Audit programs are vital for assessing compliance and sustainability within supply chains, but they may miss major risks to worker safety and rights. Recent media reports ha ve highlighted that audits are insufficient in detecting risks, especially in issues related to forced labor and other labor abuse incidents.   Continuous engagement methods like worker surveys and grievance mechanisms are an effective augmentation to audits, helping to identify workplace problems.   Using Worker Surveys to Better Inform Social Audits Recognizing the limitations of traditional methods, multinational companies, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and industry standards like the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP )   are now incorporating worker surveys into their assessment process. These surveys are anonymous, offering workers a safe space to share feedback - allowing buyers and suppliers to collect larger sample sizes at scale, and detecting trends in the workers’ responses.   These workers’ responses can help identify localized issues that otherwise may go unnoticed. Surveys, when appropriately deployed, provide more representative results, engage more workers at once, and help reveal facility patterns for risk management.   Worker Surveys also have incredible val ue for employers. By identifying and addressing workplace issues, employers can mitigate safety risks, save time and costs, and retain workers. Employers who leverage workforce data to proactively resolve issues also reduce compliance costs and attract buyers.     [Learn more about the benefits of including direct employers in worker surveys]   Using Grievance Mechanisms to Monitor Issues Audits and surveys are useful to evaluate working conditions at a point in time, but they may not catch unexpected incidents. Having an effective grievance mechanism and worker dialogue program between employees and their direct employers (through committees, working groups or mediated by trade unions) can provide real-time insights for improvement.   For example, audits can confirm fire exits are well-maintained, but if a fire exit is blocked, the employer needs to be notified to take immediate action to prevent injuries. A supplier-owned grievance mechanism provides a channel for workers to report incidents, ask questions, or offer suggestions.   Encouraging constructive communication from workers can also prevent dissatisfaction, and safety issues and helps management act before problems become harmful. By tracking and categorizing worker questions and complaints, management can identify when prevention or additional communication may be necessary. For instance, posting a document or holding an information session for all workers might be a better approach than individually responding to similar questions.   WOVO Connect is a Labor Solutions ’ platform for direct employer-employee communication. It is a digital grievance mechanism that protects workers' anonymity while allowing two-way dialogue. The case management system enables employers to easily manage communications, including tracking of response times and issue types while workers, on the other hand, can give feedback directly to their employers. Buyers get real-time aggregated data to strengthen existing systems and foster a collaborative approach between all stakeholders.   [Learn more about How One Factory Reduced Fire Safety Accidents by 80% using WOVO Connect + Educate]   Continuous Engagement over One Time Data Collection Worker surveys and grievance mechanisms are beneficial for improving compliance and worker safety. Continuous monitoring of workplace safety through engagement with workers allows for the collection and analysis of real-time data throughout the year, enabling immediate action instead of waiting for one-time audits or an OSH disaster. Utilizing a digitized platform can save time and money, as well as prevent accidents and workplace injuries.   As countries demand proactive measures to address workplace risks, customers will ask about your monitoring programs. Use WOVO to comply, gain control, and make informed decisions with reliable data.

The EU Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDDD) is a regulation that is commonly referred to as the "EU Directive on Due Diligence", "CSDDD" or "CS3D". It requires certain businesses to identify, prevent, mitigate, and account for the potential adverse human rights and environmental impacts of their operations and value chains. The CSDDD is expected to be finalized in 2025 and will apply to businesses that have significant operations or sales in the EU, as well as businesses that sell products or services in the EU. It is important to note that the CSDDD is not the same as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which is a broader reporting framework that encourages companies to report on their sustainability activities. The CSDDD focuses specifically on corporate due diligence on human rights and the environment, including prevention and remedy, and will feed into CSRD reporting. If you want to find out if your company is affected by the CSDDD and how to comply with it, keep reading. This is important information for both European companies and their suppliers. Brief Overview The CSDDD, just like other recent human rights and environmental due diligence laws such as the LkSG (German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act), requires businesses to follow a due diligence process that aligns with the OECD Guidelines and UN Guiding Principles. These laws aim to address the potential impacts of your business and supply chain partners' operations and sourcing on workers and other people who might be affected. However, they do not require you to identify and remedy the risks of these operations to your business. The scope of these laws and the companies directly impacted, as well as the supply chain partners included, vary from law to law. It's important to note that EU Directives must be implemented by national law to be effective, so please check with your legal counsel about your legal requirements. This summary is intended to provide a general overview for informational purposes. Does CSDDD affect your business? The EU Directive on Due Diligence will affect fewer companies than originally planned. However, many large companies based in the EU or with significant EU operations will be covered. The regulation will apply to both European and foreign companies with 1,000 employees and a turnover of €450 million during the five-year phase-in period. Companies with 5,000 employees and €1,500 million turnover will be impacted first and should expect changes within the next three years. The high-risk sector approach has been removed temporarily, but it may be considered in the future as part of the CSDDD. If your business does not sell or operate in the EU, you may not be directly affected by the CSDDD. However, you may still be impacted due to your association with value chain partners. If you are a contractor, subcontractor, manufacturer, service provider, distributor, or retailer for a European business (or other business that falls under the CSDDD), you may notice changes in your contractual relationships that enable regulated businesses to comply with their obligations. These new regulations make each business responsible for human rights and environmental issues in its supply partners, distributors, and customers. Therefore, any company that conducts business with a company that has a significant European presence, or operations could be affected indirectly. By being prepared, the impact of these new laws can be minimized, as explained below. After the EU Directive is finalized, each EU member state will have to pass national legislation to implement it, which may vary slightly from the original directive. The national legislation is expected to be passed by 2025, and each company will have to consider which national laws apply to its operations and what specific requirements they entail. You can keep track of the progress of the EU Directive on Due Diligence . Are you ready for the upcoming CSDDD? Don't let the changes catch you off guard. Allow us to help you kickstart to ensure a seamless transition. Practical Guide for CSDDD Compliance Requirements: To work with EU buyers, it's important to be prepared for their requirements, which may vary slightly across member states implementing their version of the CSDDD. Direct Requirements: HRDD Process, Internal Governance + Supply Chain Grievance Businesses that are directly regulated will be obligated to implement a human rights due diligence process that is similar to the LkSG and other HREDD regulations. This process consists of six steps: design, assess, identify, prevent, remediate, and report. The goal is to identify and manage human rights and environmental risks, establish internal governance standards, and implement a human rights policy with a grievance mechanism for impacted individuals to report issues or complaints. Labor Solutions has covered these in detail in eBook " Strategies for Effective Human Rights Due Diligence in Your Supply Chain ". Indirect Requirements: Support Identification, Prevention, Remedy and Reporting Indirectly regulated businesses must collaborate with their directly regulated supply chain partners to comply with new regulations. This involves updating contractual obligations and codes of conduct, providing training and support, fulfilling reporting requirements, and implementing other mechanisms that satisfy the law. Obligations: Scope of Risks Responsible New in the CSDDD (and different from some other HRDD) is the scope of the risks and operations that are covered. For example, the LkSG requires that only the risks presented by direct suppliers (and risks posed by indirect suppliers if known) must be addressed, prevented, and remedied. On the other hand, the CSDDD proposes that partners both upstream and downstream be included in the scope of responsibility, which is likely to encompass indirect suppliers. Scope of Actions Required These regulations pertain to business practices rather than reporting requirements or compliance laws. As such, they call for a distinct approach from what may be accustomed to. To comply with these regulations, it's necessary to continually monitor and proactively engage with customers and suppliers to ensure a focus on preventing and minimizing the negative impact of human rights and environmental issues on people. Labor Solutions assists suppliers and regulated businesses in collecting quality data for better business and purchasing decisions. Labor Solutions offers tools like advisory and consulting work, as well as the HRDD Starter Kit that provides scalable solutions to meet CSDDD and HRDD requirements. The most important thing is to start, and you don’t have to do it all alone. First Steps to Compliance: HRDD Process Regulated businesses must perform due diligence, including risk assessment, identification, prevention, remediation, and reporting. More details about this process can be found here. The scope of risks and operations may differ, but it is always advisable to start understanding the general risks associated with the countries and industries you source from. This will help you identify specific risks in your value chain through surveys, grievance tools, audits, and assessments. When working with your suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders, start engaging with your supply chain partners. The suppliers should be responsible for conducting identification efforts, operating their grievance management system, implementing prevention methods, and remediating complaints. The objective is not to micromanage but to build trust and support mechanisms for suppliers when needed. Grievance or Complaints Process Businesses that are directly regulated must establish a complaints process or grievance mechanism that is accessible by workers and other individuals who may be affected by any company within your value chain. There are several service providers available that offer hotlines and grievance tools. However, it is essential to ensure that not only is there a communication channel, but it is also effective in collecting complaints and providing effective solutions. Our eLearning library offers a comprehensive range of courses to help you understand the requirements better. For example, our practitioner training on Access to Remedy provides detailed information on the elements of effective remedies and how to choose an appropriate service provider. We also recommend that you educate your suppliers about the new requirements. Our online modules on human rights due diligence can be customized to meet your company's specific needs and can assist you in communicating the due diligence process to all your direct and indirect suppliers effectively, across various risk-based categories. Suppliers and indirectly regulated businesses can prepare for the new due diligence requirements of their CSDDD buyers by following a few simple steps. We have helpful blog posts on this topic. Contact our advisory team if you need assistance in creating a risk management system. Start with conducting a Worker Survey to help identify the potential risks. Implement WOVO's Connect features to ensure that you have an effective grievance mechanism and case management system in place to identify and prevent issues. Deploy our eLearning courses on rights and responsibilities or responsible recruitment to ensure that workers and managers know their responsibilities and rights, thus helping mitigate the risks. Collaborate with our advisory team to design a remediation plan. Use your WOVO dashboard to report and track trends. Labor Solutions' supplier ownership, empowerment, and improvement approach is not only scalable but also allows companies to tackle the problem at the source and collect unparalleled data sets. Our solutions go beyond tick-box solutions and are designed to help your business meet the intent of labor laws while creating customized, sustainable solutions built around respect and trust between workers, buyers, suppliers, and brands. For more information, here are some of our previous posts on HRDD and how to work with your suppliers to meet the new requirements.

Ensuring transparency and ethical practices throughout the supply chain has become a legal imperative for businesses.  More and more HRDD regulations necessitate responsible sourcing practices and the protection of human rights at every stage of the value chain. However, many suppliers find themselves ill-equipped to meet these emerging obligations. Labor Solutions' new Five Parts Business + Human Rights Course educates suppliers on the UN Guiding Principles on businesses and human rights. It employs a blended classroom approach that is interactive and scalable - ensuring that participants not only learn the theory but also understand its practical application in their supply chain. Course Structure: Four Digital Lessons: Introduction to Human Rights Due Diligence:  A primer on the foundational elements of HRDD and its implications for your supply chain. A State’s Duty to Protect Human Rights:  How governmental responsibilities intersect with business operations. Corporate Responsibility to Respect Human Rights: Navigating the business's role in human rights preservation within the supply chain. Access to Remedy:  Exploring mechanisms for addressing grievances and non-compliance within the HRDD framework.   3-Hour Live Practicum: An expert-led, interactive session, learners will : Act out three case studies to apply the principles learned. Review example policies to contextualize the learning. Draft a sample implementation plan to visualize the path forward. Engage in risk prioritization exercises to strategically focus their efforts. The lessons use real-life examples and explain global trends to emphasize HRDD principles' relevance to business operations. After completing digital lessons, participants attend a 3-hour live practicum led by experts. This hands-on session helps stakeholders prioritize risks, review policies, act out cases, and set implementation plans. The aim is to leave with a clear framework to effect change locally. This HRDD course is an affordable and flexible program, coming with global online reporting to ensure all suppliers are up-to-date. By taking this foundational step towards responsible business conduct, suppliers can align their operations with human rights principles. If interested in building a more ethical supply chain , reach out to Labor Solutions today  to learn more and get started!

In 2021, almost 28 million people were in forced labor worldwide, highlighting the prevalence of exploitative conditions and the importance of addressing forced labor in supply chains. With more countries passing laws to ban products made with forced labor, it is critical for global companies to proactively address this issue within the value chain or risk facing financial and legal liabilities or import bands. Education is a key step in the prevention and identification of forced labor. Sari, an Indonesian migrant worker in Malaysia, was recruited through a distant relative. The work required enduring meager pay and harsh conditions for the first year. But she believed this to be a normal rite of passage and hoped for improvement in the next year. Caught in this cycle, she even unknowingly perpetuated the misconception to her own family members. In many cases even hiring managers may also lack awareness of ethical considerations and downplaying labor rights due to inadequate knowledge, cultural norms, and workplace pressures. Addressing these gaps in awareness among workers and line managers is essential to fostering a culture of respect for labor rights and ethical conduct within the supply chain. In 2023, Labor Solutions released 20 new lessons, including two for managers and four for workers on responsible sourcing and preventing forced labor in their workplaces. These lessons aim to reduce risks throughout the supply chain by ensuring both workers and management teams know what forced and child labor is, what responsible recruitment is, and how to report incidents for effective prevention. [View our complete eLearning catalog] The Role of Managers in Preventing Forced Labor The eLearning courses help managers eradicate forced and child labor from supply chains. They provide a practical understanding of regulations, best practices, and workers' rights. Managers can identify, prevent, and address human rights violations with the knowledge and skills gained from these two lessons. • Introduction to Human Rights Due Diligence • Introduction to Responsible Recruitment Empowering Workers to Recognize + Report Forced Labor The eLearning lessons for workers provide tools to recognize signs of forced labor and take appropriate action, created in collaboration with Better Work, RISE, and JustGoodWork, • Fair Working Conditions • Right to be Free from Forced Labor • Responsible Recruitment for Workers • Introduction to Grievance By educating workers on their rights, workers are equipped with the knowledge of what is right or wrong. With WOVO Educate global companies can share training with workers throughout the value chain with one click. [How One Brand Exceeded their 3-Year Training Goal in Less than a Year by Digitizing Safety Trainings] Labor Solutions' WOVO Educate + Lessons With accessibility, flexibility, and scalability at the core of Labor Solutions’ learning management system, WOVO Educate can reach managers and workers globally at any time. The micro-learning model saves time and bandwidth, enabling workers and managers to access responsive and targeted training. These interactive courses are designed to be engaging and effective, resulting in improved learning outcomes for participants. The lesson contents are also designed in partnership with industry-leading organizations: Better Work: A partnership between the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to set standards for working conditions and support workers through tripartite collaboration (governments – unions – business). Better Work provides in-country monitoring and advisory support to improve working conditions in the global apparel and footwear industry and make the sector more competitive. RISE (Reimagining Industry to Support Equality): An initiative to support collaborative industry action at scale, to advance gender equality in global garment, footwear, and home textiles supply chains. JustGoodWork & Fifty-Eight : An organization & mobile application that prioritizes supporting migrating workers and ensuring they have safe workplaces and access to their rights. Fifty-Eight uses data and evidence to advance public knowledge in providing good work for people everywhere, helping businesses align with their primary purpose in society: to provide products and services that are good for people. As new regulations on supply chain human rights and responsible business conduct continue to evolve and tighten, businesses must stay ahead of the curve and ensure compliance throughout supply chains. Labor Solutions empowers managers and workers to become advocates for human rights through a collaborative approach and proven eLearning courses. Contact to discuss how Labor Solutions can provide a turnkey solution to tackle forced and child labor in the supply chain.

Background Managers at a Cambodian factory noticed a significant spike in wage-related questions on their Worker Engagement Dashboard report. They were concerned. By sorting the messages and focusing only on those related to wages, they found that all the inquiries were related to a decision by the Cambodian government to change the minimum wage. Workers had sent many anxious messages, wanting to know how they would be impacted. Outcome Through WOVO, management responded to individual inquiries letting workers know that they were aware of the concern and waiting for an announcement from the Ministry of Labor. In responding to workers directly, they were helping build a culture of communication and trust. Additionally, they sent out a broadcast message to all employees letting them know that the company was waiting for more information and would communicate with workers as soon as they had received it. Then, once the Ministry of Labor announced the new minimum wage, factory management sent out a company wide post via WOVO sharing the government’s decision and letting workers know how it would impact wages at their company. In doing so, factory management reiterated that the government, not factory leadership, was responsible for the change in wages. The timeliness of this message, made possible by WOVO, was pivotal in explaining the situation, sharing important information, and helping prevent a potential strike by workers, who were disappointed in the amount of the minimum wage adjustment.

Labor Solutions supports Puma’s Human Rights, Women’s Empowerment and Worker Engagement strategies in 6 countries, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Philippines, Turkey and Indonesia. In 2023, Puma expanded its worker engagement programs via WOVO. Now   nearly 65K workers have access to the WOVO platform with access to human resource tools, grievance management platform, worker surveys and eLearning  modules.   Puma also expanded deployment of the Better Work e-learning course on Discrimination and Elimination of Violence and Harassment at Work via Labor Solutions’ mobile app WOVO to support their women's empowerment stragety. The module was deployed in Cambodia and Indonesia and reached 51% of workers in eight factories. Read more about Puma’s Sustainability initiatives in its 2023 Human Rights Report .

The ILO's latest study on union federations in partnership with Labor Solutions concluded that unions are facing challenges in managing grievance data and that digitization with tools like WOVO could help them overcome these challenges. The ILO conducted the study with the support of its Strengthening Industrial Relations in Indonesia project , the Bureau for Workers' Activities (ACTRAV) , and Labor Solutions, a tech and advisory social enterprise. The focus of the study was two main federations and their confederations in the garment sectors, as well as five other union confederations and three independent union federations in the palm oil and fishery sectors. The study aimed to develop recommendations for confederations, federations, and local trade unions on how to improve their grievance management process and overcome challenges. Challenges Faced by Indonesian Unions in Managing + Using Grievance Data The study found that union federations with members in multiple regions are struggling to manage data on union membership and grievances. Their current data is often incomplete, and outdated, and does not provide useful insights or support for advocacy and reform. The study also found that the existing grievance management systems created by each federation are good for managing and resolving cases, but they are not good for other things that the federations do, such as advocacy and reform. The systems also do not support the federations' plans for growth and development in the future. However, the study confirms that trade unions play a vital role in grievance mechanisms and provide essential services to their members. Some federations that participated in the study leveraged technology and online tools to connect with their members and intake grievance cases. Recommendations from ILO to Trade Unions The study concluded with "a set of recommendations as follows: Digitization is found to a good for problems associated with scaling and data collection and analysis. Digital tools can automate processes that are resource-intensive and make complex data more user-friendly and easy to understand. Trust-based connections and communications with workers developed by federations are identified as the strength of the federations that should be maintained using the existing communication channels. Development of a dashboard-based case management system for each federation that allows federation officials at any level to input new cases from any available channels such as social media, web-based form and WhatsApp, review the status of open cases and support new case investigation and resolution. Development of case categorization through tagging and custom or individualized categories so that data can be easily analyzed and lessons learned incorporated into future case management. Buy-in and support from each level of the federation are critical. The federations should be aware of concerns from factory-level trade union representatives and ensure that they are convinced of the value of the new features and are able to navigate them to support their work." How WOVO Connect Can Help Multi-stakeholder Initiatives WOVO Connect is a grievance + safety case management system for complex supply chains. It is a two-way anonymous communication system that directly connects workers through various channels, including SMS, QR Codes, Instant Messaging Services, or via the WOVO platform itself. The platform also provides aggregated, real-time data that is comparable across different regions and over time. The dashboard also provides insights that can help pinpoint problematic areas to proactively make changes. Based on the program objectives, the data, and results can be shared with buyers, suppliers, or other third-party organizations like labor unions to promote transparency, and autonomy, and empower local facilities.

Background: Access to social benefits and a proper remuneration is the right of every employee. Fixed minimum wage standards and prompt payments are requirements set by international labor-focused organizations that must be fulfilled by every company. Like several of our clients in manufacturing, Factory Six faced challenges in providing prompt salary payments and remuneration. This was a result of two factors: internal technical issues with the company’s payroll system, and the inability to notify employees of delays. Consequently, the number of questions and grievances regarding late payment continued to increase. In January 2017, 30% of messages from employees recorded by Factory Six were regarding payroll. The Challenge The Labor Solutions account manager coordinated with our internal data analyst and product development team to propose a strategy to help Factory Six overcome this issue. First, we worked with the factory to develop standard announcements to be sent using the broadcast feature available on the WOVO platform’s dashboard. The message templates were developed to suit a variety of different needs—some of which announced anticipated delayed payment, and others providing specific details on when salaries would be paid. All messages were scheduled to be sent two weeks prior to the anticipated pay date. Next, we worked with Factory Six to implement the technology. Through the application, management was able to post calendar reminders for each pay period and also submit detailed information related to remuneration and benefits in the form of newsletters. This provided the ability to manage communication to all employees at once, or specific groups, directly from their online dashboard. As a result, the total number of messages related to payroll have decreased by 83% percent, in just three months after the strategy was implemented. These efforts have helped Factory Six better structure its communication, and thus give employees a sense of security in knowing when their salary will be paid long before the actual date. In its efforts to continue this improvement, Factory Six has since utilized the calendar feature on the dashboard effectively. We noted that managers have scheduled reminders on pay dates months in advance on the dashboard. Updates: Labor Solutions has since launched a Payslip feature to help Factory Six and other organizations follow compliance standards and communicate customized payroll documentation to each employee via our WOVO app.

Education is the first step of advocacy and protection. The lack of awareness about fundamental rights and responsibilities has resulted in workers not being able to take necessary steps to safeguard their rights and wellbeing. Labor Solutions has launched a Digital Course on Fair Working Conditions, which brings workers an introduction to “dos and don’ts” around important workplace rights topics such as contracts, recruitment, harassment, and social dialogue. All modules of the course consist of core content built on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and a section tailored to country legislations to ensure workers’ understanding about their rights against global standards as well as local context. Giving workers access to training and reliable information about fair working conditions and their rights and responsibilities in the workplace ensures that expectations and information are aligned at every level of the company. Informed workers can help to identify potential unsafe conditions and risks before they become major issues and cause harm to people or facilities. Our digital courses are available through our app, WOVO, as well as on any device with a browser, in many languages including Khmer, Vietnamese to simplified Chinese, English and Spanish. Informed workers are happier and more engaged, which leads to higher retention, higher quality work product and lower costs for recruitment and training. Workers that know about fair working conditions also are better able to provide reliable and useful information through surveys and grievance tools— workers having knowledge of their rights is the foundation for protection and safeguarding of worker human rights. With new human rights due diligence laws in effect from January 2023, buyers will be more focused on ensuring workers know about their rights and responsibilities. Digital learning is a smart investment for factories to make in their employees and has proven positive results that buyers are looking for. A recent case show demonstrated eLearning on rights and responsibilities is key to a function grievance mechanism. Workers who know about their rights are better able to alert management when issues arise. Informed workers create safer, happier more productive workplaces. Factories and other facilities can share our Fair Working Conditions courses with their entire workforce at scale. We provide promotional materials and support management with a deployment plan that ensures engagement and success of each course. The courses themselves are interactive and created by our Labor Solutions team of instructional designers to ensure a high levels of information transfer and retention. Labor Solutions, an impact-focused business, leverages technology to connect, engage and educate workers to build resilient supply chains. Over a million and a half workers in 25 countries have access to Labor Solutions’ worker engagement platform, WOVO.

At Labor Solutions we pride ourselves on being able to provide global data and local impact through worker voice and worker engagement. By educating and empowering individual facilities, direct, lasting change is being made on the ground. Our tools are uniquely successful at embedding and supporting increased responsible business practices in global supply chains. We heard lots of stories of success this year, so our team got together to choose and talk about our favorite case studies. Thanks to all our clients who made these stories of success possible. Our tools don't work alone they require willing and hard working teams on the ground to effect real change. HRDD in Action: How One Factory Worked with Labor Solutions to Identify, Remediate and Prevent Safety Issues Read how a factory identified, addressed and prevented a safety issue to meet new HRDD laws. Cecilia, Senior Client Advisor, choose this article because: “ HRDD was such a hot topic in 2022, but with so many open questions about what it means and how to implement the different components. Its nice to see an HRDD program in action that actually created change for workers. It makes me excited about what’s to come from HRDD. It is great to see governments helping create real change in business practices and conditions for workers globally." Burmese Garment Workers Want to be Heard, Find Several Labor Solutions’ Surveys Labor Solutions collected survey responses from nearly 100,000 workers in Myanmar's Garment Sector in 2022. Workers were eager to respond and be heard about their perspectives on working conditions, and overwhelmingly were their family’s main source of income and are happy to have employment. Elena, Labor Solutions' CEO, commented when asked why this was her favorite case study of the year; "We were all really excited about this project. No one had been able to capture the voices of garment workers in Myanmar at scale. We thought it would be much harder, we went in worried about connectivity, outreach and more. But when the results came rolling in quickly, we were blown away with the sheer number of responses. It was clear they were saying 'I want to be part of the conversation.' In such a complex situation, with a lot of stakeholders, many who are loud, hearing from the people who are most impacted by the political and business decisions being made was key to our clients. We are honored to help elevate the voices of such a vulnerable, underrepresented population. It is why we go to work every day," Case Study: Educating Workers on Rights and Responsibilities is Key to a Functioning Grievance Mechanism Education is the first step to effective a grievance mechanism and management. This case study demonstrates measurable impact of adding eLearning to an existing grievance program. Xiaowen, Senior Manager of Worker Engagement said she loved this case study for many reasons; "Not only does the case prove the essential role education plays to ultimately prevent human rights risks, but also it is a good reminder that changes happen over time. Change, regardless of its form, scale, or objective, will always face obstacles and resistance, especially in supply chain where there has been a norm for decades if not longer. When implementing an innovative approach, it is important to have faith in what’s on the other side and proactively overcome the gridlocks with determination and patience." 75% More Workers Returned to Factories Using WOVO A fte r Factory Closures in Vietnam After almost 4 months of closures, factories in Vietnam struggled to reopen and return to production. Factories with WOVO opened and were back to full production faster . Clear and effective communication helps workers feel valued and secure in their work situation, and helped maintain trust between workers and factory management. “ COVID was hard for everyone, particularly workers, comments Senior VP of Client Services, Bijie Li. "We knew that our programs were important to workers during COVID. But we didn’t have 'measurable proof.' When we were able to put this piece together it was like—see we knew it! We were really proud to have made any kind of impact during such a difficult time. But more importantly, it was rewarding to share these results with our factory partners who had worked so hard during COVID to stay in touch with workers.” Decathlon Supplier Autonomy Program Starts with a Worker Survey LS, Decathlon and over 27 suppliers deployed a worker engagement and wellbeing survey and improvement programs. Labor Solutions helped Decathlon to understand the results and to help their suppliers identify opportunities to change existing practices for the better. Decathlon is now integrating worker surveys into their supplier support program and implementing WOVO in even more facilities and countries. Senior Director of Content and Partnerships, Jen Green, choose this case study because; Supplier ownership is a cornerstone of how we see meaningful change towards responsible business practices happen in global supply chains. When we can convince factories our tools add value to their business, and are not just top-down directives from buyers, we shift management practices and ensure human rights are embedded in the business, not just a show for visitors and auditors. We move from compliance to active risk management, and this benefits everyone, particularly workers. Worker Voice: How One Manufacturer Uses WOVO’s Grievance Mechanism Read how one manufacturer Gildan in South America used Labor Solutions' WOVO Tool for Grievance + Human Rights Due Diligence + Compliance. Raissa, Associate Client Advisor, choose this case study because she often hears clients ask 'how did others implement,' and thinks this is a great example of what success can look like; "This case study shows concrete evidence of how WOVO can create change and be helpful to factory management, to improve their grievance mechanisms, operations and work environment. " We love hearing client success stories and try to publish as many as possible. Please reach out to your client advisor if you want to share yours. Thanks again to all our clients who have made our tools come to life in their workplaces. We believe our tools help and often catalyze change but know that real change happens because of hard working individuals using the data from our tools to connect and engage with workers. Read the many more that we did not share here, on our Case Studies tab. About Labor Solutions Labor Solutions, an impact-focused business, leverages technology to connect , engage and educate workers to build resilient supply chains. Over a million and a half workers in 25 countries have access to Labor Solutions’ worker engagement platform, WOVO .