Number of formal grievances registered by employees of the organization during the reporting period.
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used.
This metric is intended to capture the number of grievances that were formally entered into the organization's employee grievance mechanism during the reporting period. This metric does not capture the number of grievances resolved or dismissed during the reporting period, which should be reported under Number of Employee Grievances Resolved (OI9077). To capture whether the organization has an employee grievance and feedback system in general, organizations should use Employee Feedback and Grievance System (OI3601).
Organizations are also encouraged to footnote the ownership of the mechanism, the purpose of the mechanism and its relationship to other grievance mechanisms, the organization’s activities that are covered by the mechanism, the intended users of the mechanism, how the mechanism is managed, the process to address and resolve grievances (including how decisions are made), and the effectiveness criteria used (see GRI 103-2).
Effective grievance mechanisms should be legitimate, accessible, predictable, equitable, transparent, rights-compatible, and a source of continuous learning (GRI 2018). For operational-level mechanisms to be effective, they should be based on engagement and dialogue. For a description of each of these criteria, see Guiding Principle 31. United Nations (UN), ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, Implementing the United Nations “Protect, Respect and Remedy” Framework,’ 2011.
This metric may help describe the HOW MUCH Scale dimension, which helps estimate the number of the targeted stakeholders experiencing the outcome. For more on the alignment of IRIS metrics to the five dimensions of impact, see IRIS+ and the Five Dimensions of Impact (https://iris.thegiin.org/document/iris-and-the-five-dimensions/). No single metric is sufficient to understand an impact; rather, metrics are selected as a set across all dimensions of impact. The selection of metrics to measure and describe the five dimensions should be based on best practice and evidence.
June 2022 - IRIS v5.3 Released (current version)
Immaterial change. Minor revision to usage guidance for clarity.
IRIS Metrics Work Better in Sets
To use IRIS metrics—and the resulting data—to understand impact performance, IRIS metrics should be used and analyzed in generally accepted sets and according to well-defined objectives. IRIS+ gives you access to generally accepted Core Metrics Sets aligned to common Impact Themes and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).