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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.

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 .

At Labor Solutions we believe that aligning diverse stakeholders interests is a cornerstone in constructing responsible and socially sustainable supply chains. This involves understanding and harmonizing the diverse objectives and interests of buyers, suppliers, workers, and even the wider community of consumers. It is a delicate balancing act, requiring strategic planning, proper mechanisms, and systems to openly communicate and work together. Suppliers, workers, and buyers often have different perspectives and priorities, which leads to conflicting goals and objectives. Moreover, there is usually a different level of access to information (e.g. supply chain regulations) between different parties, which can lead to misunderstandings and frustrations. Certainly, there are also power imbalances between these different parties, sometimes making it difficult to find a solution and negotiate on an equal footing. Labor Solutions aims to align these distinct needs through different mechanisms WOVO, our flagship application, and advisory service. Empowering Suppliers with Tools + Support to Build Socially Responsible Business Suppliers are the nexus of the supply chain, connecting the workers and buyers. That’s why our distinct approach in developing a socially responsible chain is to empower them with necessary tools + support, rather than policing them. WOVO is a platform made for suppliers to engage, connect, and educate workers at scale. WOVO is designed to put suppliers at the center of the solution to social sustainability. Allowing them to take control of survey deployment, workers’ education, and grievance management. Suppliers can add additional questions to the surveys developed by the brands to reflect the local contexts better; allowing every stakeholder to have a better understanding of the situation. Suppliers can also add customized lessons to onboard and train their workers more efficiently and effectively compared to traditional methods. Moreover, the grievance management system is in the hands of the suppliers; allowing them to manage, collaborate with internal teams or external stakeholders, and get a better understanding of their workplace conditions. WOVO for suppliers goes beyond compliance and grievances, it is also a platform connecting facility management with workers. The management can communicate key information to the workers directly from WOVO such as event announcements, information sharing, newsletters, pay slips, or messaging with individual workers. Essentially, it is also a human resource engagement tool. For example, in early 2023, an apparel manufacturer in Indonesia has been seeing a spike in worker accident rate. In the coming month, they used WOVO’s newsletter function to communicate the rise in accidents and provide information on how they can prevent and avoid accidents. This led to an 80% decrease in the number of accidents in the following month. For Suppliers: WOVO is a platform that manages human resources, employee engagement, local risks + issues to enhance their production. Improving Worker Lives through Accessible Mobile Application Workers are the reason we started Labor Solutions (almost) a decade ago and “Improving Workers Lives” is our vision. WOVO provides workers with multi-access points to get information, learn, and provide feedback on their workplace conditions. WOVO’s primary touchpoint with workers is our mobile application, both available on Apple and Android. Via the application, workers can get the latest information from their management and about the workplace through information notifications, event reminders, and newsletters. Moreover, they can also get their pay slips through the application, secured with personal passwords. Through the mobile application and other integrated access points such as QR code, web, and chat messengers such as WhatsApp or WeChat, workers can also answer the survey questions and provide feedback about their workplace. This process is made to be highly accessible to reach the maximum number of workers. The questions can be incorporated with audiovisual elements such as emoticons and voice-overs to make the experience easier for workers with literacy issues. Moreover, all the surveys the workers receive are ensured in their preferred language. To reduce the “survey fatigue”, we also provide standardized surveys such as Nike’s EWB and SLCP. In a notable case study from a Chinese factory, 60% of the female workers were having concerns about workplace sexual harassment, with 80% never expressing their concerns. A periodical survey revealed this issue and the factory conducted Focus Group Discussions (FGD) for further understanding. These studies show harassment happening outside the factory premises during their commute to and from home. Armed with these insights, the factory took some initiatives such as providing transportation led to workers feeling more safe and secure (45% reduction in concerns) within six months. Apart from the periodical surveys, workers can also anonymously provide feedback and report issues in their environment. WOVO allows workers to directly provide feedback to their management or third party about the grievances they are facing in their working lives while maintaining complete anonymity. This functionality not only empowers workers with more voices but also allows suppliers and brands to detect potential issues before they become a crisis. WOVO is also a place for the workers to learn and grow. WOVO has lessons available in 26+ languages across different topics from understanding their rights and responsibilities on general human rights or specific issues and lessons around worker wellbeing and growth. The individual lessons are bite-sized and inclusive for all types of workers, accompanied by quizzes and interactive options to ensure progress. For Workers: WOVO is an application to get updates, share feedback, report problems, and learn to improve their lives. Providing Brands with Transparent Information to Minimize Risk in Their Value Chains Buyers are central in making fundamental changes and long-term improvements to their value chains. To support brands in achieving it, WOVO provides an insightful dashboard and recommends long-term solutions to the social issues that they are facing in the value chains. Buyers can easily design surveys with the help of our survey templates written by experts. These surveys are designed to capture workers’ reality and understand the underlying risks through experiential questions. (Find out more about experience vs. fact-based questions here). The surveys can be customized to reflect localized risks based on the geography or commodity. Furthermore, suppliers can augment with their own questions to help brands better understand the reality on the ground. WOVO is also a platform to get insights + drive changes sustainably in their value chain. The dashboard provides brands with real-time + transparent aggregated data with direct input from workers. This data can be tracked across time and locations helping brands to identify issues and make proactive changes. To ensure a responsible supply chain, buyers are notified when their suppliers are underperforming in their own grievance management with workers. If there is low utilization of the tool, long responses from the factory management, or low worker satisfaction brands can focus on these particular cases and investigate further. This approach not only gives brands assured oversight while allowing suppliers to have the autonomy to remediate their local issues – ultimately ensuring a sustainable mechanism that solves issues within the value chain collaboratively. WOVO works beyond these three parties. A recent ILO 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. For Brands: WOVO is a dashboard to monitor social issues efficiently, understand impact + track trends to minimize risks in their value chains. Overall, WOVO is an ecosystem of tools that can help to align the interests of different stakeholders in the supply chain. By providing suppliers with the tools and support they need to build socially responsible businesses, improving worker lives through an accessible mobile application, and providing brands with transparent information to minimize risk in their value chains, WOVO can help to create a more sustainable and equitable supply chain.