Exec Summary
Evergreen Fibreboard Berhad (EFB) is a leading manufacturer of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) based in Malaysia with migrant workers representing 24% of their workforce. Their 14% voluntary resignation rate and productivity levels were something they were looking to address. The company faced challenges in effectively communicating crucial information regarding job vacancies, fee-free recruitment processes, and working conditions to prospective migrant workers pre-departure. Previous reliance on third-party recruiters led to misinformation and worker dissatisfaction.
To address these issues, EFB partnered with Just Good Work to communicate their recruitment process both pre-departure and in work to a cohort of Nepali workers. The immediate impact of using Just Good Work for these Nepalese workers included:
- A drastic reduction in voluntary resignations, from 14% to 0.75%, significantly lowering recruitment costs
- Improved worker motivation and productivity, leading to higher engagement and output
The platform ensured transparency, fostered trust, and improved the onboarding experience for migrant workers at Evergreen, benefiting both the company and its employees.
Target Group
- Migrant Nepalese workers travelling to jobs in Evergreen’s production team
- Recruitment agencies sourcing Evergreen workers in Nepal
Context
Evergreen Fibreboard Berhad (EFB) is a prominent player in the manufacturing industry, specializing in the production of medium-density fiberboard (MDF) and other panel boards. Founded in 1991, the company has grown into a multinational corporation with operations in Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia. Just over a quarter of their Malaysian workforce comprise of migrant workers coming from Nepal, Bangladesh, India & Indonesia.
N.A. Pagan
Evergreen HR ManagerPrevious to engaging Just Good Work’s platform, Evergreen had been using printed materials and third parties to communicate with their migrant workforce pre-departure which had created a few challenges:
- Reliance on third party recruiters posed the risk of jobseekers being fed incorrect or partial information, potentially leading to debt bondage through the payment of false recruitment fees.
- Workers were not as well informed as they could be pre-departure on details of the job they were coming to; their living and working conditions; their rights and responsibilities within the recruitment and employment process and the cultural context of life in Malaysia. This, in turn, led to:
- Staff voluntary turnover up to 14%
- Poor productivity and de-motivated workers
There was a need for Evergreen to close the communication gap and ensure validity and consistency. HR Manager N.A. Pagan was introduced to FiftyEight’s Just Good Work platform in 2019 by the head of CSR at one of their corporate buyers The Very Group in the UK as a dynamic way to give recruiters and workers a true picture of work and life at the Evergreen workplace in Malaysia.
Our Solution
Just Good Work developed a customised work portal with audio-visual Information available in the native language of jobseekers for Evergreen to push out to their recruiters and prospective workforce in Nepal. This included:
- Pre-departure roadmap and requirements for travel to Malaysia to work for Evergreen without paying recruitment fees
- Key audio-visual information on the job requirements in the workplace, overview of the Evergreen manufacturing setting and living quarters for workers
- Cultural orientation on life and work in Malaysia including climate, cultural & religious life
N. A Pagan
Evergreen HR ManagerImpact
After the roll out of Just Good Work to Nepalese workers pre-departure, the difference in the overall experience of the new cohort of workers and the Evergreen workplace was immediate:
- Reduction in voluntary resignations post arrival from 14% to just 0.75% reducing recruitment costs for Evergreen.
- Higher level of motivation and engagement from the beginning, leading to higher productivity and output.
We monitored the engagement level of the latest cohort of workers against the earlier cohorts and we found that they are more motivated and record full attendance. When they came to Malaysia, workers saw what they expected. Recruiters will now say to workers “If you find anything different from what’s shown on the app, come back to us.”
