CSR in practice: How Hydrowear gives workers in India a greater voice through Project Salahe

A safe workplace starts with listening

Hydrowear develops workwear for people who deliver top performance every day in demanding environments. But real protection goes beyond the product. The workers who make our clothing deserve a working environment that is safe, fair, and people-oriented.

That is why we invest in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at every possible level of our chain. A striking example is Project Salahe, carried out at one of our manufacturers in India in collaboration with Inosculation Hub (InHub).

The challenge: little say, more risk

In many clothing factories and production locations worldwide, workers have limited means to make their voices heard or to suggest improvements. This can lead to a lack of engagement. By actively involving workers in decisions about their workplace, they feel heard and are given the opportunity to implement sustainable improvements together with management. To achieve this, we started Project Salahe.

Salahe: from suggestion to systemic change

“Salahe” means suggestion in Kannada, a South Indian language. A fitting name: this program gave more than 318 employees (77% of whom were women) the tools, training, and space to turn their ideas, concerns, and wishes into concrete changes.

The project consisted of:

1. Raising awareness among all employees

In sessions, employees learned about their rights, HR policy, and how they could actively contribute to improving their workplace.

2. Capacity building among workers and managers

Managers, HR staff, and worker committees were trained in communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution.

3. Future-oriented collaboration

The process ended with a joint workshop in which employees and management drew up a long-term plan.

Games as a bridge between voice and change

A unique element of Salahe was the use of games and interactive training. A playful approach makes complex topics accessible and understandable. This not only ensured more interaction and engagement, but also created a safe environment in which workers felt free to share their opinions.

Through games, employees learned how to make suggestions, what their rights are, and how they can work with their managers to create a better workplace. This strengthened their confidence in the process and gave them the feeling that their voice really matters.

The results: lasting impact on the workplace

The project and approach led to structural changes, including:

• Setting up and training employee committees with clear roles and responsibilities.
• Improving internal complaint mechanisms, making it easier for employees to raise and resolve issues.
• Implementation of an ideas and suggestions box, which allows employees to submit suggestions for improvement in an accessible way.
• Training managers in how to communicate better with employees and incorporate their suggestions into policy and strategy.
• A policy has been drawn up with rules to ensure the social safety of workers and managers.

The future of the Salahe project

The project consists of several phases, the fourth of which has recently been completed. The next step is to evaluate how the changes will hold up in the long term and how the process can be further improved. All suggestions from all levels have been heard and a concrete long-term action plan has been drawn up based on these. Some of the actions that will follow are:

• Repeatedly training employees in the four different committees to strengthen their skills in representing the voice of the employee.
• Setting up childcare facilities to look after employees' children when their families are unable to do so, as is usually the case.
• Improving the career development policy to prevent any form of nepotism.

Through Salahe, we continue to work towards a work culture in which everyone is heard. Because a better workplace starts with listening to the people who work there.