Grievance Policy

James Island Yoga (JIY) aims to effectively and thoroughly address complaints and grievances brought to its attention as an important part of maintaining its professional integrity as a yoga studio in the community and in the mind body business category. James Island Yoga intends to address complaints using a process based on the values of confidentiality, respect, equality and goodwill.

At James Island Yoga, our Grievance Policy provides teachers and students with a clear path to address challenging or sensitive issues and provides a framework for how an issue will be handled.

Explanation of Complaints and Grievances

A complaint is a general expression of dissatisfaction with a situation or behavior of a person, an expression by a complainant of dissatisfaction, frustration or concern over matters such as quality of service, policy, procedure or the conduct of a person.

A grievance is a specific, serious feeling of alleged wrong or hardship suffered from an action or inaction, situation, conflict, harassment, discrimination, interpersonal conflict or unethical behavior of one or more parties.

James Island Yoga follows the same procedure when dealing with a formal complaint or a grievance. Henceforth, this policy will refer to both a complaint and grievance as simply a “complaint.”

Lodging a Complaint

Prior to submitting a formal complaint to James Island Yoga, it is encouraged and expected that all reasonable attempts have been made to resolve the complaint directly with other subject(s) involved.

Complaints must be submitted by the person that experienced the issue and within (90) ninety days of its occurrence. It is also expected that the person making the complaint has fully read this Grievance Policy, Ethics Statement,Code of Conduct, Anti Harassment Policy, Equal Rights Policy, and Terms and Conditions. Complaints must be lodged in good faith and not be vexatious.

Complaints should be submitted in writing to James Island Yoga and must include:

  • Complainants full name, phone number and email address
  • Nature and description of the situation or alleged violation
  • Date, time and location of the issue
  • Names and contact information for anyone with first-hand knowledge of the issue
  • Any other credible information or evidence to support the complaint
  • Any steps the complainant has already taken to resolve the grievance, including whether the complaint has been lodged elsewhere
  • What the complainant would like the other person(s) to do or not do to address the complaint
  • What assistance the complainant hopes to receive from James Island Yoga
  • A convenient time and date to discuss the complaint with a James Island Yoga Grievance Committee representative Receiving the Complaint

Within (7) seven days of having received a complaint, James Island Yoga will provide acknowledgement that the complaint has been received. James Island Yoga has the discretion not to deal with a complaint if the complaint is lodged more than (90) ninety days after the matter has occurred.  James Island Yoga reserves the right not to consider anonymous complaints and may suggest alternative approaches to resolving such complaint. Complaints alleging criminal behavior may be referred to the appropriate authority such as the police. The written complaint will be forwarded to the Grievance Committee of James Island Yoga. A Grievance Committee point person will notify the subject being complained about that a complaint has been received so that all parties can participate in a resolution.

Acceptance or Dismissal of the Complaint

The James Island Yoga Grievance Committee will assess each grievance on a case-by-case basis. After receiving a complaint, it will be evaluated to determine whether it should be dismissed or further reviewed. James Island Yoga may seek independent advice on any matter related to the grievance process.

In some cases, James Island Yoga may decide that it cannot have a useful role in resolving the grievance. In this instance, James Island Yoga will make this clear to the complainant and when possible, recommend other approaches.

The Grievance Committee may dismiss a complaint if it determines any of the following:

  • The complaint is not within the scope of studio policies
  • The complaint is insubstantial or frivolous
  • The information in the complaint is not credible
  • The complaint is anonymous
  • The complaint is not timely filed
  • No credible evidence could be provided to support a policy violation occurred
  • A policy violation would not exist even if the complaint were true

Within (30) thirty days of receiving the complaint, the JIY Grievance Committee will determine whether the complaint is accepted or dismissed. The Grievance Committee will communicate that determination to the complainant. If dismissed, the Grievance Committee will provide the reason for dismissal to the complainant.

Procedure after Accepting Complaint

The Grievance Committee may dismiss a complaint if it determines any of the following:

Should the James Island Yoga Grievance Committee decide to accept a complaint for further investigation and determination of studio policy violation, the subject of the complaint will be notified in writing. The notice shall include sufficient information to provide the subject with a fair opportunity to respond to the complaint.

The subject of the complaint will have (30) thirty days from the written notice to submit a written response to James Island Yoga. The response may consist of any useful information the subject feels is relevant. If the subject fails to respond in thirty days, the JIY Grievance Committee will consider the evidence on hand to determine whether there was a policy violation. The Grievance Committee may extend the response period upon request.

JIY will actively encourage each person involved in the complaint to communicate and contribute all substantive information, knowledge and evidence. This negotiation phase will include the people involved in the complaint, and a person who has been appointed by the Grievance committee of JIY to manage the grievance process in an attempt to help address the complaint.

More specifically, the person appointed by the James Island Yoga Grievance Committee will help to resolve the conflict by:

  • Facilitating a fair process of negotiation ensuring all parties are heard
  • Carefully reviewing and confirming all information received
  • Specifically review complaints to determine compliance or violations of our Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct and Terms & Conditions
  • Seek out additional information, data, evidence or witnesses to corroborate or substantiate claims or allegations
  • Secure documents and maintain confidentiality to the degree possible in order to thoroughly investigate complaints
  • Offer solutions and appropriate and reasonable recommendations to resolve the grievance

If the grievance is being made against a member of the JIY staff, the same impartial consideration will be given to that complaint. The person subject of the complaint will be notified and a different staff member, a Grievance Committee point person, will manage the complaint.

Determination of Violation
After thorough evaluation and investigation into the complaint, the JIY Complaint Committee will determine whether a studio violation has occurred. If a violation has occurred, sanctions may be imposed.

Sanctions

James Island Yoga is committed to imposing fair and appropriate sanctions for the policies violated. If based on the facts and investigation, no policy violation was determined, then no sanction will be made. In other cases, the James Island Yoga Grievance Committee will use sound judgment to impose one of the following three sanctions:

  • When facts uncover the subject’s actions were minor, a warning is a fair sanction. The warning might be coupled with counseling and an apology.
  • When it’s been determined that the subject’s actions warrant removal from the staff or studio for a determined period of time but not so serious as to be terminated, suspension may be imposed. Length of suspension is depending on the circumstances and up to the Grievance Committee. After the suspension period, if the subject wishes to return to the studio, they can approach the Grievance Committee and ask to re-join or re-commence their role. The Grievance Committee should consider whether the subject has resolved any issues, whether there has been a sincere apology, remorse, appropriate counseling and/or applicable steps taken to create heart felt change that would warrant the subject’s return to the studio.
  • Termination or Dismissal. When facts determine a serious violation, the subject is dismissed from the studio. If the subject is employed as an independent contractor, their agreement is terminated.

Follow Up:

JIY aims to ensure proper by resolving all grievances to completion. Where possible, reasonable attempts will be made to resolve the grievance within (90) ninety days after the complaint has come to the attention of all concerned.

The JIY Grievance Committee will provide a written summary of findings, recommendations, solutions and final decisions to the complainant. When the grievance procedure is complete or the grievance is resolved, all parties will be informed in writing by the James Island Yoga Grievance Committee.

If the complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, they can lodge a complaint with the appropriate governing body for the yoga industry, Yoga Alliance. If the grievance has been referred to an external party, the JIY Grievance Committee will maintain liaison with the external party during the resolution process until the finalization of the grievance. Authorization to that effect will be maintained in the grievance file.