Enhancing Well-Being Data Collection in Global Value Chains Through Direct Factory Worker Involvement: Insights from Seven Years, Eight Countries, and 16,000+ Respondents

Abstract Information: The global apparel industry, heavily reliant on the labor of millions of factory workers, mainly women, faces critical challenges in ensuring fair working conditions and equitable decision-making processes. This presentation examines the potential of well-being data from workers to inform and transform supply chain decisions. Between 2016 and 2023, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s SHINE initiative and Manaus Consulting analyzed the well-being of over 16,000 factory workers across eight countries. Our research began in 2016, focusing on defining well-being within supply chains and understanding its impact on worker productivity and business outcomes. Importantly, we utilized a participatory method of evaluation, training young, entry-level workers at each site to help facilitate the collection of data from their peers, empowering them to become well-being champions among their peers.

Key findings demonstrate the importance of including workers' voices and experiences in supply chain decision-making. This approach not only improves well-being outcomes but also contributes to business success. The study emphasizes a culture of care—trust, respect, and fairness—as essential for positive well-being and productivity. By integrating surveys, interviews, and focus groups, we collected comprehensive well-being data, highlighting the need to prioritize workers' perspectives in all levels of decision-making.

Our presentation will discuss methods for collecting and analyzing well-being data, showcasing how this data enables decision-makers to better understand factory workers' experiences and make informed decisions that positively affect both business and well-being outcomes. Importantly, we will showcase our data collection process, in which we randomly select a group of the youngest and most entry-level workers to help facilitate the data collection process, training them as “Checkers” to effectively engage their peers, speak to the importance of worker well-being, and to help contextualize the qualitative and quantitative research findings. We aim to show the value of centering workers' voices in the decision-making process, using their insights to drive more equitable and sustainable supply chain practices.

Aligned with Evaluation 2024's theme, our research underlines the significance of involving workers in the data collection process to create a trusting and safe data collection environment and to empower young adults to become champions of well-being within factories. By sharing experiences from our project, we contribute to the discussion on the necessity of bringing those at the center of an evaluation into the evaluation process. Our approach to training young evaluators and emphasizing the voices of historically underrepresented groups in our research exemplifies the conference's call for fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are valued.

This submission demonstrates our commitment to using our evaluation practice and research to center and bring forward diverse and underrepresented perspectives, reflecting on how the inclusion of young and underrepresented voices has enriched our understanding and impact on the industry. Through our work, we advocate for an evaluation practice that not only understands but actively incorporates the insights of those it seeks to benefit, paving the way for more inclusive and dynamic evaluation methodologies.