Resource Center

This report records discussions and recommendations from an expert workshop that was convened to discuss a new model for the design and implementation of operational-level grievance mechanisms (OGMs) that is driven by community conceptions of justice and fair play.OGMs are systems that companies set up at their operational sites to handle complaints from workers, community members, and other stakeholders. The United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) have popularized the idea of OGMs as an important way for companies to fulfill their responsibilities to respect human rights and provide for an effective remedy. Existing OGMs, however, have generally been designed and implemented by the very companies that are the targets of the complaints that the mechanisms are designed to address. These OGMs often reflect a significant power imbalance between the parties. In numerous cases, rights-holders and outside observers have criticized these mechanisms for failing to meet international standards on fair process and for providing inadequate remedies for human rights abuses.