or complaint relates to ongoing works at or around your property, in the first instance you should raise this directly with the Contractor who is carrying out the works.

This can often be done through the designated Resident Liaison Officer or the Site Manager.

Householders can also raise a complaint through Changeworks if they are unable to speak with the contractor or are not satisfied with the complaint outcome from the contractor.

Householders should contact us by phoning us on 0131 539 8603 or on email at projectmanagement@changeworks.org.uk

When getting in contact, tell us:

• your full name and
• contact telephone number and email address if
• as much as you can about the enquiry or
• what has gone wrong if
• how you want us to resolve the matter if

What happens when you have made a complaint or enquiry to Changeworks?

We will acknowledge all complaints within 2 working days of notification. If your complaint relates to concerns around Health and Safety or Gross Misconduct on site, we will respond to you within 1 working day.

We aim to provide a resolution to all complaints within 3 working days. Please note that although we may agree a resolution, this may not be carried out until a later date owing to the way works are programmed on site.

Contractors are also asked to provide responses within the same timescales.

If for any reason we aren’t able to resolve your complaint within three working days, we will contact you to discuss the options.

Complaint investigation and escalation

We occasionally deal with complaints that are more complex in nature that require detailed investigation, serious complaints and high risk cases. If the investigation is particularly complex and we need longer to resolve the problem, we will tell you. We will agree revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress.

Changeworks Project Management – Unacceptable actions policy

Introduction

This Policy sets out Changeworks’ Project Management’s policy to handle the relatively few complainants whose actions or behaviour we consider as unacceptable. For the purposes of this policy our definition of unacceptable behaviour is defined as:

A person or an organisation whose engagement with Changeworks’ Project Management or Technical Support Team involves aggressive behaviour, unreasonable demands, or unreasonable persistence.

Policy Aims

• To make clear to all complainants what actions we will take as a result of their unacceptable We aim to be open and not raise hopes or expectations that we cannot meet.
• To deal fairly, honestly and consistently with all complainants, including those whole actions we deem as unacceptable. We believe that all complainants have the rights to be heard, understood, and respected. We also consider that our staff have the same rights.
• To provide a service that is accessible to all However, we reserve the right, where we consider a complainant’s actions to be unacceptable, to restrict or change access to our service.
• To ensure that other householders, stakeholders, or staff do not suffer any disadvantage from complainants who act in an unacceptable manner.
• To provide the opportunity to any complainant whose actions we consider to be unacceptable to modify their behaviour before any further action is taken.

Unacceptable actions

Aggressive behaviour

Aggression includes behaviour or language (written or oral) that may cause staff to feel threatened or afraid. This also includes threats, physical violence, personal verbal abuse, derogatory remarks and rudeness. Changeworks expects its staff and those we work with to be treated with courtesy and respect.

Unreasonable Demands

Householders may make what Changeworks considers unreasonable demands through the amount of information they seek, the timescales in which they seek it, the nature and scale of service they expect or the number of approaches they make. What amounts to unreasonable demands will always depend on the circumstances surrounding the behaviour and the seriousness of the issues raised by the householders but may include demanding responses within an unreasonable timescale, insisting on seeing or speaking to a particular member of staff, continual phone calls or letters, repeatedly changing the substance of the enquiry or raising unrelated concerns.

Unreasonable Persistence

Householders may persist in disagreeing with the outcome of an investigation by Changeworks or contact us persistently about the same issue. Other examples may be a persistent refusal to accept explanations relating to what we can and cannot do and continuing to pursue an issue without presenting any new information or refusing access to complete works. The way in which the householder approaches us may be reasonable, but it is their persistent behaviour in continuing to do so which may not be.

Changeworks may consider the actions of persisting householders to be unacceptable when they take up what we regard as being a disproportionate amount of time and resource.

Managing unacceptable Actions

Changeworks may restrict contact with complainants to being in person, by telephone, letter or email or any combination of these. Where action to restrict contact is taken, Changeworks will undertake to fully explain the reasoning behind this decision.

The threat or use of aggressive or abusive behaviour, which may include physical violence, verbal abuse or harassment towards our staff or stakeholders is likely to result in the immediate ending of all direct contact with the complainant. Incidents may be reported to the police, this will always be the case if physical violence is used or threatened.

Changeworks staff will end telephone calls if the member of staff considers the caller to be aggressive or abusive, or persistently refuses to accept what we are saying. The staff member may make the decision, tell the caller that the behaviour is unacceptable and end the call if the behaviour does not stop.

Changeworks does not tolerate correspondence that is deemed as abusive to staff. Where correspondence contains allegations against a member of staff and after investigation it is found to lack substantive evidence, this may be deemed an unacceptable action.