How Companies Are Using Worker Voice for Due Diligence: Labor Solutions Tools in Practice
- Labor Solutions
- 3 hours ago
- 3 min read
A Collection of Labor Solutions Case Studies
Companies are increasingly moving beyond standalone audits and one-off assessments toward worker-informed, system-level due diligence. Across industries and regions, leading brands use Labor Solutions tools to see what audits miss, focus on priority risks, and build supplier-owned systems that reduce risk over time.
Beyond Audit-Based Compliance
Seeing What Audits Miss
Audits provide a baseline, but they are not designed to capture how labor risks show up in daily practice. Companies use worker surveys as additional due diligence—particularly for high-risk or strategic suppliers—to validate audit results, surface blind spots, and prioritize action.
Blind Spots, Zero-Tolerance Risks + Deep Supply Chain Insights from Worker Surveys in Agriculture
Agriculture: Surveying 38K workers and farmers across five countries revealed where risk was highest—and where assumptions were wrong—enabling targeted remediation and more credible due diligence.
When Audits Said “All Clear,” Workers Told a Different Story
Electronics: Worker surveys across 50+ suppliers uncovered risks audits failed to detect, helping the brand identify high-risk sites within days and move faster on targeted remediation.
Focused Measurement and Support
Targeting Priority Risks and Impact
As due diligence expectations rise, companies are shifting from broad assessments to targeted measurement and support—focusing on specific systems, risks, and worker populations to drive meaningful improvement.
Assessing + Strengthening Grievance Mechanism Effectiveness for Due Diligence
Grievance Mechanisms (Electronics): A global electronics supply chain used a triangulated approach—combining WELL worker surveys, focus group discussions, and supplier self-assessments—to assess whether grievance mechanisms were effective in practice. Worker input revealed gaps in predictability, escalation, and follow-through, enabling targeted action plans now being implemented and tracked.
Preventing Chemical Safety Risk in Electronics Manufacturing Using Targeted Training
Chemical Safety (Electronics): In partnership with CEPN, Labor Solutions supported targeted chemical safety training for workers and managers in Tier 2+ facilities in Vietnam and Malaysia. The program strengthened awareness, prevention, and access to remedy—demonstrating how focused, role-specific training can function as a preventive and mitigative human rights due diligence measure.
Surfacing Hidden Labor Risks in the Seafood Industry with the WELL Survey
Sector Validation (Seafood): A pilot in the seafood industry tested whether the WELL Survey could capture sector-specific risks and worker experience. The results confirmed that disaggregated, worker-centered surveys can surface fatigue, harassment, and gender-based risks often missed by audits—supporting confident scale-up in complex supply chains.
Supplier Ownership and Maturity
Building Stronger, Safer Workplaces through Worker Voice
Long-term risk reduction depends on supplier-owned systems that workers trust and use. Leading brands embed worker engagement into supplier expectations, performance metrics, and improvement processes to strengthen maturity over time.
How adidas Uses WOVO's Worker Voice Tools to Power Social Compliance and Meet CSDDD Obligations in 100% of its T1 Suppliers
adidas (what they achieved): adidas has embedded worker engagement across 100% of its strategic Tier 1 suppliers, reaching 400,000+ workers across 105 factories in 16 countries.
Using WOVO, adidas operates a trusted grievance system. According to adidas’ 2024 Annual Report, WOVO is "highly effective" and "trusted by workers" throughout the supply chain, evidenced by the “consistent, widespread”, “sustained usage" and "the high volume of cases received through the app.”
The adidas Model: A Scalable Blueprint for Worker Voice and Engagement to Meet CSDDD Requirements
adidas (how they did it): A companion blueprint translates adidas’ approach into a scalable model for embedding worker engagement into governance, supplier KPIs, grievance systems, and due diligence processes.
Decathlon's Supplier Autonomy Program Starts with a Worker Survey
Decathlon: Decathlon also uses worker engagement tools to strengthen supplier accountability and continuous improvement, reinforcing safer workplaces and more resilient supply chains.
Conclusion
From Compliance to Continuous Improvement
Across these examples, a common pattern emerges: worker input strengthens visibility, focus, and accountability. When worker voice is embedded into due diligence systems—not treated as a standalone activity—companies are better positioned to reduce risk, support suppliers, and deliver measurable improvement over time.
Because workers know what audits can’t.
Explore how worker voice supports effective due diligence.
