Worker Engagement and Wellbeing

In it’s 2016/17 Sustainable Business Report, global sports brand, Nike, sets out its belief in the power of worker engagement as follows:

“We believe that a skilled, valued and engaged workforce is key for growth and sustainability. We know that when workers are valued, issues of compensation, overtime, workplace conditions and worker engagement will fundamentally shift.

As manufacturing processes become more sophisticated through modernization and innovation, the role of the factory worker is changing. We will only work with suppliers who transform their business by investing in the skills and capability of workers and promoting cooperation to support a more sustainable manufacturing model.

To this end, we bring pragmatic, evidence-based and measurable practices to our suppliers to increase worker engagement.”

Just Solutions is proud to have been closely involved in designing, piloting and delivering consulting and training inputs to this process in Indonesia, Thailand and China.

Following an analysis of energy flows inside the pilot factories, we were able to advise on appropriate representation structures for both unionised and non-unionised environments in order to ensure worker voice as a basis for genuine workplace dialogue. We trained new, freely elected worker reps, their supervisors and managers in joint problem-solving techniques towards the creation of a ‘full-flow manufacturing’ environment.

Following successful completion of the pilot schemes, Just Solutions trainers have helped to develop internal resource persons inside Nike with the capacity to carry this transformative work forward across the supply chain.

This program also gave birth to our workplace well-being and stress-management initiative together with our sister organisation, IntoAlignment