A majority of frontline operators in the garment industry are women, yet almost all supervisors are male. This gender disparity, coupled with inequitable social contexts and intense production pressures, often leads to conflicts on the factory floor, many of which go unreported. Tools designed specifically for these contexts have the potential to make workers feel heard, while enabling firms to better address grievances.

Our research began with attempting to capture a worker’s “universe,” mapping their relationships and interactions with various stakeholders, including supervisors, doctors, guards, hostel, wardens and management. In our qualitative surveys, we discovered that workers lack trust in existing redressal mechanisms and fear reprisal for speaking up. Many of these tools, such as suggestion boxes, do not allow for two-way communication, rely on a worker’s ability to articulate their concerns in writing, and have very long turnaround times.

To address these specific needs, we designed Inache, allowing workers to send anonymous text or voice messages with their concerns, suggestions or questions. Mobile numbers are masked and messages go to a central dashboard, from where they are directed to a designated member of factory staff. The journey of the complaint is logged on the system, which incentivizes accountability, speed, and transparency. In addition, recognizing the cultural diversity of many factory settings, Inache accommodates multiple regional languages.

• A comprehensive needs assessment through interviews, focus groups, and observations provided on-ground insights from different users within the factory.
• Inache has been evaluated in over 60 factories, reaching a total of 1,50,000 workers

The Inache tool had a significant impact on workers and on business –

• 4% increase in productivity
• 19% decrease in attrition
• 5% utilization rate (compared to 0.5% of traditional grievance redressal tools)

A prominent economic theory reasons that workers in unsatisfactory employment situations have two options: to quit or to voice their concerns and work out their problems. In the absence of effective tools for communication between workers and employers, many firms face high rates of turnover and absenteeism. Inache has the potential to make workers in manufacturing contexts feel heard in a way that ensures transparency and accountability. As a result, workers are more satisfied and productive, while real-time insights give businesses greater on-ground visibility, adding value for firms as well.