Erika

Seamstress

Occupation: Seamstress
Location: Marijampolė, Lithuania

Time has double the value

For Erika, working efficiently means having more spare time, which is hugely valuable. There is not really any simple and clear-cut explanation for it. However, the fact is that 39-year-old Erika has a huge talent as a seamstress and performs best behind the well evolved “flatlock” sewing machine. An efficiency index of 160% and a margin of error close to 0% speaks for itself. However, she has a hard time believing this herself.

‘It’s just the way it is. It might be because my mother raised me to do everything quickly and efficiently, and doing so gives me some kind of satisfaction,’ says Erika.

Erika also finds our daytime working hours, from 7am to 4 pm, satisfying. 12 years ago, DILLING decided to build more space to house the sewing machines. This made it possible to get rid of the two-shift work pattern to ensure our employees got more time to spend with their families.

I’m proud to work on the fabrics I do. I was also proud of it when I worked both during the day and the night. Now I only work during the day which makes me even happier because it gives me the opportunity to spend more time with my 9-year-old son during the afternoon.

Erika

Being more efficient also means more money is earnt. Erika uses this extra money to help create a better life for her and her son. The salary helps pay for freedom by allowing Erika to buy a car which she can drive to different places on the weekends. It also allows her to save up for a plane ticket to London to visit her 21-year-old daughter.

‘My daughter did not want to stay in Lithuania and work on fabric. Instead, she chose to live in England and work as a cleaning assistant. I tried to raise her to work and live as efficiently as my mother raised me to do, but she is of a different generation and wants different things.’

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