69 In sum, their primary purpose is to provide an early point of recourse to identify and address the concerns of directly affected stakeholders before they escalate or lead to otherwise preventable harm. These mechanisms are distinct from  whistle-blower systems, which enable employees to raise concerns about breaches of company codes and ethics, which may  or may not harm those  individuals, but are of concern to the enterprise as a  whole. Operational-level grievance mechanisms are specifically a channel for individuals – inside or outside the enterprise—to raise concern about impact on themselves and they do not require the individual to show a breach of a company code. Q 71. Does it have to be called a “grievance mechanism”? “Grievance mechanism” is used in the Guiding Principles and their commentary as a term of art to cover a whole range of mechanisms that address complaints and disputes involving enterprises and their stakeholders. It is possible that the term may have unhelpful connotations in some cultures or contexts, and it is certainly not necessary to label every grievance mechanism with this name. However, it is risky to call a grievance mechanism by a name that its potential users may find inappropriate, for instance one that diminishes or glosses over its real purpose. Doing so may make it more palatable for the enterprise but leave those with grievances feeling belittled and disrespected. Q 72. To whom should an operational-level grievance mechanism be available? Most operational-level grievance mechanisms are accessible only to individuals or groups that are directly affected by an enterprise’s operations, or to their legitimate representatives, rather than being open to a wider array of groups that may have concerns or criticisms about its operations. This should not exclude other means of engaging with the wider array of voices and it may be in the interest of the enterprise to do so in at least some instances. As discussed in the context of Guiding Principle 22, it is fairly usual to have separate grievance mechanisms for direct employees and for external affected stakeholders, though it is not always necessary to separate the two. It may also be important to have tailored grievance mechanisms for particular situations, such as community resettlement, or for particular groups, such as indigenous