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/

France has put the force of law behind corporations’ moral duty to respect human rights and minimize adverse environmental impacts. Under the 2017 French legislation known as the “Duty of Vigilance” or “Duty of Care” law, certain large companies have an affirmative obligation to prevent human rights violations and environmental abuse – both within the company itself, as well as its subsidiaries and even subcontractors and suppliers. The law originally carried the threat of multi-million-euro fines for failure to comply. Although the fines were removed from the legislation after judicial review, violations could still pose serious consequences for companies that fall short of their obligations. Companies covered by the law should develop, implement and enforce due diligence plans to identify and thwart corporate activities that threaten fundamental human rights and environmental integrity. The law requires companies to follow the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the execution of vigilance plans. Due to the novelty and complexity of the legislation, it is understandable that uncertainty remains in the business community regarding the scope of the law and what steps are necessary for compliance. Labor Solutions offers a suite of tools and services to assist companies in their efforts to comply with the law. Which Companies Must Comply? The French Duty of Vigilance law applies to the largest companies in France. According to the legislation, companies must comply with the law if: The company is established in France. and The company has had at least 5,000 employees in France, both at the main company and at its subsidiaries, at the end of the two previous fiscal years. or The company and its subsidiaries have at least 10,000 employees in France and in other countries. What Does the Duty of Vigilance Law Require? The law mainly focuses on the creation and implementation of a vigilance plan to identify and prevent corporate abuses from infringing on basic human rights or adversely impacting the environment. According to the law, the plan must include: Identification, analysis and ranking of potential risks An outline of procedures to periodically asses compliance on the part of the company’s subsidiaries, subcontractors and suppliers Steps to address risks and prevent violations A method for identifying potential or existing risks in cooperation with representatives of relevant trade unions A monitoring system to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the program The company’s stakeholders should play a role in developing the plan. The company must include its vigilance plan and reports on implementation in its public annual report. What Are the Potential Consequences for Failure to Comply? If a covered company fails to create, implement or publish a vigilance plan as required by the law, any “concerned parties” may file a complaint. The company will be given formal notice of its obligation to comply. The company will have three months to bring its affairs into compliance. If the company remains in violation of its obligations under the law, a judge could impose a civil fine. The law initially called for the imposition of civil fines up to €10 million for failure to comply – and fines up to €30 million if actual human rights or environmental violations resulted from the company’s failure to meet its Duty of Vigilance obligations. However, since the fines were censored during judicial review, it remains unclear what sort of penalties a company may face if it is found to have violated the law’s requirements. A company that violates the Duty of Vigilance law could also be held liable for paying compensation related to human rights violations or environmental abuses that could have been prevented if the company had complied with its legal obligations. What’s the Bottom Line for Companies Affected by the Duty of Vigilance Law? While the full extent of potential financial exposure remains unsettled under the French Duty of Vigilance law, it is clear that compliance is the best option for avoiding costly fines and tort liability – not to mention negative publicity that could tarnish a company’s reputation. Labor Solutions provides tech-based tools and in-person services to assist companies in their efforts to comply with the French Duty of Vigilance law in order to avoid negative consequences for violations of the law. Some of the ways we can help your company comply with the Duty of Vigilance law include: Creation of an effective vigilance plan Establishing procedures to ensure compliance Designing systems to identify and address potential risks Drafting reports outlining the company’s efforts in compliance with the law Conducting surveys of stakeholders to further compliance Comprehensive consulting services to assist with the overall integration of compliance efforts We are prepared to discuss how we can work with your organization to better understand the law’s requirements and to develop a plan to ensure compliance. Sources: European Coalition for Corporate Justice International Review of Compliance and Business Ethics

The Solution Overview In this case study, the Labor Solutions team facilitated communication from factory managers to their workers using the WOVO platform. WOVO is an integrated mobile and web-based system that allows managers to send information to workers’ mobile phones via broadcasts and newsletters. Additionally, it provides worker voice and wellbeing tools that foster wellness and productivity, and gives management actionable data. Background When Chinese footwear factory Dongguan Pouchen reopened as the number of COVID-19 cases subsided in China, it sought a way to inform its workers of the precautions they would need to take as they returned to work. The traditional channels of information dissemination – such as public announcements systems and notice boards – were either too limited, or weren’t ideal in light of new social distancing rules. Outcome Pouchen used WOVO to send newsletters describing actions workers needed to take to protect themselves and their coworkers. These actions included properly using disinfectants, conducting or being prepared for more frequent workplace inspections, adhering to social distance guidelines, and wearing masks and other personal protective equipment where necessary. The WOVO mobile application allowed workers to view this content in a “dynamic and eye-catching” way, according to Pouchen, which helped ensure that workers would pay attention to it. Labor Solutions also provided Pouchen with images and content for the factory to send informative broadcast messages to workers. Dianzhen Lin, Pouchen’s Human Resources Manager, said WOVO was essential for a smooth transition into the new normal. She added, “with WOVO we were able to quickly inform workers what was going to happen. The SMS accessibility of WOVO also allows companies to spread the word to those who do not own a smartphone, reaching basically everyone in the workforce.”

Increasingly, retailers, brands and multi-stakeholder groups are adding worker feedback into their social compliance programs and standards. We are excited that workers are finally being included into the process, but caution that the trend to conduct worker surveys quickly and haphazardly could hurt workers more than help. The trend to conduct worker surveys quickly and haphazardly could hurt workers more than help. The power dynamic of a traditional audit is clear: buyer > supplier. The same cannot be said about worker participation in an audit; a worker's honesty could lead to their employer failing the audit and thus, the worker losing their job. Thus, incorporating worker voice into social compliance programs must be more comprehensive then simply deploying a survey to collect data. Trust is at the core of all worker engagement efforts. Workers must trust that responses are anonymous and must trust the integrity of the process or handling feedback. Putting value judgements on worker feedback often produces misleading results. Workers who do not feel like their situation will change will not speak up, while those who do believe their voice can create change will speak up. This results in facilities with the least vulnerable, most vocal workers having the "lowest" scores. The industry's incentive for 'good feedback' inevitably affects all feedback. The industry's incentive for 'good feedback' inevitably affects all feedback. Technologies facilitating direct access to those whom social compliance programs were designed to protect can transform the way we understand and measure risks. They also tempt us into thinking there is an easy solution to a complex problem. Simply because technology has evolved does not mean the social infrastructures in which those technologies will be used can be neglected and ignored. Simply because technology has evolved, does not mean the social infrastructures in which those technologies will be used can be neglected and ignored. Holistic worker engagement and voice programs should be disassociated from audits, conducted with employers, be action oriented and include worker follow-up. Collecting the right data with the right incentives can not only help you better understand, but also reduce risks while improving the lives of workers. Using the right incentives to collect the right data, can not only help you better understand, but also reduce risks while improving the lives of workers. To help companies better incorporate worker voice into their compliance programs we've designed the Labor Solutions' Maximizing Worker Voice in Compliance Program. The comprehensive program, available globally, integrates strategy, technology and capacity building to help you effectively integrate worker feedback into your risk and compliance programs. The program brings together our survey technology, designed specifically for complex supply chains, with the experience and expertise of our team in a structured format that makes implementation easy, and long term sustainability possible. While we recommend supplier engagement, we know that it's not possible for everyone. We also know everyone is in a different point in their sustainability journey and capacity, therefore we've designed three levels of engagement to meet you where you are. No matter where you start, we'll craft a sustainable solution for you and your suppliers. Learn more here.

The Solution Overview WOVO is an integrated mobile and web-based system designed to provide worker engagement and wellbeing by connecting workers and managers. WOVO’s Connect feature allows workers to send anonymized messages directly to management via text message or smart phone application. Managers can respond to each question directly, while the workers continue to maintain their anonymity. Additionally, WOVO provides data allowing management to track trends in the number and types of questions and complaints received by the system. Background Workers at an apparel factory in Indonesia were suspicious of grievance systems, with good reason. Under a previous system, management had questioned an employee whose identity had been revealed after he submitted what was supposed to be an “anonymous” grievance. Case Overview Labor Solutions helped workers overcome their initial reluctance to use WOVO, stemming from negative experiences with a previous grievance system. WOVO is an integrated mobile and web-based system featuring worker voice and wellbeing tools that foster safety, wellness and productivity. Workers fears eased after seeing how WOVO could be used to send anonymized messages directly to management via text message or smart phone application. In addition, requests that workers made through the system had been ignored. They had waited more than a year for a response to a request for replacement safety shoes, as theirs were worn out. Even after repeated follow-up requests, they were still waiting. When the manufacturer introduced WOVO, a new communication platform to address low employee engagement, workers initially refused to use it. Based on their past experiences, they didn’t trust it. Outcome Labor Solutions encouraged factory management to form a team of WOVO ambassadors. This team spoke to their fellow workers and conducted demonstrations to emphasize WOVO’s anonymity feature. Despite initial resistance and distrust, WOVO ambassadors began convincing workers to submit their grievances through WOVO. Workers once again requested that their safety shoes be replaced, but this time the request came through WOVO. Management ensured the request was addressed promptly and news about the effectiveness and trustworthiness of WOVO spread. This, in turn, led to more workers utilizing the new platform. Worker engagement improved and workers began using WOVO for all their grievances, requests and questions. Overcoming workers’ skepticism, WOVO created a positive impact resulting in a 161.0% increase in worker engagement within a month.