A Case Study: After COVID hit, one brand decided to digitize their trainings in hopes of meeting a 3-year goal of training 25% of workers on gender-based violence and safety.  Read how they were able to increase the number of workers trained, meeting their goal after just 6 months and reduce training time by 60%. In 2019, a small apparel brand set a 3-year goal to have 25% of workers in their 1st tier supply chain trained on safety and gender-based violence by 2023. The brand set a plan to hit this ambitious target, creating face-to-face training modules and hiring additional staff globally to deliver the trainings. Then COVID hit. The brand was no longer able to go onsite to conduct trainings and suppliers were busy trying to protect workers from COVID and changing production efforts to match every changing local regulation. The sustainability team morale was deflated, their efforts to train workers had been derailed. While the brand strongly believed combating COVID and protecting workers from the virus should be a key priority, they also knew increased stress and a shrinking job market would result in an increase in worker vulnerability. They decided their goal to train workers was still critical. The brand heard from one of their suppliers about WOVO eLearning and decided to engage Labor Solutions to digitize their lessons. By digitizing the lessons, the brand and suppliers were able to deliver the trainings to more workers despite COVID. Content Design The Labor Solutions digital learning team used the face-to-face training curricula outlines and created a blended learning model for the brand. They were able to digitize over 80% of the curricula. Working with the brand the team created interactive and entertaining content for workers, ensuring to check for understanding after the presentation of each concept and then to conduct an assessment at the end of the lesson. The team was also able to use a set of culturally ambiguous characters, making translations easier and more affordable. Literacy was a concern for the brand as well, so for some languages, voice overs were added. All courses were saved in both a video format to be shared on screens in factories, but also as an eLearning package to be distributed via WOVO to workers. Program and Reporting Design The Labor Solutions team advised the brand to set targets for the percentage of workers who completed each lesson for each country to ensure that suppliers prioritized distribution. The brand considered challenges each locality, like the prevalence of COVID, when they set targets, and decided to set slightly different targets for each supplier countries. They also decided to set lower targets to make sure the goals were not overwhelming at first. The goals were clear and easy to communicate both internally to brand stakeholders but also to suppliers. After a group call with suppliers and an email, the suppliers were clear on the Brand's expectations. Implementation Labor Solutions sent each supplier a set up package. To get started: Suppliers were given access to their own WOVO worker database to easily upload worker profiles. This allows for courses to be ta rgeted to specific groups of workers, like managers. It also allows for more accurate reporting. If a worker takes the course and then later quits, the workers data will be counted in the Overall Trained Data point but not in the current workforce data point. This allows the supplier to ensure their current workforce is up-to-date on trainings. Suppliers were given promotional materials and a video to distribute to workers to make downloading and registering for the app easy Workers scan the QR code and download the WOVO app. The App automatically filled in the company code, workers only need to add their employee ID number to get started Suppliers set up digital training areas at the factory Suppliers provided WIFI in these areas for workers to download the course to take later or to take the course live Many suppliers provided a few extra devices (computers, phones, tablets etc) for workers without smart phones to use to access the content. Some suppliers provided incentives like free phone credit or entry into a raffle for workers who completed the courses Data + Results After just 6 months the brand had successfully trained 25% of workers at their strategic suppliers. The brand saw this as an instant success and continued to have their digital trainings translated and rolled out to more suppliers. The digital trainings also require 60 percent less worker time than classroom training. What used to be a half a day training was now a twenty-minute digital training + one-hour face-to-face training. The brand plans conduct the face to face component of their blended learning program when COVID subsides. The onsite training is now structured as a practicum, allowing participants apply the content learned in the digital training to real life scenarios. The shorter training allows the brand to train more workers and the suppliers are happier that workers spend less time away from the production line. ----------- Labor Solutions’ products and services support brands and retailers in reducing risks through engagement, access, and improvement. Our plug-and-play tools have been carefully designed to support our clients’ varying needs throughout the entire Worker Engagement Cycle. Our Client Advisory team helps our client’s set-up for success in each facility and country. To learn more about our tools and services click here.

Recently Elena Fanjul-Debnam,  had the honor of speaking with Mark Evans at Omega Compliance. Following their conversations, Mr. Evans published the following article. Mobile phone technology within responsible sourcing programs is becoming increasingly common. From the introduction of the Amader Kotha helpline in Bangladesh after Rana Plaza, to the growth of worker sentiment surveys and standalone worker wellbeing projects at factories, the trend is clear. “It’s exciting and certainly has a future,” says Elena Fanjul-Debnam, Head of Labor Solutions.  “Countries are changing their rules and regulations around cellphone data and, coupled with more service providers entering the market, the price of mobile phone technology is reducing.” With any new technology though, there is always more excitement than practicality. “Brands need to be thoughtful about what they want to achieve,” explains Elena. “You need a lot of sampling, account management and training. You also need to be cognizant of the end user. In this case, it is the worker. We have to think through how we implement worker grievance tools, what we do with the data, how we react to it and how we make changes based on what is said.” Elena prefers the term ‘worker dialogue’ rather than ‘worker voice.’  Worker voice describes a one-way tool, collecting information but, perhaps, not acting upon it, while, worker dialogue, instead, describes a conversation. “We are replying to workers and we’re getting to the bottom of what’s going on,” she explains. “We’re listening and that is where change is going to be made.” While there is some discussion within the industry around the potential for worker dialogue technology to replace responsible sourcing audits, Elena believes the tools are distinct and should remain separate. “Audits attempt to be an objective assessment,” shares Elena. “For example, is minimum wage being paid? A worker may not know that nor, as another example, understand if there is an effective fire alarm system at the factory.” According to Elena, brands should also be aware of the limitations of worker grievance technology as worker helplines. “Many helplines are built on a model which require a factory manager to ask their employees to report to a client whether they are a bad employer,” she shares. “Given this incentive structure, productive engagement is less likely. Also, third party helplines are so removed for workers that it’s also worth considering how vulnerable and aggrieved a worker must feel before using a third-party channel.” Elena believes worker dialogue technology is deployed best at the factory. “The best place for change to happen is where workers can communicate directly with their employees,” she shares. Worker dialogue tools only work where there is the ability to make change. If the factory asks, ‘How do you feel about your wage?’ but has no intention to increase it, it’s best not to ask the question. “It’s about trust,” explains Elena. “You want the workers to trust you and tell you things, but they are only going to confide in you so long as you act upon their feedback, or at least be able to tell them what the resolution was.” “Brands also need to be careful about false negatives,” adds Elena. “One should not assume the absence of feedback means there are no problems.” As an example, Elena explains that she lived in Jakarta, Indonesia, for eight years, and has been in Singapore for two. She has filed more complaints in Singapore than she did in Jakarta, because her experience has been that in Singapore someone will listen, follow-up, then respond. In other words, the lack of complaints she filed in Jakarta does not indicate that there were less issues there. People react to what they anticipate will happen. If a factory manager, in the past, has followed up upon what a worker said, they may be more likely to provide negative feedback again because they believe they will change things. By telling the truth, they are asking for change. From the perspective of the factory, it’s about direct employers engaging their workers and really creating systems which enable that. “From a brand’s perspective, if we look at suppliers and know that they are having direct engagement with workers, we know the risk is decreased,” explains Elena. “I think the most effective place to deploy worker dialogue technology is factory by factory, facility by facility, because that’s the workers’ reality.” This blog was originally published by Omega Compliance. Hashtag #compliance #humanrights #sustainability

While it may not always be possible to include direct employers in the survey process, we encourage brands to do so if possible. Worker Surveys are more meaningful if supplier facilities are part of the process. As the employer, supplier facilities are responsible for providing workers a positive work environment. Follow up to worker surveys is just as important as collecting worker feedback and direct employers are best equipped to do this. When a brand collects worker feedback without the supplier facility engaged, it misses an opportunity to leverage capacity and empower for change. Imagine if you and your co-workers had spent the last three months lodging complaints about the factory sponsored bus, and then your employer launches, what they call an “Employee Engagement Survey” and doesn’t ask about the bus. This oversight would lead you to believe your employer doesn’t care about what you have to say and result in you being less interested in responding to the survey. While better understanding transportation issues may not be your brand's objective for the survey, by not addressing the daily concerns of workers, it is impossible to build the trust necessary to uncover more concerning challenges. When suppliers are engaged in the survey process, the whole process is more efficient and effective: Employer knowledge and experience in the field will help you create the right questions. Suppliers are more willing to support survey deployment, helping to promote the survey among workers and assist with onsite deployment When the right questions are asked, and management promotes a surveys more workers respond and are more likely to be honest with their feedback. Suppliers feel ownership and are more likely to act upon the data from the surveys they own. The Worker Engagement Dashboard (WED) was built with this in mind. With the WED Survey Tools: Brands create surveys and assign to their suppliers. Suppliers can add their own questions or combine questions from two different brands without changing the brand's core questions or the reporting structure. From their dashboard suppliers decide to how to distribute and promote the survey Data is reported back to selected stakeholders in their selected format, allowing for easy comparison of data sets. The WED survey tool underlines Labor Solutions' commitment to creating sustainable long term solutions that lead to capacity building and ownership. --- Founded in 2013, Labor Solutions leverages technology and data to improve the lives of workers. Our tools and services are created using user-centric & inclusive design to engage and connect with the entire value chain of stakeholders. We foster social infrastructures to support sustainable and valuable change in workplaces.

Footwear and clothing manufacturers in Vietnam are riding a wave of economic opportunity, attributed to a profitable trade agreement with the European Union and increased manufacturing costs in China. In April the country’s Ministry of Industry and Trade reported that textile, garment and footwear exports had risen 7.1 percent year-on-year. However, there is another opportunity impacting the industry as well. Race to the Top, a collaborative initiative coordinated by IDH, The Sustainable Trade Initiative, is successfully promoting large scale improvements to sustainable manufacturing in the country. A unique partnership involving the Vietnamese apparel and footwear industry, global consumer brands, the Vietnamese government and public partners, Race to the Top intends to reshape manufacturing practices starting in Vietnam, but then extending across the globe. Labor Solutions has recently been selected to join Race to the Top as technical experts for worker engagement efforts. As part of the project, Labor Solutions will equip participating factories with WOVO, a mobile phone-based communication platform that promotes worker wellbeing using two-way confidential communication and e-learning. WOVO also features advanced online analytics that can track employee engagement trends and other actionable data. Race to the Top uses a pilot program framework to showcase a business rationale for adopting environmental and social sustainability practices. As part of the pilot programs, factory workers, union representatives, supervisors and management participate in trainings and coaching to develop skills and implement practices that improve both sustainability and profitability. Initial outcomes have been impressive, demonstrated by the following: An average decline in monthly worker turnover from 10 percent to 6 percent. An average 14 percent increase in right first time (RFT) Lasting effects, as 85 percent of workers recognized program benefits two years later “The factories in our pilot programs are successfully demonstrating that a combination of productivity and worker engagement training can improve both working conditions and profitability,” shares Sibbe Krol, Senior Program Manager at IDH. “We are finding that the sustainability measures being implemented are leading to reductions in worker turnover and optimized production. That is a win-win for workers and management.” For more information about Race to the Top, visit racetothetop.info or contact Sibbe Krol at Krol@idhtrade.org. To learn more about WOVO, contact Labor Solutions at info@laborsolutions.tech.

Facing significant disruptions to existing supply chains, workers and managers are turning to technology solutions to communicate as factories shut down and social distancing measures are enforced. In these uncertain and stressful economic times, workers are asking more questions to their management than ever. From January +  February to March + April , we have seen utilization rates of WOVO increase tremendously across the region: Vietnam – 120% increase in messages sent by workers Indonesia – 100% increase Cambodia – 173% increase China – 129% increase In turn, management also increased outreach to workers: 80% increase in the number of broadcast messages sent globally by managers to workers from January+  February to March + April 50% increase in the number of newsletters sent globally by managers to workers from January +  February to March + April Managers using WOVO during the COVID-19 outbreak report that they are happy to have access to a digital technology that allows them to keep in touch with workers even when those workers are staying at home.  For  For factories laying off or indefinitely furloughing workers, WOVO will be key to getting workers back on the line when government restrictions ease and orders continue. Does your company or workplace have a corporate communications tool in place? A recent McKinsey & Company report on COVID-19 says that adopting a two-way communication system with workers is critical during a crisis. The study says that these systems act as a clear source of truth, provide workers with confidential reporting mechanisms, and help employers have a clearer understanding of what is going from the perspective of workers. Reach out so we can help you set up WOVO – and other tools we developing in response to COVID-19 disruptions – in your facility quickly.

Labor Solutions’ set of services is designed to shift the relationship between brands and suppliers from one of compliance to one of capacity building and ownership. Often, worker voice programs and helplines developed with a compliance mindset are designed as a ‘gotcha’ mechanism based on an undercurrent of distrust. As a result, suppliers suppress any challenges that might get them into ‘trouble,’ and do not promote helplines to workers, making them largely ineffective. Entering the industry with an employee well-being background, we recognized the conflict this presented and set out to design something fundamentally different. We wanted to create tools that could empower direct employers and provide data sets that spark change-oriented collaboration and action. Rather than focusing on whether there is a problem, we developed tools that measure whether the problem was handled well. This increases communication and reduces risks. When we designed WOVO, a key feature was its ability to facilitate two-way, anonymous communication between employers and workers. WOVO equips the employer to manage and respond to employees’ questions and suggestions. Additionally, it generates reports and provides data that can be useful for oversight. WOVO goes beyond the capabilities of a third-party helpline by not only capturing worker’s needs, but also giving management the resources it needs to respond to workers’ concerns and help minimize future risk. This can empower facilities, encourage their promotion of WOVO and result in increased participation by workers. In some instances, WOVO has received more than ten times as many cases as the third-party grievance line. We also find that with WOVO, cases are generally solved faster, and often small issues are managed before they become critical. For some facilities, responding directly to workers in real time and managing complaints can be challenging. That’s why we provide complementary client advisory services with all of our tools. However, we know that sometimes our standard advisory services aren’t enough, and facilities need more support. To address these concerns, we are introducing Enhanced Advisory Services, a new service from Labor Solutions, designed to provide additional support to specific facilities and to help buyers sort the underprepared facilities from the negligent. Because no workplace is perfect, Enhanced Advisory Services emphasizes progress over perfection. What’s included: 10 additional advisory services hours Guided self-needs assessment and target setting Additional oversight and support How it Works: Facilities with Enhanced Advisory Services will start with a guided self-assessment that identifies what standards they want to use for evaluation and any areas that they recognize need improvement. Based on the results of the self-assessment, the Labor Solutions team will work with facilities to set targets for improvement. Targets might pertain to speed of response to workers, number of worker committee meetings, utilization of tools and worker pulse scores, for example. Each quarter, the Labor Solutions team will review utilization rates, messages from workers, and responses from managers.  This insight will be shared with the facility by the account manager during quarterly meetings. We will hold the facility accountable to its own targets and, if needed, provide specific feedback for how the facility can improve. This could include ideas for expediting response speed, using empathy, optimizing management processes, and/or identifying better ways to use the data. To ensure that facilities maximize the utility of their service(s) and see real results, we will also convene a tri-party meeting among us, the buyer, and the facility in the event we observe no improvement or effort from the facility after three quarters. This allows the Labor Solutions team to have a one-on-one relationship with facilities and gives them time to make improvements without fear of being penalized, while still ensuring accountability. This incentivizes capacity-building and improvement. Facilities can also always supplement with additional Labor Solutions trainings focused on communication, worker dialogue, and grievance mechanisms. We recognize that supplier ownership comes with challenges, particularly for brands with limited resources or for facilities with a checkered past. Real change isn’t easy. With WOVO + Enhanced Advisory Services, facilities will receive the additional guided support they need to learn how to better initiate change from within. To learn more about our Enhanced Advisory Services service email us at info@laborsolutions.tech Hashtag #compliance #uncategorized

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.