Measuring worker welfare in spinning mills

What is shaping textile

Textiles run from handloom weavers and spinning mills to garment exporters and retail brands. Buyers demand quality, compliance and speed; workers and artisans need fair, stable livelihoods.

• International buyers expect compliance and traceability
• Handloom and artisan programmes support livelihoods
• Fabric preferences change with fashion and climate

A textile manufacturer, working in Tamil Nadu. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.

Organisation

A textile manufacturer

Sector

Textile

Team engaged

Market Research

Services

Quantitative research, Qualitative research, Reporting & insights

International buyers increasingly asked for evidence of fair working conditions, including for young women workers living in mill hostels. The manufacturer wanted an independent view of welfare and grievances.

• Deliver on the brief: measuring worker welfare in spinning mills.
• Understand the views, needs and behaviour of workers.
• Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
• Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.

The work focused on 1,500 workers.

• workers1,500

Audiences we typically reach in textile

Weavers and artisansMill and factory workersGarment exportersInternational and domestic buyersFabric retailers

Coverage: Tamil Nadu. Market: India.

• India

A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.

1. 1Brief
2. 2Anonymous worker survey
3. 3Hostel visits
4. 4Worker discussions
5. 5Insight

Women researchers conducted anonymous surveys and discussions with workers, covering wages, hours, accommodation, safety, grievance mechanisms and freedom of movement, away from supervisors. Hostel facilities were assessed against a checklist. Sessions were held during break times in private rooms, and workers could choose to answer on tablets in Tamil, Hindi or Odia without anyone watching their screens.

Quantitative researchQualitative researchReporting & insights

workers

1,500

• Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.

• Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.

• Recordings and transcripts for every session
• Re-screening of qualitative recruits
• Logic and range checks on the final data
• Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures

• Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
• Significance testing on the differences that mattered
• Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
• Journey and decision mapping

• Workers were generally satisfied with wages but raised concerns about hostel curfews and the grievance process.
• A follow-up survey after a year was agreed with buyers to show whether the changes had made a difference to workers.

Same-gender researchers and private settings were essential for honest answers.

• Build on the core insight: same-gender researchers and private settings were essential for honest answers.
• Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: workers were generally satisfied with wages but raised concerns about hostel curfews and the grievance process.
• Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.

• The manufacturer revised hostel rules, set up an independent grievance helpline and shared results with buyers.

What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.

• Insight report and management presentation
• Cleaned data file and data tables
• Interview summaries and key verbatims

• Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
• A natural follow-on question: which fabrics are customers moving towards?