"Bata was the first to offer free meals for overtime and to implement a five-day working week when a six-day week was the norm. They even started the working week on a Wednesday."
"The firm’s paternalistic approach raises an obvious question: how much of it was driven by social concern, and how much by the practical need to maintain a healthy, productive workforce."
"Bata-ville was unapologetically modernist, with the huge shoe factory dominating the landscape, and it came with all the modern amenities a new town would expect, from social to religious, to healthcare and education."
"Although the exhibition is a tad hagiographic, it is not slavishly so, in lauding the Bata philosophy, which was forward-thinking in promoting the health and well-being of its employees."
Bata shoe company, founded in 1894 by Tomáš Baťa, expanded rapidly and established a factory in East Tilbury in 1932. This factory was part of a modernist town, providing various amenities for employees. The company promoted health and well-being through mandatory healthcare and pensions, free meals for overtime, and a five-day work week. While the paternalistic approach raised questions about motivations, Bata's model offered better conditions than many contemporary employers. An exhibition in London showcases the company's history and its original Bata-villes in the Czech Republic.
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