Safeguarding Productivity and Workers’ Voice and Welfare

Disasters are inevitable and unpredictable in any production sector. Therefore, all the management do is to establish safety measures to prevent or minimize catastrophe to ensure a guarantee in both production process and employee safety. Bangladesh disaster represented one of the major accidents in the factories due to irresponsible construction without engineering approval and assessment. As a result, there is the need for immediate, lasting solutions of preventing such disasters in the future as well as protection of workers' voices and welfare.

Strategies to Safeguard Production, Workers' Voice and Welfare

The improvement of productivity, needs a close cooperation between the governments and the companies to restore the reputation of the garment industry as a result of the revelation of poor working conditions. The initiative will ensure that the increased unarrest in the textile industry ceases and Bangladesh regains its international stature as a reliable sourcing market. One of the primary techniques is to have the governments review and set manageable wage rates based on the international textile economic status to safeguard the factories from collapse. Furthermore, the company must establish employee well-being policy. The policy sees to it that the factory demonstrates a show of value to the workers by introducing health plans covering wellness and preventive care of the workers thus reducing absenteeism and case of sick leaves (Koening n.d). Another technique of improving productivity is the adoption of lean instead of the traditional manufacturing principles. The strategy has proved successful in emphasizing efficiency and responsiveness to improve quality. The lean technique eliminates wastages, promotes flexibility and incorporates skilled workforce.

            Ordinarily, workers perform routine duties thus sometimes causing delays and inefficiencies where small amounts of garments take long periods to complete. However, for the lean system, employees train to execute multiple roles. For instance, employees can sew, iron, package in one integrated production chain a method that improves the working environment and production level of a factory. Regarding workers' welfare, the company should perform an audit of their supplier factories concerning the adherence to labor standards like wages, working hours and disciplinary actions (Chipman 2016). Also, the management focusses on training to empower retention and motivation leading to better employment terms. Moreover, the factory needs to assess its supplier concerning how they ensure employee health, safety and environment standards like fire exits, hazardous chemicals, and the general workplace conditions.

Improving productivity can sometimes be workers-centered. One way of achieving improved productivity is through encouraging, motivating, recognizing and rewarding the employees. Following the disaster at Rana Plaza, it is undoubtedly real the workers become scared about their safety (Reinecke & Donaghey 2015, p.722). Therefore, the management must extend words of encouragement to enable them to move forward, feel happy and comfortable and do better. For example, giving workers paid offs and conferences as well as vacation periods. Similarly, the factory must recognize and reward hard work to make the employees continue working at full potential. Also, the management body should give the workers a free platform to express their views without fear, consider their opinions in the decision-making process and humanely treat them both at work and beyond. Furthermore, the factory has to develop teamwork in the factory to improve the production levels by bringing the best out of the workers who demonstrate healthy competition for better results. While adopting collaboration, the factory must rotate the employees to break the monotony and boredom since even where the workers operate in the areas of expertise; routine operations causes fatigue thus the need to switch. The shifting allows individuals to learn as they engage in new tasks with varied challenges in different divisions thus helping them a holistic understanding of the organization (Neiljones 2010). In overall, good welfare minimizes employee turnover consequently maintaining sufficient workforce.

Despite being a lesser concern for most entrepreneurs, workplace safety takes center stage at Rana Plaza factory. One step is adopting a smart hiring technique for competent workers who not only work efficiently but also maintain workplace safety. The management must train the perceived qualified workforce on the expectations and the response to disasters to minimize casualties. The training involves teaching awareness to ensure employee remain attentive to any unusual occurrences both human and natural to help them become agents of their safety. Moreover, having suffered a disaster from the unprofessional construction of additional floor leading to collapse; Rana Plaza must seek expert advice. The advice comes from the law enforcement officials who suggest and provides courses for the intended plans in the facilities. For instance, constructions must follow the architectural standards from the engineers to ensure the safety of the buildings (Sanborn 2013).

Furthermore, going forward, Rana Plaza has to offer primary self-defense and safety sessions to the employees, a step aimed to save lives. The measures could be an installation of alarm systems for quick alerts to minimize the casualties in cases of disaster. Workers voices and welfare remain a primary concern for most labor right associations. One of the ways of safeguarding employee welfare is the adoption of the corporate social responsibility codes that conform to the international norms and ethical standards. The factories brands have to enforce the codes that advocate for the workers' welfare regardless of the locations and the existing cultural environment of the factories.

References

Chipman, I., 2016. How to Improve Working Conditions in the Developing World. [Online]

Available at: https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/how-improve-working-conditions-developing-world

[Accessed 4 May 2018].

Koening, E., n.d. Importance of Employee Welfare. [Online]

Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-employee-welfare-12998.html

[Accessed 4 May 2018].

Neiljones, 2010. 12 Ways To Improve Productivity At The Workplace. [Online]

Available at: http://tweakyourbiz.com/growth/2010/10/07/12-ways-to-improve-productivity-at-the-workplace/

[Accessed 4 May 2018].

Reinecke, J. & Donaghey, J., 2015. After Rana Plaza: Building coalitional power for labour rights between unions and (consumption-based) social movement organisations. Organization, 22(5), pp. 720-740.

Sanborn, M., 2013. 7 Steps to Keep Employees Safe In The Workplace. [Online]

Available at: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228735

[Accessed 4 May 2018].