Feeling disconnected from factories and workers? With coronavirus the risk of human rights violations has increased. Emergency contingency plans often do not include provisions for protecting human rights. When demand is high, and the supply of workers is low risk mount. Increasingly organizations like ICTI are releasing guidelines for protecting human rights during COVID-19. But, the spread of CONVID-19 has also resulted in many factories prohibiting external visitors. With no outside personnel allowed onsite, new measures need to be taken to ensure protocols are being followed and human rights protected. Just because you can’t go onsite, doesn’t mean you can’t get keep your finger on the pulse of your workforce. Labor Solutions has a host of mobile- phone based remote services  designed to help provide oversight from afar. Can’t go onsite for an audit? Surveys can. Get direct feedback and real time data from front-line workers through SMS or remote survey deployment cards. We send surveys directly to workers phones, regardless where they are. Use our standard or customized surveys to collect data quickly. In addition to our standard surveys we’ve recently released a new survey to address the specific challenges presented by coronavirus: Social Compliance During an Emergency Survey, indicators include: Compensation Health and Safety Freedom of Movement Working Hours Recruitment and Hiring Worker Engagement Worker Emotional Well-being Within this survey we have added additional questions to better understand issues particularly relevant during an emergency, like ensuring access to personal safety equipment specific to an epidemic, like soap, hand sanitizer and spacing of workstations. Survey deployment and implementation can be done as quickly as one week. Critical onsite trainings postponed? Deliver information en masse through our mobile phone eLearning application. In addition to our standard professional and personal development e-learning courses, we’ve recently released several courses to provide workers with clear information about the coronavirus and other tips like managing stress during an emergency. WOVO E-learning is available for workers to access directly from their mobile phones. We’ve also launched a free app, atun with BSR HERproject and School to School International to support workers who have been laid offed. Worried about rumors and fake news spreading throughout the workforce? McKinsey & Company’s report on CONVID-19  says adopting a two-way communication system with workers is critical during a crisis. The report says these systems act as a clear source of truth, provide workers with confidential reporting mechanism and help employers have a clearer understanding of what is going. WOVO allows for two-way messaging, broadcast messaging and more. Broadcast messaging ensures all workers receive clear messages and critical information at the same time. See our other posts about coronavirus here and here. Hashtag #uncategorized

Updated April 13, 2021 The New Conversations Project released an update to their series in the Sourcing Journal on the effectiveness and accuracy of audits. In a must read, five-part series on the effectiveness of auditing and private regulation, the team behind Cornell's New Conversation Project argues that audits and their resulting corrective action plans have been largely ineffective. The research, which spanned 40,000 factory labor audits over time in 12 countries and 12 industries, shows " the average number of violations found in labor audits was almost unchanged between 2011 and 2018 across all countries and industries." At Labor Solutions, we think its critical to engage suppliers and workers, rather than police and penalize. Time and time again, we enter into facilities where management bare scars from audits gone bad, overbearing clients and costly slip ups or misunderstanding. "Our biggest challenge when implementing within a factory, is convincing everyone in the value chain that transparency is good and will reap benefits for all," notes Bijie LI, Head of Client Advisory Service. "Receiving a grievance should be perceived as good. Only in a workplace of trust are grievances brought forward. People, particularly those who are vulnerable, don't complain if they don't believe their feedback will go unnoticed and not create change. We want to hear from workers it's a good thing! But this is a hard mindset to change. Management at every level have spent the last few decades in fear, and as a result have suppressed complaints and worker feedback." Read more: Three Decades of Promises: Data Shows an Industry Slow to Improve Rewarding the Middle: Rewarding Compliance in the Supply Chain Does Private Regulation Work, Probably Not

Good Business Lab is a non-profit, labor innovation start-up that designs, tests and scales worker well-being interventions. They recently shared the results of their pilot using WOVO in two Indian apparel facilities. Good Business Lab conducted a randomized control trial, supported by The Children’s Place, that involved two garment factories in India employing approximately 7,500 workers. Workers were randomly assigned to the trial’s treatment group or control group. The treatment group was given access to WOVO and received encouragement via training and SMS reminders to use WOVO. The control group was also given access to WOVO, but did not receive any encouragement to use it. The data showed that absenteeism rates of workers in the treatment group was lower. These results reflect what the Labor Solutions team consistently finds – companies that encourage the utilization of worker well-being tools via education and ongoing promotion reap maximum benefits. Stay tuned. More research results to be released soon.

Worker voice tools can help minimize organizational risk by giving workers a confidential process for alerting leadership to their concerns. A study by the Fair Wear Foundation and Care International found that when clear complaint procedures were in place, female factory workers reported significantly lower levels of abuse, 25% compared with 58.7%. Worker voice tools can also have a significant impact on employee engagement and turnover. In a trial conducted at a large garment factory in India, researchers found that enabling worker voice reduced employee turnover by 20%. Gallup researchers found that engaged workers not only outperform unengaged workers, but also experience decreased turnover, absenteeism, safety incidents, and quality defects. Leading brands, in an effort to promote worker safety and wellbeing, are helping their supply chain factories recognize the value of worker voice tools. For example, Nike requires its strategic suppliers every year to conduct employee wellbeing surveys. While Nike develops the survey and has it administered by Labor Solutions, factory management has ownership of the survey format, as well as determines when to conduct the survey. After the survey, rather than telling factories what changes to make, Nike requires them to conduct focus groups to develop action plans based on the feedback received. At adidas, they use a different, but equally effective, approach to empower its suppliers. Factories that work with adidas are required to implement WOVO, Labor Solutions’ two-way communication platform that allows workers to anonymously voice concerns to management. While adidas provides oversight and may offer suggestions, the factories are responsible for monitoring and responding to the feedback they receive. While Nike and adidas are implementing worker voice tools differently, both are using a positive, collaborative approach, rather than a solely punitive one, to encourage adoption. As a result, factories are more likely to buy-in to the process. Having employees buy-in to the worker voice program is also important for the program’s success. Employees must trust they will not be penalized for offering feedback and believe that their feedback can make a difference. When a worker voice program is experiencing success, you can see the following cycle in place: Workers offer feedback Managers implement productive change based on feedback Organization benefits Trust in process grows Return to step one Based on Labor Solutions’ experience, here are some more important steps for building an effective worker voice program: Have a plan in place. Determine what worker voice tools will be used to collect employee feedback. Who will be responsible for responding to feedback? Set clear expectations on how the worker voice program should be implemented and highlight the value suppliers will receive for their participation. Make sure worker voice tools are accessible to workers. For example if a compliance line is one of your tools, it’s important workers have private access to a telephone. Ensure that the feedback tools are truly anonymous for workers. If workers feel they could be identified or penalized for giving feedback, they will not utilize the tools. Clearly communicate why the worker voice tool is being put in place, how it can be accessed and what will be done with the information collected. Just knowing that a worker feedback tool is available can have a positive impact on worker wellbeing. Always follow up with workers in a quick, respectful and effective manner. Even if the decision is to not make a change based on the feedback, let the employee know the input was valuable. Be willing to take the necessary steps to make changes when needed. Only then, when productive change is made, can the organization benefit from the feedback. An effective worker voice program depends on having the right tools and the right processes in place. For more information about developing an effective worker voice program, contact info@laborsolutions.tech.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts have increased dramatically over the last ten years. In fact, 90% of the world’s largest companies now file sustainability reports outlining their economic, environmental and social impact. As part of their sustainability programs, and in an effort to go “beyond compliance,” companies are also developing guidelines to ensure the factories that make up their supply chain are integrating new worker voice, worker empowerment, and worker wellbeing solutions. Gap Inc., Nike and adidas are noteworthy examples of leading brands that are helping factories in their supply chains operate in accordance with social responsibility and human rights principles. Nike expands worker voice and wellbeing resources. Nike developed its Sourcing and Manufacturing Standards Index (SMSI) to score factories based on a broad range of sustainability measures, including labor management and social compliance. By the end of fiscal year 2020, Nike aims to source only from those factories that have achieved SMSI bronze status or above. Nike is providing a variety of support and resources to help suppliers meet and exceed SMSI standards. WOVO, a mobile phone-based technology platform, is being utilized by factories in Nike’s global supply chain to help address issues around worker engagement and wellbeing. Developed by Labor Solutions, WOVO is a third-party worker wellbeing solution that is operated and implemented directly by the factory. WOVO gives factory workers direct access to local human resource representatives via anonymous two-way SMS communication. In addition to letting workers confidentially ask questions and report concerns, the platform also gives managers a way to respond while maintaining workers’ anonymity. This ensures full confidentiality on both sides, which leads to increased worker/management trust. In addition, Nike has access to WOVO’s high level reports to maintain oversight while also providing useful supply chain data that informs decision making. Nike is also using the platform to conduct worker engagement and worker wellbeing surveys, which are required for all strategic suppliers. WOVO can be used to launch trainings (ex. compliance, EHS, sexual harassment) and track worker completion and scores.  Workers also have access to professional and personal training opportunities through WOVO, including over 65 wellbeing programs covering topics such as women’s health and maternity, mental health, smoking cessation, finances and family issues Nike reported in its 2016-17 Sustainability Report that factories consistently experienced less absenteeism, reduced turnover and cost savings when workers had access to wellbeing services. In one pilot program, Nike saw a 33% decrease in turnover when workers had access to WOVO. Gap Inc. invests in workforce engagement. Gap Inc. developed its Workforce Engagement Program to measure and improve worker engagement efforts within their supply chain. Gap Inc. is aiming for all of its strategic suppliers to achieve a sustainability rating of green or yellow by 2020. In order to measure and identify areas for improvement, Gap Inc. worked with the non-profit Verité to collect feedback from supply chain workers on key topics such as supervisor relationships, grievance mechanisms, and training opportunities. In response to workers’ feedback, Gap Inc. worked with factories to tailor solutions that addressed workers’ concerns. This included partnering with Labor Solutions to provide access to WOVO’s anonymous two-way communication feature, as well as digital pay stubs, and mobile-based trainings. Gap Inc. is also finding that improving worker wellbeing can lead to positive business results including increases in productivity, improvements in retention and lower absenteeism. Workplace Standards developed by adidas. Like Nike and Gap, adidas developed its Workplace Standards to address important health and safety matters. Factories are regularly audited for compliance to the Workplace Standards and are given Key Performance Indicator (KPI) scores of 1-5, with 5 being the highest. By 2020, adidas expects 80% of its strategic suppliers to reach a social compliance level of 4 or better, according to its 2018 Annual Report.  Additionally, adidas is requiring all of its strategic suppliers have WOVO in place by 2020. “Clients see WOVO playing an important role in improving access to worker voice, as well as the foundation for adding additional worker wellbeing services including eLearning training, access to digital pay slips and more,” explains Elena Fanjul-Debnam, Head of Labor Solutions. “They are also interested in the data WOVO provides regarding facility usage.”

Imagine having any information you want at your fingertips. That is increasingly becoming a reality, one mobile application at a time. Electronic learning (e-Learning), especially via mobile devices, has made education accessible and affordable to more people than ever before, and it continues to be the wave of the future. The benefits of e-Learning over in-person courses or training sessions are numerous. For example, e-Learning is: Cost-effective. Without printed materials, live instructors, or facilities, the cost of ‘knowledge sharing’ via e-Learning can stay quite low. Convenient. Consumers of e-Learning can fit it into their schedule, rather than having to be physically present somewhere or some time that isn’t ideal for them. Individualized. Learners may not always understand what is taught to them in an in-person environment. They may need more time to absorb concepts or be too shy to ask clarifying questions. E-learning can be stopped, replayed, and reviewed as many times as needed by each individual to cater to his or her own pace. Time-efficient. We all have busy schedules, but we also have down-time – sometimes unexpectedly. Since e-Learning doesn’t need to be completed all at once, it suits those who strive to make good use of their down-time. It also often requires less of a time commitment overall compared to in-person sessions. Unifying. In-person educational options risk alienating people who may feel too embarrassed, too amateur, or otherwise unfit to participate. E-Learning provides equal access to people of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in enhancing themselves personally or professionally, and it can even offer anonymity. Labor Solutions recognizes that e-Learning can be beneficial to workers around the world, especially those who endure long workdays primarily in factory environments and tend to live in areas lacking in support for professional and personal growth. Through its WOVO mobile application, Labor Solutions offers e-Learning with a wide array of courses and topics encompassing both personal wellbeing and professional development.  Personal wellbeing topics address emotional, physical, and financial wellbeing, as well as caregiving. Some of our recently added topics include handling emotions, pregnancy, and financial planning. Professional development topics address compliance-related issues such as workplace safety, discrimination, and harassment; as well as topics related to interpersonal skills and stress management in the workplace. Most recently, we have created topics for fire safety, harassment and abuse, and grievance mechanisms. We even provide content for company managers to learn best practices for managing others, such as being a good leader, leading communication, and empowering employees. Data related to topic completion and quiz results is automatically captured for both personal and professional courses. While data for compliance-oriented topics can be shared at a per-employee level, we only share aggregate data for non-compliance oriented topics to protect the privacy of workers. It’s worth noting that our e-Learning curriculum offers a high degree of flexibility, which allows us to accommodate clients’ unique needs. Depending on how involved clients want to be in topic creation, they can have full or partial control over the content shared with their workers or managers.  This is especially useful for clients who want to design their own unique onboarding programs tailored to workers and managers in their workplaces. E-Learning comes at no cost to the worker, as the WOVO mobile application is typically paid for by a worker’s company, or else another entity within or related to the company’s supply chain. Workers can access cloud-based content as long as they have internet access, and they can stop and start their movement through topics as they please. Understanding that workers have varying levels of literacy and tech-savviness, we have designed topics to take no more than eight to twelve minutes to complete, and to incorporate images and videos while limiting text. To ensure learning objectives are achieved, we have interactive checkpoint questions and topic-based quizzes, and we provide fun e-badges to incentivize topic completion. WOVO e-Learning ‘meets workers where they are,’ catering to their circumstances rather than requiring them to take part in more time-consuming or otherwise inconvenient on-site trainings. We find that giving workers’ some control over their learning experience improves opportunities for real and lasting change, because they have chosen the topic and initiated the course. WOVO e-Learning aims to minimize workers’ barriers to accessing educational content and maximize the impact of the curriculum we create. For more information, contact info@laborsolutions.tech.

In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving business environment, the need to upskill and retrain employees is greater than ever. According to a survey by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, three-fourths of corporate CEOS see the availability of key skills as the biggest threat to their business. IBM’s C-Suite Study uncovered similar concerns after surveying executives in more than 20 industries. In that study, more than 65% of global leaders cited talent and leadership shortages as their most pressing business challenge. However, IBM also found there were significant benefits to investing in a skilled workforce, including: 16% increase in customer satisfaction 10% increase in productivity 22% faster rollout of projects Overall, 75-80% of managers surveyed by IBM believed effective training was critical to project success and meeting project deadlines. Earlier this year, AT&T announced it was investing $1 billion dollars to retrain nearly half its workforce, by 2020. Other companies are following suit, recognizing that in this tight job market, developing their current workforce is an effective way to position themselves for future growth. In addition to addressing the skills gap, organizations are finding that expanding training opportunities is having a positive impact on employee retention efforts as well. Career development and meaningful work are key drivers of employee satisfaction, particularly among millennials. In fact, employees who feel they cannot achieve their career goals at their current organization are 12 times more likely to consider leaving than employees who feel their employers are providing career growth opportunities. Organizations are leaning heavily on e-learning platforms to addresses their urgent training needs. E-learning is flexible and efficient, giving employees the freedom to fit training into their schedules. And E-learning allows employers to easily customize trainings to meet changing organizational needs. Most importantly, e-learning is incredibly effective. Technology company Aura-Interactiva collected several studies that demonstrate the benefits of e-learning including: Retention rates for e-learning are high, generally falling in the 25-60% range. Participants learn nearly 5x more material with e-learning, without increasing time spent in training. E-learning typically requires 40-60% less time than a traditional classroom setting. The World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs Report said that by 2022, due to the speed of innovation and new technology, no less than 54% of all employees will require significant re- and upskilling. Organizations slow to adopt new methods for workforce development will certainly be at a disadvantage well before then. E-learning is a key feature of WOVO, a mobile and web-based worker wellbeing platform recently launched by Labor Solutions. WOVO’s e-learning modules engage employees with interactive lessons and completion badges. In addition, employers are able to track worker progress and scores. For more information about WOVO, click HERE.

Once again Labor Solutions has been highlighted in Nike’s annual FY2O20 Impact Report as an important partner in strengthening the resiliency and capability of its supply chain. Labor Solutions’ worker engagement mobile technology platform, WOVO, is being used by contract manufacturers to meet Nike’s leadership goals of advancing factory worker engagement by supporting "technological solutions that help improve communication between workers and management." Labor Solutions was also recognized in the report as a facilitator for Nike’s Engagement and Wellbeing (EWB) survey. This survey is now open sourced and available for anyone to use. The EWB provides suppliers with a holistic, comprehensive view of the worker experience, as well as actionable data which can be used for continuous improvement. Labor Solutions is proud to be part of an effort that encourages and supports supplier ownership. Nike integrates Labor Solutions tools and services as a "learning and development tool (rather than a compliance tool) helps factories better listen to workers and integrate the feedback into their operations." The Nike report underlines the company's commitment to supplier engagement a key tenant of the Labor Solutions model, "we have leaned in more to our core philosophy of supplier ownership, increasing our focus on working with experts in developing best practices, setting standards, and creating data-driven tools to help them understand their own journey." We look forward to Nike's continued leadership in the industry.

Labor Solutions is featured in a report that highlights innovative digital solutions that are improving working conditions for migrant workers. Published by the Open Society Foundation, the Transformative Technology for Migrant Workers report highlights ways workers are being exploited including unsafe and inhumane working conditions, lack of payment, underpayment, and deceptive practices by recruitment agencies. Migrant workers around the globe are vulnerable to abusive labor practice for a variety of reasons including language barriers, minimal education and lack of familiarity with legal rights. In addition, debt related to migration and competition for low-wage jobs often keep workers from reporting abuse. Increasingly, businesses are facing pressure to uncover and address abusive practices taking place within their supply chains. The digital tools featured in the report are providing ways for companies to use mobile technology to rapidly collect information about working conditions from a large number of workers across multiple worksites. Labor Solutions is recognized for its innovative dual-purpose technology that integrates worker voice functions into a single platform that also addresses human resource priorities including training, announcements and wellbeing resources. WOVO, Labor Solutions’ two-way communication platform, allows workers to anonymously voice concerns to management and also gives management a way to respond to workers’ input. WOVO is also capable of providing surveys, digital pay-slips, e-learning courses and coaching support. When interviewed for the report, Head of Labor Solutions, Elena Fanjul-Debnam, shared that businesses are often motivated to adopt worker reporting tools because improved employee engagement supports improved worker productivity and reduced absenteeism and turnover. They can also help protect companies against legal, reputational and financial risks associated with reports of worker exploitation. The report emphasizes that worker reporting tools are only effective when companies are willing and capable of addressing worker feedback in ways that benefit workers. Otherwise, workers will become distrustful and less likely to report concerns.

By Bijie Li, Director of Labor Solutions Operations, Emerging Markets Images from www.un.org The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals listed above, give all countries – no matter their size or wealth – an action plan to achieve social and environmental justice. While the goals are large in scope and meant to address the world as a whole, businesses can do their part to help the progress. Many issues can be addressed within organizations and their supply chains that can have an impact on their communities, their countries, and around the globe. Tackling all 17 goals within your business may seem daunting- but as part of a commitment to helping the world achieve sustainable development, perhaps you can start with a few.  Labor Solutions can help by providing services that can assist in a variety of ways. Here are a few achievable goals for many businesses to work towards: Sustainable Development Goal #3: Good Health and Wellbeing Making health and wellbeing a priority in your workforce leads not only to a healthier society, but can also increase productivity, employee retention, employee wellbeing, and revenue. Labor Solutions division can help your workforce improve its health and wellbeing through our eLearning and WOVO services. Our programs educate employees on physical fitness, financial and emotional wellness, mental health, and more. Employees can also connect with our qualified professionals for personalized health. Sustainable Development Goal #5: Gender Equality Gender Equality in the workplace is an important component of a healthy work environment where all workers feel safe and empowered while on the job. Labor Solutions can implement worker surveys in order to identify if there may be a sexual harassment problem in your workplace. We can also administer E-learning courses that train workers and management on sexual harassment prevention through our mobile phone platform, WOVO. WOVO trainings are accessible and beneficial for all employees and employers, regardless of gender or sexual orientation. This helps ensure that everyone is included in the conversation and invested in gender equality in their workplace. Beyond these preventative measures, Labor Solutions can help organizations to establish and employ grievance hotlines, which can offer victims of sexual harassment immediate support, comfort, and advice on how to proceed. Labor Solutions offers both an external hotline, Labor Line, and an internal platform, WOVO, to help address the specific needs of each organization. Taking steps like these to combat sexual harassment in the workplace that may seem small, actually have the potential to make vast improvements towards gender equality and a healthier work environment. Sustainable Development Goal #8: Decent Work and Economic Growth Ensuring your workplace is an environment where employees are treated with respect and dignity, is both a financial and emotional win. Problems that prevent your employees from working with dignity and respect are often hidden in plain sight. Labor Solutions believes that the first step to ensuring a respectful workplace is worker-employer dialogue. Providing workers with a way to share their opinions, ask questions, and report problems directly to management is critical to creating a decent place to work. Labor Solutions created WOVO to help connect workers and their employers on a secure and anonymous platform. This dialogue, not only provides workers with a voice, but it also helps improve managerial skills by demanding they address issues quickly and directly. Additional services like surveys to help identify issues in organizations and their supply chains, and grievance hotlines like Labor Line can help track information to analyze and lead to resolution of issues that negatively affect workforces, and the quality of work opportunities. This UN Sustainable Development Goal also aims, ” to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour…”  and to “Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers”  See the details here. The Labor Solutions suite of products can help increase transparency, communication and feedback within an organization and with its vendors.  Bringing more information and data to light for decision makers can help them ensure positive, safe, secure and compliant working environments. Sustainable Development Goal #9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure Identifying, mitigating, and preventing abuses within your supply chain can improve work experiences and living standards for workers, and technology can provide additional benefits. Help your business to be more progressive in the fight for a more sustainable world by using innovative technologies. Labor Solutions can implement WOVO, a new mobile phone app designed to revolutionize worker engagement and voice within the workplace. WOVO has a range of features that include: • Two-way anonymous communication between workers and management, • Corporate broadcast messaging to send company-wide messages and alerts, • Instant worker surveys to identify issues, • E-learning modules with comprehensive courses to advance worker wellness, and • Connections to local, live coaches who can personally motivate and support employees, WOVO’s services can help your supply chain identify and address malpractices, as a proactive step to improve communication through innovative technology. To read the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in full, click here. Sources: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/ https://sdgs.un.org/