Detecting serious problems others may miss: Electronics Watch monitoring partners are located near workers' communities and have or work to develop relationships of trust with workers. They are able to meet with them in conditions that minimize their fear of reprisals. Workers therefore often report problems to them that they may not discuss with social auditors they may never have met before.

Timeliness: Electronics Watch monitoring partners are on the ground, near workers’ communities, every day all year, so can quickly respond when workers report a problem, and keep monitoring over time.

Expertise: Electronics Watch monitoring partners must have expertise in several of the following areas: international, regional and national labour law; labour issues in the electronics industry; occupational health and safety; audits of financial and personnel records; worker interviewing; gender sensitivity; operating independent hotlines or complaint mechanisms; and following up on worker complaints.

Independence: Electronics Watch monitoring partners have no industry representatives involved in decision-making that could create a conflict of interest. Monitoring partners are independent labour rights experts, committed to evidence based findings.

Sustainable solutions: Finding ways to strengthen workers’ collective voices to redress and prevent further violations while engaging employers and brands is an indispensable part of the monitoring process. The more secure workers are in reporting problems and engaging management in problem solving the more thorough and sustainable workplace improvements will be. This approach supports companies that seek to move “beyond auditing” to improve conditions in supplier factories.