Better Work Jordan (BWJ) is a partnership between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The ILO flagship program brings together stakeholders from all levels of the global garment manufacturing industry to improve working conditions, enhance respect for labor rights, and boost competitiveness. Better Work Jordan was established in 2008 at the request of the Government of Jordan (GoJ) and the United States (US) government
The Better Work Jordan program is mandatory for garment factories that export to the US under the US-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. Better Work Jordan covers an estimated 95 percent of garment workers in Jordan, as the vast majority of garment-sector employment comes from factories that export to the US. Starting in 2010, The program’s mandatory status, enabled the program to access the entire garment-exporting sector and work with both workers and managers in the factories to promote decent working conditions. Since then, factories have made significant improvements in terms of working conditions and compliance with labor standards.
The garment industry in Jordan has seen significant growth in the last ten years. The total exports in 2021 are USD 1.8 billion. Around 62,000 workers were employed in the exporting garment sector in 2021. Migrant workers make up three-quarters of the workforce. These workers, primarily from South Asia, typically work in Jordan for a contract of two to three years, which can be extended. Bangladeshis are the largest group of workers (over 50 percent of migrant workers), and there are also workers from India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Myanmar. Jordanian workers make up the remaining 25 percent of the workforce. The majority of workers are women – nearly 75 percent of the production workforce – whereas the majority of management positions are held by men.
Mental well-being is the key to a healthy work environment. Sports can play an important role in improving mental well-being. Integrating sports into the workplace can not only improve mental health but also productivity at work. Sports can include a variety of activities, such as badminton, football, table tennis, cycling, swimming and team games such as a skipping race, a wheelbarrow race and an Indian game called ‘Kho-Kho.’
Mental health problems pose a major threat to employees’ well-being. Mental health issues were on the rise during the last 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is extremely important to get the body moving to improve employee mental health.
Engaging in any physical activity or sport can improve your mental health even in the face of life stressors.
Just participating in sports has been shown to decrease feelings of loneliness, depression, and anxiety while increasing feelings of self-esteem and social connectedness. Also, it decreases the rates of major depressive episodes, suicidal thoughts or attempts, and social isolation.
Sports help employees contribute to better productivity at the workplace. Physical activity is linked to improved team function and cohesion, reduced sickness expenses, and better performance.
Sleep quality and fatigue are alleviated by physical activity. Exercise also energizes and provides momentum. Studies show that such benefits are experienced by professionals across industries.
Exercises that contribute the most to productivity are walking, low-intensity aerobic activity, yoga, and strength training. Walking boosts creativity in 81% of workers. Yoga improves coping mechanisms and can be revitalizing. Strength training is associated with better brain functioning
Having healthy mental well-being is to have a healthy environment as well. Overall, it has been seen that poor mental health can negatively affect employees’ job performance, health, and productivity.
The overall objective of this consultancy is to facilitate sports engagement with workers in the garment sector.A garment workers-friendly sports playbook will be developed and used in facilitating and orienting the worker in the garment sector and its application. This should include entry points (understanding needs), idea/s creation, modeling, prototyping, iteration and repetition of the cycle.
The consultant will be responsible for the following:
Deliverables: Sports playbook contextualize for workers in the garment sector (English and Arabic)
The Excoll (external collaborator) needs to have the following perquisites:
Full details can be found from here.
All proposals must be received by email to jordan@betterwork.org no later than the 06th of August 2022m titled “Sports for Mental Health”
The proposal must include (this consultancy is open for individuals):