The Better Work Academy: approach and impact in Gap Inc. factories.
RESEARCH BRIEF
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NOVEMBER 2020
Launched in 2016, the Workplace Cooperation Program (WPC) is a pilot partnership between Better Work and Gap Inc. Subsequently scaled up into the Better Work Academy, it aims to train workers and managers in Better Work techniques to more effectively address and resolve workplace issues and to broaden in-factory cooperation.
The approach
Better Work’s impact evaluation showed that the By the end of 2019, Better Work had conducted five mix of its integrated factory services – compliance in-person training sessions to Gap Inc. staff on the assessments, advisory built on bipartite committees, modules and on needed soft skills to be able to shift and capacity building through learning services – is the role from auditor to advisory. They, in turn, had critical in achieving sustainable impact on workers’ delivered training to 182 factories across Bangladesh, wellbeing and factory performance. To this end, the Cambodia, China, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, key focus of WPC training is worker/management Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam with 116 (bipartite) committees, to expand Gap Inc. staff’s roles factories completing all eight modules. Understanding beyond one of traditional auditors towards one of the impact of the WPC, especially in factories and trainers and coaches. Members of these committees countries where Better Work is not directly operating, is are trained in eight modules essential to improving critical to demonstrate the potential of the Better Work workplace relations, namely: communication; problem Academy to scale up the positive impacts of the Better solving; grievance mechanisms; risk assessment; Work model. health and safety; bipartite committee roles and responsibilities; industrial relations; and negotiations. 2
Results
A recent evaluation of the impact of the WPC by York Improvements in communication are at the core of University focused on questions of whether training WPC impacts on the shop floor. has translated into improvements in the workplace, and how those improvements were evident. Through Communication interviews and focus groups of managers, worker representatives and workers, the study found progress in three areas:
1. Communication and cooperative Cooperative Work Relationships work relationships Confidence Open Mindedness “The most talked theme is in Agency, Trust, Ownership Challenge Cultural Norms relationship with production. Workers are communicating, we feel closer with them after two years.”
– MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REPRESENTATIVE, Enabled to Better Address Workplace GUATEMALA Concerns Productive Problem Solving Workers and management reported that the training Functional Grievance Channels on communication had the biggest impact in the Proactive Risk Assessment workplace, and was linked with improvements in worker-management relationships and worker confidence. Barriers between workers and management started to break down, trust developed, confidence boosted, and channels of communication Motivation Productivity opened up. This, in turn, was linked to more productive Absenteeism Product Quality problem solving, functional grievance channels, and proactive risk assessment. Turnover 3
2. Enabling managers and workers Conclusions and next steps to better address workplace All participants in the surveys and focus groups concerns reported progress with the strongest support coming from those countries where workers had been “In the past, we found some problems, empowered to contribute to decision-making, highlight areas in which they believed changes could lead to we solved it. But now we are doing some greater efficiencies, and voice concerns and have them preparation in the early stage, to prevent addressed immediately. that happen…” While workers and managers are enthusiastic about – COMMITTEE MANAGER REPRESENTATIVE, changes in workplace relationships, given the relative CHINA newness of the programme the report suggests two key recommendations to ensure progress is Open communication channels allowed for prompt sustainable: feedback to workers on the shop floor, whether it was Include an “Elect, Represent, Protect, Empower” a question about production, meeting quotas, or other framework as a new WPC training module. This problems for which they had to spend time engaging framework requires that workers in bipartite in root cause analysis together. With a stronger sense committees be elected by the workers themselves of trust and confidence, workers started to take a in a fair and open process, free from interference. greater role in identifying and seeking to resolve issues These workers should also have time and on the shop floor. resources allocated to prepare for meetings and disseminate results. And, representatives must 3. The business case for workplace be protected from retaliation and empowered to cooperation. speak up and have their voice heard in meetings. Add a “Knowledge Dissemination” strand to the Workers and managers both said workers were being Roles and Responsibilities module to ensure that more productive since WPC training. Workers felt representatives have access and time to hear more motivated – relationships with managers and inputs from workers and disseminate the choices coworkers improved, the work environment is safer, and decisions being made by the committee. they feel happier coming to work, listened to, and that they have a voice or say in decisions in the factory.
“When you’re working…if there’s a problem in the production, it’s easy for us to talk to the line leaders, the supervisors. They became more open. We are happy. We work with a smile. More productive.”
– BIPARTITE COMMITTEE WORKER, PHILIPPINES.
The Better Work Discussion Paper Series is an original, peer-reviewed series that presents rigorous, work-in-progress research material for comment and feedback. It is addressed to researchers, policymakers and development practitioners to generate comments and encourage discussion.
CORE DONORS TO BETTER WORK Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs Swiss State Secretariat for Economics Affairs Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark The Government of Australia Represented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) The US Department of Labor Funding is also provided by DFID, Government of France, Government of Canada, Irish Aid, GMAC, Royal Government of Cambodia and private sector donors,including The Walt Disney Company, Levi Strauss Foundation, Gap Inc. and FUNG (1937) Management Ltd