Impact of colour on worker productivity and satisfaction in the garment industry: a case study implemented in awissawella, Sri Lanka

Abstract

Attracting workforce to Sri Lanka’s current apparel industry has become quite a challenge. Absenteeism and labour turn over have been recognized as critical factors on productivity of workers and consistent quality of the products. Accordingly, identifying strategies to enhance job satisfaction, performance and productivity of workforce is vital for the sustenance of the industry. In view of this, the current investigation investigates the potential of colour, being an established psychophysiological agent to enhance worker satisfaction and productivity. A sample of female machine operators (n = 30, age – 25 - 60) of a garment factory in Awissawella, Sri Lanka was tested during a period of four weeks via a mixed method. Colour of the internal walls of the factory space was changed on a weekly basis to record the level of satisfaction and productivity induced by each colour. Existing wall colour (pink) was replaced initially by blue (a cool colour) and secondly red (a warm colour) followed by white (a neutral colour) using coloured fabric. Employees rated their level of satisfaction and productivity via a questionnaire survey while the records of their productivity were obtained from the administration. The study substantiated the impact of colour to manipulate worker satisfaction and productivity. Most employees (77%) were satisfied to work in the blue interior while 73% of employees were dissatisfied in the red interior. 50% of workers were satisfied with white interior while 24% employees were dissatisfied. However, Red interior was found to maintain an average worker productivity of 70% compared to the existing productivity level of 63% with the pink interior. Average productivity induced by blue and white interiors were 65.4% and 56% respectively. Accordingly, red was found to improve productivity over blue and white though many employees were dissatisfied regarding the presence of red in the interior. It is recommended to extend this study seeking the favourable quantity, proportion or the percentage of colour red that needs to be incorporated in an interior to increase productivity of employees while being satisfied. Testing the combined impacts of red (warm) and blue (cool) hues and their corresponding proportions for an environment where employees are equally productive and satisfied can be another aspect to investigate.