Grievance & Whistleblowing Policy
Last Updated: 16/October/2025
Effective Date: 16/October/2025
Applies To: Employees, Clients, Suppliers, Contractors, Partners, and the General Public
Contact: Please send all grievances and whistleblower reports to our CEO at: hello@sonder-mr.com (Subject: “Confidential – Grievance/Whistleblower”)
Grievance Policy
1. Purpose of the policy
Sonder is committed to ensuring that all grievances are dealt with effectively and promptly. The purpose of this policy is to set out a framework for addressing employee complaints and concerns fairly and consistently, whether against another employee or the company itself.
Sonder recognises that employees may have questions or concerns relating to grievances. We want to encourage open discussion with employees to ensure that questions can be answered as quickly as possible.
2. Scope of the policy
This policy applies to all employees.
It does not apply to self-employed contractors.
A grievance at work refers to a complaint an employee makes to their employer about a problem, concern, or disagreement related to their employment. These complaints may include but is not limited to:
Discrimination, harassment and bullying
Pay and terms of employment
Working conditions
Health and safety
Treatment at work
Workplace rules and policies
Disciplinary or redundancy procedures
3. Role and responsibilities
At Sonder:
The Senior Leadership Team have overall responsibility for this policy
Line managers are responsible for familiarising themselves with this policy and for applying it fairly
Employees are responsible for following this policy when they have a grievance
Emma Guest is responsible for reviewing this policy once a year
4. How to raise a grievance
You can raise a grievance verbally or in writing. In the first instance you should raise a grievance with your line manager. If your grievance involves your line manager, you should raise it with another Manager or Director.
5. Confidentiality
All grievances will be handled sensitively and, where possible, in confidence. The identity of all parties involved will not be disclosed without their consent, unless required by law or necessary to conduct a full and fair investigation.
6. Protection from Retaliation
Sonder strictly prohibits retaliation of any kind against individuals who report a grievance. Any act of retaliation (e.g., dismissal, demotion, harassment) will be treated as a serious disciplinary matter and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
7. Stages of the grievance process
If the company receives a grievance, we will review it within 48 hours.
If the company accepts this as a grievance, they will try to resolve it promptly and informally in the first instance. If the grievance is not resolved, formal procedures will be used.
However, if the company rejects the grievance, they will provide a clear and thorough reason for not accepting it as a grievance.
When resolving a grievance formally the company will:
hear and investigate the grievance
reach an outcome and inform the employee
hold an appeal if the matter is not resolved
With ongoing communication around each step of the procedure and its outcome with the employee.
8. Resolving a grievance informally
Resolving a grievance informally will usually involve the affected parties having a discussion to try and come to an agreement. This approach may be best used, for example, when one employee has a grievance against another.
This suggested agenda may help in a meeting to resolve a grievance informally:
clarify the matter
discuss what outcome or changes the employee wants to see
discuss whether the employee’s requests are reasonable or possible
outline timescales for any changes
Resolving a grievance informally does not mean the grievance is not valid or unimportant.
If the grievance cannot be resolved or you are not satisfied with the outcome at this stage, the formal grievance procedure will be used.
9. Resolving a grievance formally
The formal grievance procedure includes the following steps:
1. The employee submits their grievance in writing within 5-10 working days of the incident occurring or the outcome of the informal grievance procedure. When submitting, the employee should:
explain what their grievance is about
include any evidence
state what they want to resolve the grievance
2. The company acknowledges receipt within 48 hours and assigns a grievance officer who will be someone with no involvement or connection to the concerns raised.
3. The company invites the employee to a hearing within 5 working days of receiving the grievance in writing. Employees have the right to be accompanied by a fellow employee or trade union representative at this meeting. The purpose of this hearing is to give the employee the chance to explain their grievance and any evidence they have in support of it.
4. After the hearing, the grievance officer investigates the employee’s claims thoroughly within 10 working days, impartially and focused on establishing the facts. This may involve the grievance officer looking at:
evidence from the employee raising the grievance
evidence from witnesses, which could come during a grievance meeting or by a written witness statement
physical evidence, such as emails or relevant paperwork, computer/phone records, attendance records and CCTV
5. The grievance officer makes a decision on the grievance at the end of the investigation period. Possible outcomes of the grievance are:
the grievance is upheld
the grievance is partially upheld
the grievance is not upheld
an alternative outcome is reached - for example, formal mediation between the parties involved, employee, department or company-wide training, or changes to company policies and procedures
6. The employee is informed in writing of the outcome by the 10th day. Along with an overview of the grievance raised, they will be told:
the action taken to investigate the matter(s)
the reason for the outcome of the matter(s)
any further actions the grievance manager will take, or will request the employer to take
explain the employee has the right to appeal and how they can do this
10. Non-attendance at hearings
Employees should make every effort to attend a grievance hearing so their complaint/concerns can be addressed and/or resolved.
If the employee or their representative can’t attend the hearing on the proposed date or time, we may ask the employee to suggest another date that works for everyone.
The new date should not be more than 5 days after the original date, but this timescale can be varied if all parties agree.
If the employee fails to attend the grievance hearing, we will rearrange it. Failure to attend a rearranged meeting may result in the hearing been held in the employee’s absence and a decision made based on the information that has been provided. Should this happen, it will be reflected in the minutes of the meetings.
11. Withdrawing a grievance
Employees may decide to withdraw their grievance at any point. If they wish to withdraw their grievance they should do so in writing. Without written confirmation the grievance received will move forward.
If the company thinks an employee has withdrawn their grievance because they have been pressured to do so, this will be investigated, and support will be offered to the employee.
12. Grievance appeals
An employee may not be happy with the outcome of the formal grievance procedure and may wish to appeal it. The appeal process is as follows:
1. The employee submits their appeal in writing. The appeal should be lodged within 10 working days of receipt of the grievance outcome. Further steps will follow the same timeline as the formal procedure set out above.
2. An appeal officer is assigned who has no previous involvement in the grievance process.
3. The employee is invited to an appeal hearing. Employees have the right to be accompanied by a fellow employee or trade union representative at this hearing. The purpose of this hearing is to give the employee the chance to explain their appeal and any evidence they have in support of it.
4. After the hearing, the appeal officer may need to investigate the employee’s claims.
5. The appeal officer decides on the outcome. The employee is informed of the outcome in writing. Possible outcomes are:
the appeal is not upheld, and no further action is taken
the appeal is partially upheld leading to possible further action
the appeal is upheld in full leading to possible further action
alternative outcomes, such as company-wide training or new procedures being implemented
The appeal stage is the final step in the company grievance procedure. There are no further internal stages.
13. Documentation
All records relating to a grievance, the investigation, its findings and the resolutions will be kept for transparency and accountability.
Whistleblowing Policy
1. Purpose of the policy
The purpose of this policy is to ensure all employees are aware of the correct procedures in place to report Whistleblowing. Whistleblowing is the reporting of suspected wrongdoing or dangers in relation to our activities. This includes bribery, fraud or other criminal activity, miscarriages of justice, health and safety risks, damage to the environment and any breach of legal or professional obligations. We are committed to conducting our business with honesty and integrity, and we expect all our employees to maintain high standards. However, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential to prevent such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur. Any suspected wrongdoing should be reported as soon as possible.
2. Scope of the policy
This policy applies to all employees, contractors, temporary workers, interns, volunteers, consultants, and any other individuals acting on behalf Sonder.
3. Scope of the policy
Whistleblowing is the act of reporting concerns about actual or suspected wrongdoing within an organisation. Wrongdoing may include but is not limited to:
Criminal offences (e.g., fraud, corruption, theft)
Breach of legal obligations
Health and safety violations
Environmental damage
Miscarriage of justice
Unethical behaviour or serious professional misconduct
Attempts to cover up any of the above
A whistleblower is a person who raises a genuine concern elating to any of the above. If you have any genuine concerns related to suspected wrongdoing or danger affecting any of our activities (a whistleblowing concern) you should report it under this policy.
This policy should not be used for complaints relating to your own personal circumstances, such as the way you have been treated at work. In those cases, you should use the Grievance Procedure or Anti Bullying, Discrimination & Harassment Policy as appropriate.
4. Raising a concern
Concerns may be reported through any of the following channels:
Direct Supervisor or Manager
Chief Executive Officer (Rupert Carter)
Human Resources Department (Emma Guest)
We hope that in many cases you will be able to raise any concerns with your manager. You may tell them in person or put the matter in writing if you prefer. They may be able to agree a way of resolving your concern quickly and effectively. In some cases, they may refer the matter to a CEO or HR personnel.
However, where the matter is more serious, or you feel that your manager has not addressed your concern, or you prefer not to raise it with them for any reason, you should contact the CEO or HR personnel.
We will arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss your concern. You may bring a colleague, HR personnel or union representative to any meetings under this policy. Your companion must respect the confidentiality of your disclosure and any subsequent investigation.
We will take down a written summary of your concern and provide you with a copy after the meeting. We will also aim to give you an indication of how we propose to deal with the matter.
5. Confidentiality
All disclosures will be handled sensitively and, where possible, in confidence. The identity of the whistleblower will not be disclosed without their consent, unless required by law or necessary to conduct a full and fair investigation.
6. Protection from Retaliation
Sonder strictly prohibits retaliation of any kind against individuals who report concerns in good faith. Any act of retaliation (e.g., dismissal, demotion, harassment) will be treated as a serious disciplinary matter and may result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.
7. Investigation Process
Upon receiving a report, the designated will:
Acknowledge receipt of the concern (if not anonymous)
Conduct a preliminary assessment
If necessary, initiate a formal investigation
Maintain communication with the whistleblower (where possible)
Conclude the investigation and take appropriate corrective actions
The investigation process will be conducted promptly, objectively, and fairly.
8. False Allegations
While whistleblowers are protected, making malicious or knowingly false allegations may lead to disciplinary action.