Background
Like many factories in Asia, Indonesian apparel manufacturer Hwaseung decided to temporarily halt its operations and send workers home in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Naturally, their workers had questions and concerns about their future job status and what would happen in the meantime. They sought clarification about COVID and hoped to get support from their management.
Progress
Workers had been using WOVO prior to the pandemic, but with the sudden change they doubled their usage of it to express concerns about their job security and reduced orders. Hwaseung management recognized that WOVO was key to keeping communication channels open and workers engaged. The factory even formed a WOVO Committee to better manage incoming messages and to develop communication strategies to keep workers engaged and updated while they were offsite. This resulted in expedited responses to and resolution of workers’ inquiries.
Outcome
Hwaseung is thankful they had WOVO during the crisis, noting that WOVO helped them “better communicate with our workers during COVID-19” as workers were able to use the WOVO App to ask about COVID-19 policies. Even in normal times Hwaseung appreciates the value of WOVO, saying “when we really cannot meet workers in person, WOVO helps us communicate with employees and respond to their questions and complaints.”