Our app works as follows: 1) The workplace uploads a list of workers to our system. We expect this to be all the workers and this is quite easy to audit. 2) We do not know any names, emails or phone numbers. For each worker we know their ID number (eg: payroll or security pass) and their date of birth. 3) When a worker downloads our app, he picks his workplace and then enters the correct ID number and date of birth and he is registered. He only has to do this once. 4) In this way, we ensure that workers can only rate workplaces where they actually work. Periodically, the workplace will upload new lists of workers to our system. Workers who leave will come off the list and will find that they can no longer use our app to rate their former workplace - and new workers get added. We do not ask for worker names, email addresses, telephone numbers or other very personal information (except date of birth).

Continuous operation The AsktheWorkers platform runs all the time for all the workers. This enables: - Trends to be established, showing issues as they arise and the impact of remedies. - Workplaces see the data themselves via their dashboard and typically self-remediate without requiring stakeholder intervention. - Avoids issues with sampling and potential opportunities to skew results via sample selection and coaching of small cohorts of workers. - Changes in the workforce to be monitored, for example, if there are arrivals and departures or the use of migrant workers or agency workers.

The AsktheWorkers platform connects workers anonymously, collectively and continuously to their workplace management team and to stakeholders. This is to enable the workplace management team and its stakeholders to hear directly from workers about how they are treated. The platform covers all the workers, all the time, and provides real-time results. It is continuous. It is not a survey and it is not based on a sample of the workers. With continuous real-time transparency direct from the workers, the AsktheWorkers platform discourages deliberate poor practices and encourages workplaces to self-remediate matters which are being raised. Workplace C-suite management has real-time visibility on the effectiveness of their ethical policies and their implementation, AsktheWorkers measures discrimination and harassment, abuses that are only reported by workers who are confident of their anonymity and safety from retailiation. AsktheWorkers provides analysis by different worker demographics (gender, nationality, employment type, job role) although results are monitored and can be suppressed in order to ensure that anonymity of workers is not compromised.

These responses are aggregated and analysed against standard pillars (or base codes) to create a score for the workplace as a whole, for each base code, and ultimately for each individual question. Stakeholders can see the aggregated (but not the answers of an individual worker). Stakeholders (and workplaces) are able to drill through the data to isolate cohorts of workers and see their responses over selected time periods - enabling trends to be seen. Moreover, this picks up immediately when workers raise an issue (lines dip) and when there is an appropriate remedy applied (lines recover). We can show you live examples of this from our datasets: - Workers reporting issues with sick pay, over time, harassment, safety - Remedies being applied by the workplace (without interference from stakeholders) and responses reverting to trend Cohorts can be created across gender, nationality, employment type (employed, agency, migrant worker) and job role. NOTE: we automatically suppress the data if the number of responses in a given cohort becomes too small so as to avoid individual workers being identified. We call this "gating".

Using the app Every day, workers provide answers to questions via the AsktheWorkers app about how they are treated. Questions are in the language of the phone that the worker is using. It takes maybe one minute to cycle through the app giving answers. Workers can do this any time they wish and from anywhere. The app covers all the workers, all the time. It is not a survey. It is continuous. Workers can use the app as often as they like but not more than once per day.

There are four parts to the AsktheWorkers platform: - the AsktheWorkers app which is used by workers to provide feedback - the AsktheWorkers dashboards which are used by workplaces and stakeholders to review results, identify good practices and monitor the impact of any improvements or remediation steps taken - the AsktheWorkers advisor which can be used by stakeholders to get automated, in-context specific advice on potential root cause and improvement steps given worker response patterns - the AsktheWorkers analysis tool which is used by stakeholders to dig into the data in order to recognise developing risks and trends

Key definitions: - Worker: someone who is working at the workplace (see other answers for how this is checked) - Anonymously: means that it is not possible to find out what any one individual worker might be saying, feedback is confidential - Collectively: means that feedback is collective and not individual - it comes from the workforce as a whole built up from individual responses - Workplace: the place where a worker works that is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the worker - Stakeholders: a third party such as a customer, NGO, consulting firm, trade union that has an interest in making sure workers are treated fairly.

Prize draws Stakeholders can (and should) set up a compensation program for workers in the form of a prize draw that provides small monetary prizes to workers in return for workers using the app. This is typically a low cost (from US$0.01 to US$0.10 per worker per month). The prize draw budget can be changed from month to month depending on usage rates of the app. Each time the worker runs the app and answers the questions (taking one minute or so), the worker has a chance to win a prize - with the award being notified on the next occasion the worker uses the app. The prize draw is automatically managed by the AsktheWorkers platform.

Our AsktheWorkers app is available from the google play store. Go to our AsktheWorkers website for a "how to" video on how to log in and register. Search for "asktheworkers" and the app will appear in the list. Download the app. The app is very small so this takes a few seconds. Our app is designed to use a minimum amount of memory, requires no permissions and captures no information about the user or the mobile. We have made the app as light as possible as we understand that many workers may have older mobile phones. The app is backwardly-compatible to the earliest versions of Android.

Yes - completely. Workers use our app to answer questions about how they are treated by their workplaces. The data that is provided to us. We do not know worker names, emails or phone numbers. We cannot identify individual workers. Our dashboards, reports and analysis are always provided to workplaces and stakeholders at a portfolio level based on aggreations of the responses. It is possible to dig into our data to obtain sectoral analysis across gender, nationality, job role and employment type - but if the number of responding workers in a given cohort is too low, our platform automatically suppresses the results in order to avoid compromising the confidentiality.

Yes we do. We have built an advisory system into our dashboards that enables stakeholders to request support. This is provided automatically for a given base code by: - analysing what workers have said about that base code - determining from those responses what the likely issues may be - proposing a series of comments that cover: - what workers are likely saying - who should be contacted to find out more and what questions could be asked to dig into this - what might actually be going on (potential root causes) - what good should look like - next steps that might be taken This is an automated system and is intended to guide stakeholders towards appropriate responses.

Workers should obtain remedies for issues that they raise. This should be over-riding motivation for workers to use the app. No matter what else we might all do, if workers raise issues and are not listened to, then they will stop using the app. It takes time for issues to be identified reliably and for remedies to be provided. As a result, our app also includes a simple prize draw system to compensate workers additionally for their time. The amount of the prize draw can be varied each month depending on worker response levels. Prize draws can be set up at workplace level or scheme level (covering multiple workplaces) and funded by workplaces or by stakeholder or by combinations of all of them. It is possible for us to administer the prize draw centrally. The budget for a prize draw depends on the country and the number of workers. In South Asia, for example, we suggest a budget of between US$0.005 and US$0.10 per worker per month. So 500 workers might mean a budget of US$50, but 5,000 workers might only need a budget of US$250. The prize draw is important as it keeps workers motivated to return to the app and to provide their views to us - so that we can provide results to the workplace that can be shared with its stakeholders like customers and shareholders.

Our app is simple to use and it takes around 1 minute to answer 10 questions on a workplace. On loading the app, the worker is automatically taken to the first question. He / she answers the question by moving a slider from left (low score) to right (high score). As the slider moves, the face changes between happy and sad. After answering 10 questions, the worker exits the app. The 10 questions are pulled randomly from our larger panel of about 75 questions. Different questions appear each time the app is run. Workers can share phones or use other people's phones. They do not have to be at work to use the app - they can answer at any time of day. The app can only be run once per day by an individual worker. This limits the amount of influence that one worker can have on the results, and also ensures that the app is not a distraction. See more on our AsktheWorkers website for how to videos on how to use the app.

Workplaces get significant benefits from using AsktheWorkers - not just in terms of having better and more transparent relationships with their stakeholders and the potential to charge higher prices as a result. 1) Our app is typically used by workers when they are not at work - there is no disruption to production. 2) The app is continuous so set up is once - and then it just runs. This is not a survey where, each time, there is a set up process, result cycle, remediation cycle and then stop - starting again from scratch each time. 3) Workplaces can share our results with any and all stakeholders - and therefore reduce independent and standalone surveys that otherwise are going on with stakeholders. Workplaces have "survey fatigue". Our technology enables them to meet stakeholder requirements and stop all the surveys because our platform delivers data 365 days per year. So there will be data available for any reporting cycle that any stakeholder might have.

We ask workers using our AsktheWorkers app to tell us how they are treated. Of course, sometimes workers can be put under pressure by management to give positive answers - we call this "coaching". But our system is "all-the-workers", "all-the-time" and "real-time". It is not a survey and it is not based on a sample. We normally expect to see between 10% and 40% of workers regularly responding to us. We apply statistical modelling to these large datasets, and this enables us to detect random or artificial response patterns. Moreover, the extent to which we see such patterns in the data also informs us as to how workers are treated (ie: workplaces that show high levels of artificial response patterns are concerning immediately). So we can tell if workers are put under pressure to give false answers - and this is reflected in the analysis that our system automatically generates. We also do ask workers directly if they are being coached.

Here is an example where workers flagged that sick pay was being not being paid, a position that the workplace then corrected itself (it could see the data and knew that one of its key customers could also see the data): Here is another example where the base code (working hours are not excessive) shows a significant dip, which, on investigation, can be traced back to forced overtime in the factory to meet a pressing work order: It is interesting in the above chart that there is also feedback emerging suddenly on worker representation - suggesting that this topic has been raised with push back from the workplace, perhaps triggered alongside the longer working hours that were required. Here is a serious example within a workplace that has a substantial number of foreign migrant workers ("FMWs"). The app was rolled out initially to local workers, with FMWs only being added recently - and here are three specific issues that immediately become apparent, including that workers face penalties if they leave and that there is a material level of "coaching" in relation to the usage of the AsktheWorkers app. These are matters that will require some detailed discussion between the stakeholder and workplace - and this lies ahead of the time period reported here:

Major UK retailers have deployed the AsktheWorkers platform into their food and non-food supply chains. This includes implementations across factories ranging in size from 250 workers to 5000 workers and across many countries. 1000s of workers are using the app daily to report on their treatment, using the app in around 15 languages. Around 50,000 workers are already covered by the app (November 2024). Our dashboards and analytical environments are being used on a daily basis to monitor worker treatment with regular issues being surfaced and addressed, typically by workplaces spotting the feedback and self-remedying. Specific real-world examples can be provided on request.

No system is foolproof. All we can do is make it difficult for data to be influenced without detection. And we do that. Our statistical models are used to categorise workers based on the behaviour with the AsktheWorkers technology into six worker "types". We look at how workers are using the app to detect random patterns, artificially high or low patterns, and response patterns that are unnatural. These are easy to see in the data and it is very difficult for outside influences to get involved in responses without causing statistical anomalies to appear in the data. Moreover, with all-the-workers, all-the-time on the app, we usually still have a statistically significant portion of the workforce answering authentically. We make it challenging for workplaces to influence the results without detection.

Yes Social audits are widely understood to have issues and to play only a limited role in assessing how workers are treated. Audits happen infrequently and, as any auditor might say, "factories always smell of fresh paint". Moreover, many audits are arranged and paid for by the workplace itself - a clear conflict of interest. Implementing AsktheWorkers will not guarantee that workers are treated better and there are a number of issues about which workers are not qualified to comment - for example, whether buildings themselves are safe. A worker might feel safe, but that's not the same as the worker actually being safe. The good news is that scope and frequency of social audits can be reduced when AsktheWorkers is used.

This is a good question and very relevant to the validity of the AsktheWorkers platform and the data that it collects. Not all workers will have smart phones, and workers (today) need a smart phone to access the AsktheWorkers app in order to give their personal feedback. But, the penetration of smart phones into worker populations is increasing dramatically. Whereas 3 years' ago, we might find that only 40% of a workforce has a smart phone personally, today this percentage can easily be 80%+. Moreover, one of the main groups that requires protection are migrant workers - and here adoption rates are much higher simply because the smart phone is an important, local language link back to home. AsktheWorkers can be run on tablets, and workers can access any smartphone (logging in, and then logging out). Many workplaces provide cheap communal tablets (low powered Android tablets - costing $50 for example). And these are available in food halls and meeting places so that all workers have the opportunity to provide feedback.

It is always important to review the findings of the AsktheWorkers platform in context. There will be statistical bias in the data and what that might be will vary from one implementation to another. For example, only workers with access to the app can provide feedback. This means that workers without acces to smart phones or without access to a communal tablet cannot participate. And whilst this might be a relatively small cohort of workers, they might also be vulnerable. There are also cultural issues at work - ultimately this goes to trust in the platform and whether or not a worker is comfortable using the app, and comfortable answering truthfully. This can vary across worker populations that encompass different nationalities and employment modes (eg: migrant workers versus domestic workers). All this means that interpreting the results of the technology does require attention and focus in order to question the data appropriately before drawing conclusions.

Technology, by itself, is not enough. AsktheWorkers has to be part of a bigger strategy that includes communication with workers, workplaces, stakeholders and consumers about what good looks like and what is not acceptable. It is one thing to find out about what is going on, it is another matter to use that information wisely to achieve positive results. But implementing technology like AsktheWorkers in order to deliver "authentic transparency" is a necessary condition for change.

Ultimately there is a simple principle: "if you can't measure it, you can't manage it". - AsktheWorkers measures how workers are treated, all-the-workers, all-the-time. - With the platform in place and running continuously, management of how workers are treated becomes possible. There are two key drivers of change which the AsktheWorkers technology brings to a new level (compared to existing approaches based on surveys and social audits). 1) Delivering authentic transparency Existing approaches (social audit, surveys) generally fail to capture what is actually going on because: - Supplier management can influence results through coaching. With small samples of workers involved and only for a short period of time, it is quite easy for management to get involved behind the scenes to make sure that positive findings are delivered. - A large proportion of the findings are delivered by management itself - "marking its own homework". In other words, the findings are not independent as there is a high reliance on self-assessment by the supplier itself. - Workers are scared about confidentiality - with only small numbers of workers being surveyed, it becomes much easier for supplier management to detect who is saying what, which means workers can be reluctant to tell the truth. AsktheWorkers breaks this cycle by engaging with all-the-workers, all-the-time. With large amounts of data coming through, individual workers can be much more confident in their answers. Moreover, they can use the AsktheWorkers app when they are not at work. Privacy and confidentiality are important to obtain authenticity. And then, with continuous access to all the workers, it becomes much more difficult for management to influence results - we do truly hear what workers are saying. 2) Stakeholder leverage It is one thing to hear truthfully what is going on - it is another thing then for something to change. Here is where outside powers are important, including: - customers of the workplace who have leverage because of their buying power - NGOs and foundations who have influence, experience and the ability to bring in the authorities where needed - unions and worker representatives who can enable worker voices to be clearly heard by industry And this is what the AsktheWorkers platform achieves. By aggregating the data from the workers and making it directly available to stakeholders, pressure is brought on workplaces to live by the policies that they sign up to. The evidence is that workplaces self-remediate most of the time. Since they also see the data - and they know that their stakeholders are seeing it - workplaces step in and resolve issues as soon as they appear without stakeholders having to do anything.

ES3G Limited is our company name, AsktheWorkers is the name of our platform. ES3G was founded by a team of technology and finance people in the UK who specialise in cross-border supply chains and cross-border trade. Having worked with 100s of factories and suppliers in emerging markets, we realised that a great amount of investment was going into social and human capital but also that little return was being generated. This is principally because the existing due diligence tools are not effective. AsktheWorkers is a technology platform that has three components: - An app which workers use to tell us how they are being treated - A operational dashboard which workplaces and stakeholders use to manage the data flowing and review results. It also includes our "advisory panel" for stakeholders which provides guidance on what to do if workers are reporting issues. - An analytical environment (beta) which enables the massive data sets that we generate to be properly assessed over time.

Today our platform is free for workplaces. Depending on arrangements with stakeholders, workplaces may contribute to prize draws. This does make sense because workplaces get a significant benefit from using the AsktheWorkers platform: 1) Our app is typically used by workers when they are not at work - there is no disruption to production. 2) The app is continuous so set up is once - and then it just runs. This is not a survey where, each time, there is a set up process, result cycle, remediation cycle and then stop - starting again from scratch each time. 3) Workplaces can share our results with any and all stakeholders - and therefore reduce independent and standalone surveys that otherwise are going on with stakeholders. Workplaces have "survey fatigue". Our technology enables them to meet stakeholder requirements and stop all the surveys because our platform delivers data 365 days per year. So there will be data available for any reporting cycle that any stakeholder might have.

Data protection laws are almost universal now, and can generally be expected to apply to the data that we collect from workers. It is important to note that we never know a worker's name, email address or mobile phone number, and we have no means to identify a worker as an individual. Notwithstanding that, data protection laws are widely drafted and we operate on the assumption that they apply to the data that we collect. So this means that we have a duty of care to the workers to ensure that their data is protected and is not used for inappropriate or un-consented activities. And we give those guarantees in our legal agreements and we accept and adopt those responsibilities as a formal matter. Under the European and UK implementations of the GDPR, we also subscribe to all of the required "rights" that data subjects have in relation to data that they might provide to third parties. Whilst this is a technical subject and there are important details that need to be checked and considered, we are confident that we observe all the required data protection laws that might apply to the data that we collect, analyse and hold - and any questions in this regard can be addressed to legal@es3g.com.

As with any software product, there are terms and conditions that you accept when you use the product. These are standard and can be provided on request. There is no upfront licence fee, just a usage fee - and only stakeholders pay (free for workplaces, free for workers). We also normally ask that participating workplaces and stakeholders sign up to our "charter" which sets out, for the benefit of workers and everyone, what is going on and why. The charter is a simple 1 page document.

Yes, completely free.

There is increasing regulatory, legal and stakeholder pressure on companies to do better with their own workers, and to take responsibility for workers in their supply chains. This is a serious topic. A few years' ago, it was probably not high on the agenda. Today it is a top three item in board rooms around the world - and it should be. But, we understand that businesses do not like to spend money unless there is a clear return. Whilst lawmakers and regulators are starting to force companies to spend money on human rights due diligence, it is much better if we can find a way to make this happen voluntarily. And the way to do that is to devise a low cost, simple and massively scalable product that uses technology to deliver the results. So that's what we have done. We have identified that most companies are willing to spend US$10 per month per workplace in order to find out how workers are being treated and we have designed our platform to deliver authentic and comprehensive results at this price point. This is all-the-workers, all-the-time and all-the-suppliers. This means the whole supply chain not just workplaces that are causing a concern. Our system is very simple to install in a workplace or across the whole of a global supply chain. There is no consulting work, no implementation charge, no decisions to make. This is a product. Simply sign up, switch on, data flows, computers crunch the numbers and results appear.