03 - Complaint Procedures by Claire Fuerte

Complaint Procedures Process of bringing a case to the Exchange Quality Board Most complaints by our stakeholders about low quality services can be avoided by adhering to the International Exchange Policies. If low quality cases still arise, the optimal solution would be to reach a friendly agreement between the parties involved. 1.

Intern has grievances against the TN or Hosting LC

1.1

In cases where the intern is unsatisfied with the internship or is not receiving adequate support from the hosting LC, the intern should raise the issue with the relevant party and play a proactive role in resolving the situation.

1.2

The Hosting LC must respond to intern grievances with an attitude towards finding suitable solutions rather than a defence against its or the TNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conduct.

Hosting LC or TN has grievances against the intern

2.1

Misunderstandings/grievances should be clarified immediately with the intern. If the problems cannot be solved between the organisation and the intern, the Hosting LC should be contacted for a meeting in order to look for a common solution.

2.2

If the problem is the poor performance of the intern, the organization should analyze together with the intern how the performance can be improved. The organisation should provide the intern with performance related feedback at regular intervals throughout the internship and at the end of the internship. Specific periods of evaluation are to be agreed upon with the intern at the start of the internship. If the performance is not improving, the organization should contact the Hosting LC and try to resolve the problem with the LC and the intern.

2.3

Where the Hosting LC has grievances against the internâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s conduct, a representative of the LC should raise the issue with the intern in a manner conducive to finding common solutions. The intern and LC should take a solutionoriented attitude toward the situation.

Bringing Cases to the Exchange Quality Board (XQB)

In order to find solutions to breaches of the International Exchange Policies, there are 3 levels where parties can attempt to find a solution. Please note the following descriptions of the stakeholders involved: TN: Organisation taking an intern TN-LC: Local Committee facilitating the internship TN-MC: Member Committee responsible for the Local Committee facilitating the internship EP: EP-LC: EP-MC:

Exchange Participant who participates in the internship LC that sends the EP on a internship Member Committee responsible for the LC that sends the EP on a internship

3.1

The 3 levels are described below. The example below is for a case in which an EP has a problem with the organisation he/she has been matched to. For the case in which the organisation has a problem with the EP that they have been matched to, simply replace “EP” by “TN” and “TN” by “EP” in the diagram below. EP

LEVEL 1:   

EP informs the EP-LC EP-LC informs TN-LC to solve the problem TN-LC starts to solve the issue according to the International Exchange Policies and Quality Standards.

EP-LC TN-LC

In case this does not lead to a solution, please move to LEVEL 2! EP-LC

LEVEL 2:  

EP-LC informs the EP-MC EP-MC talks with the TN-MC and they start to solve the problem by working together. In addition, they can share the issue over the Global X Network.

EP-MC TN-MC

If the parties involved cannot reach a mutual agreement within a two-week period, it is advised that the situation be brought forth to the Exchange Quality Board. 3.2

Only an intern or an AIESEC member country may bring a case to the XQB. A member country’s official Member Committee can bring cases on behalf of itself, its country’s incoming or outgoing interns, TN organizations, or LCs. An intern can only bring a case on behalf of him/herself.

3.3

If an intern is unsatisfied with the progress at Level 2 after two weeks, he/she may chose to bring a case to the XQB on his own behalf.

3.4

All cases reported to the Exchange Quality Board must follow the procedures outlined in this document.

3.5

All quality cases will be decided based on the International Exchange Policies and Quality Standards released annually by AIESEC International and the Exchange Quality Board.

Submission of a Complaint to the XQB To submit a complaint to the XQB, the following steps must be followed: 1. The complaining party (MC or EP) shall send the complaint directly to the following e-mail address: xqb@ai.aiesec.org, and include the following information:  Reasons for raising the complaint  Areas of the International Exchange Policies which have been violated  The entire experience with the EP/ Organisation along with dates  Documents containing proof of the situation (ex. Letters, emails, scanned documents)  The exact stage at which the situation is right now  Contact information (telephone and email) of all parties relevant to the case 2. Along with this, the country or intern must submit a signed letter stating that:  The case has been brought forth to the XQB for arbitration.  The complaining party will accept the solution and decision by the XQB made after analysis of the case.  Avenues for appeal are understood and will be used appropriately. 3. The XQB will inform the relevant country(ies) of the complaint and request a response. This response shall include a response to the claim(s) containing the following information from the respondent ’s perspective:  Acknowledgement or denial of the complaining party’s claim with detailed reasons  Proof of support or denial of the claim (letters/emails/scanned documents, etc.)  A description of the exact stage of the situation at present  Contact information (telephone and email) of all parties relevant to the case  A detailed explanation of steps taken to redress the situation described by the claimant. Describe any difficulties encountered while doing so. 3.2 The respondent may also file a claim against the original claimant. In this case, the claims must include the same information as section 1. 3.3. that:   

Along with this the country or intern has to submit a signed letter stating The case has been brought forth to the XQB for arbitration. The complaining party will accept the solution and decision by the XQB made after analysis of the case. Avenues for appeal are understood and will be used appropriately.

4. If there is a claim against any member country and the claiming party will prove the reason for the claim, the case is automatically taken by the Exchange Quality Board without acceptance from the claimed country. 5. Once the above information is gathered, the XQB will email the countries with any requests for required additional information. All information must be submitted

within ONE week from the date of the email. In case the country cannot meet this deadline then the country can ask for additional time, mentioning the time needed and valid reasons.

XQB Decisions and Follow Up 1. The XQB will make its recommendations for the solutions of the case within 4 weeks of receiving all information. Please note that XQB case solution does not always include a financial compensation as a final solution, every recommendations depends upon the interpretation of the International Exchange Policies and Quality Standards. 2. If the internship in question is continuing at the time of complaint, the XQB will provide an intermediate recommendation for immediate steps to address the situation within 1 week of receiving all the necessary information. The XQB shall not be bound by this recommendation in forming its final decision. 3. The countries will be responsible for sending a report to the XQB about implementation of the solutions given after 2 months of the case being resolved. In case it is an ongoing case then they will update the XQB once every week of any progress. 4. In case of financial compensation, the fined party will be provided a timeline for payment to the intern or member country. 5. In the case of a member country being fined that cannot pay the fine, AIESEC International will pay the fine and add the debt to the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fees. 6. In case the country fails to pay the fine amount within the timeline set by the Exchange Quality Board, AI should automatically pay this sum from its funds and record it as loan for the owing country in their country balance.

Appeal of Decisions 1. In the case that one or both parties do not agree to the decision made by the Exchange Quality Board, the case will reviewed by a final review committee composed of different XQB members and one AI member. 2. This committee shall review the case independently of the first decision. The committee shall base its decision on the evidential documentation provided within the established deadlines. The recommendation of this committee is the final decision of the XQB. 3. In the case a decision involving a fine is not accepted by the involved parties, the case will be submitted to AIESEC International. AIESEC International based on the evidential documentation provided within the established deadlines shall make the final decision. This decision can only be taken after the Exchange Quality Board has reviewed the case twice and the second review comprising of different people and one AI member. 4. In case of a quality case against AIESEC International the Exchange Quality Board takes the final decision.