“How can we support the people in our supply chain?” – With this question in mind, we initiated our Empowerment Programme in 2021. At the heart of our company, we have four core values, one of which is – “We Care.” This commitment goes beyond implementing social and environmental regulations, we actively strive to support our business partners and the individuals within our supply chain by providing resources to enhance their well-being. As of mid-2024, we are proud to share that approximately 6,500 individuals have participated in 400 empowerment courses facilitated by the Social Compliance Team of our subsidiary, ASTRA.
Our Approach
We established our Empowerment Programme as part of our Corporate Responsibility (CR) Strategy which aims to bolster the well-being of supply chain workers. It was therefore implemented by ASTRA’s Social Compliance Team who possess a deep understanding of factory conditions and needs. The courses and sessions focus on personal development, self-confidence, and independent decision-making, all while promoting self-recognition and appreciation.
Implementation
We launched our pilot projects in 2022 with selected factories across seven countries in Asia and Europe, covering topics like mental wellbeing, workplace social environment, cultural diversity, unconscious bias, and women empowerment. The participants were encouraged to reflect on their role models, learned stress management techniques, and discussed the importance of respectful cooperation. The materials were tailored to fit the cultural contexts and needs of people in our supply chain.
In addition to on-site training, our team introduced remote programmes to foster open discussions, which required sensitivity from the trainers. To reinforce learning, factories received posters summarising key session content and certificates acknowledging their involvement in the programme.
Results and Feedback
Two of the programme’s main challenges were the language barriers and the varying literacy levels of the workers. To overcome them, the ASTRA team shared videos in their local languages and facilitated role-playing activities to boost engagement. In order to collect feedback from all participants, non-literate workers were paired literate peers and the factories’ welfare officers would explain more complex concepts to them. Going forward, the team will also consider adopting digital methods with audio materials as a more effective and inclusive approach.
Despite these challenges, the empowerment programme has resonated with the participants and its success underscores the importance of enhancing the well-being of those who work in our supply chain. In the end, initially reluctant participants also found the topics valuable and enlightening for both their professional and personal lives: They valued the stress-free sessions, which are beyond typical compliance topics and offered fresh perspectives about their personal lives. Many recognised the significance these topics had on their lives for the first time. Through the programme, they’ve learned to discuss them openly and are motivated to make improvements. In turn, the factory management also expressed enthusiasm, leading to a growing demand for additional empowerment courses.
Looking Ahead
Building on the valuable experiences from the past years, the Otto International CR Empowerment Programme will continue to evolve and expand to more factories, further enhancing the value for individuals in our supply chain.
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