The Positive Impact of an In-Factory Line Manager Training

Brands with supply chain factories based in China are experiencing all sorts of challenges: 

• Less than 20% of young factory workers feel hopeful about their future

• Close to half of the workers in electronics factories are under 26

• Factories report high turnover rates and difficulty retaining young workers

All these issues affect the factory. While there is a myriad of reasons contributing to the above facts, we have found that equipping line managers with the necessary knowledge and skills to tackle the above issues can positively impact the workforce, the factory management and ultimately, the brand/buyer.

From June to July 2015, The Centre conducted 30 training sessions at six major electronics factories in China on behalf of a client. The sessions included The Centre's line manager, parent worker and young worker trainings and directly benefited 1,075 workers. Focusing on communication and team mobilisation skills, the line manager training supports frontline managers to improve cooperation and reduce worker grievances on the factory floor or production area. Trainings apply a "learning by doing" approach, with trainers leading participants through real-life situations that facilitate discussions on their concerns/doubts and solutions/best practices under such situations.

The impact of the line manager training

Prior to the trainings, we asked participants to fill in a pre-training survey. 

The results on the right speak for themselves. But let’s also see what a participant had to say:

“Because I’m so young, I used to be afraid of praising or criticising the workers on my production line. Now after this training, I know that a good job deserves recognition, and lousy work should be corrected properly,” a young line manager aged 22. 

China is changing and factories across the country are struggling to recruit and hold on to loyal, motivated workers. Without some sort of support or incentives, worker recruitment and retention is only going to get more difficult. The above case study is just one small example of how factories can easily show support and benefit from the results.

Read more about The Centre's various training programmes in our services section.