Last year, we got an interesting inquiry.

Client: a manufacturing company

Target group: the shop floor staff.

And the task? “We need to boost empathy among our workers.”

Really?

In an environment that’s heavily performance-driven, where each step in the process has a clear definition and timeline…

Empathy?

“We’re struggling with staffing. Hiring is costly, and new hires often leave within 3 months due to the demanding operations. Even after initial training, their peers lack patience to further train them on-the-job, which frustrates everyone involved. We want our seasoned staff to empathize with newcomers, understand their challenges, and help with retention.”

So, really. But how?

It had to be simple and quick, a workshop lasting max 6 hours & including the basics of feedback.
We started brainstorming. We needed an activity that’s easily executable, fun (but not too much), forcing them to learn something hands-on, new, and challenging enough.
We tested tons of ideas. Building a robot model / skipping ropes / cooking… but it just wasn’t quite right.

Then it hit us. We’ll be darning socks. Are you thinking that’s mad? You are right, It is. And to be honest, we were a bit nervous.

But it was amazing. And it did exactly what we needed. We created an intense experience, stepping out of the comfort zone, a touch of laughter, and a clear understanding of what it feels like to learn something entirely new. What helps us in the process and what does not.

The workshop had a broader script, and the “socks” fit right in. The guys might not remember the principles of feedback (that takes more than a few minutes in a workshop), but they do remember how it felt when they were trying to fix the hole in a sock.. 😊