Day 4-5 – Onboard express and a little culture shock

In our pre-departure training we are told that culture shock is a funny thing – it can hit you the moment you get off the plane (which it did for me in Dubai), or, more likely, it will hit you a few days in, when you least expect it, once the initial excitement has worn off. But it will hit you. And so I’ve been biding my time, waiting, and sure enough, it showed up mid-way through week one.

One of the challenges with Leave for Change is that 3 weeks is a very short time. As a result, you need to get off the plane, recover from jetlag, learn a new neighborhood (where is the closest grocery store, how do I get to and from work), learn how to communicate in a different language, learn what foods to eat, and most importantly, learn about your partner organization and the gaps they are hoping you will fill. All in the first few days. After that, the rest of the week is spent on further discovery and planning what exactly you can do to make a difference in such a short time.

And so I found myself suffering from motion sickness (from riding in cars here – the traffic is next level; also thankfully now resolved after a quick trip to the pharmacy), facing a panel of senior leaders telling me excited they are for me to teach them all about change management (great! I can do this!) and help them develop an HR employee engagement plan (ok… not quite what I was expecting, but I can still do this). Again, pre-departue Leave for Change volunteers are told their mandate may change before they arrive and not to be surprised if it’s totally different than expected. So I was expecting this. But also, not quite this.

One of the invaluable parts of my onboarding at MAS was the opportunity to visit one of their garment plants, which focuses primarily on undergarments for brands such as Victoria’s Secret, Calvin Klein and the Gap, amoung others.

I had a bit of trepidation – we’ve all heard horror stories of textile factories – but I was pleasantly… shocked.

MAS is a leading, international garment company , and one that maybe would not usually qualify for Leave for Change support, except, they are an industry leader. Changes made, and standards held, by them trickle down through the sector. Which is exactly why change at this level is so important. And they have made giant strides in changing.

When I walked onto the plant floor, I saw 4,000 individuals (primarily women) working meticulously to hand-sew every part of a bra. But I also saw them smiling, chatting, standing (on ergonomic pads) and moving. I saw employee recognition boards showcasing the numerous skills each had mastered (at the on-site training school), a cafeteria where breakfast is free and scheduled tea and lunch breaks provide affordable food for purchase, lines of shuttle buses which provide employees free transport to and from work, a courtyard marketplace where employees are encouraged to sell their handiwork , a “local” (to the plant) radio station to provide music to work to and other entertainment, as well as regular “movement minute” exercise breaks to encourage stretching.

I’ve learned in Sri Lanka, a garment plant is often a women’s last chance at employment before looking for work as a house maid in the middle east, and risking exposure to human trafficking through the “agencies” who claim to broker these jobs. MAS knows these jobs are none of their employees first choices, but they strive to make them jobs to be proud of nonetheless. In addition, upward mobility is important at MAS and something they are working to make more accessible as part of their employee engagement plan (the one they’ve asked me to prepare).

What really struck me about this visit was the amount of effort and resources that go into making a single piece of clothing. Clothing that, too often, is considered “disposable”.

(Perhaps surprisingly for a garment manufacturer) MAS has a guideline that no one should own more than 10 pieces of clothing. Though they tell me (some, but not many) allowances can be made for us in Canada, since we have to contend with winter. 10 pieces. Total. I think I have more than that in my suitcase for this trip.

Their belief is that if we are more mindful of the resources that go into our clothing, we will take better care, there will be less waste, and the environmental toll of garment manufacturing can be greatly reduced. From a business perspective of course, garments which are considered “investment pieces” rather than “disposable” command a greater price.

Sri Lankans live with less – less space, less options, less public services, and less “things” – than we do at home and my first week has certainly given me a fresh perspective on just how much we tend to consume. And I’ll certainly look at my bras much differently from now on.