Our Vision
We believe in a sustainable economy that works for all of us.
We believe that workers must thrive for new economies to thrive. That the future of technology and the future of work are bound together. That at its best, technology strengthens our humanity and our connectedness. We envision a future of work in which we solve for equity as well as efficiency. We believe we can create this future together.
About the NDWA
The National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) is the nation’s leading voice for dignity and fairness for the millions of domestic workers in the United States. Since 2007, we have been working for the respect, recognition, and inclusion in labor protections for domestic workers.
Over the last few years, we have seen domestic work shift online to marketplaces and the on-demand economy. The abundance of platforms on which domestic workers could find work led to our target population and the on-demand economy workforce beginning to overlap. Increasingly, the on-demand workforce mirrors the symptoms of an unprotected class of workers, challenges that domestic workers have struggled with for decades.
Our goal is to advance an overarching framework that guides us in creating a new economy that works for all of us. Together, we are creating a movement to ensure that as we create the future of work, we are solving for equity as well as efficiency. To learn more about joining our effort, please contact us.
JOIN US!
Building a movement for good work
in the online economy.
The online economy is disrupting the way we work. As we shop or order services online, someone at the other end of our “click” delivers our order, gives us a ride, or cleans our home. As work shifts online - whether to an app or a platform - we have an opportunity to shape the future of work to be good work.
We believe creating good work is our common goal. Work that is good for workers, the engine of the online economy. Work that is good for business, by investing in the economy’s sustainability. Together, we can solve for efficiency and equity.
We believe these 8 values are the foundation of Good Work. As we imagine new ways of working, let’s imagine how we code these values into the DNA of the online economy.
We are all at our best when our schedules allow us to balance work and life.
The Code
Good Work is built on the foundation
of these 8 values.
If we could create the future of work that we want for ourselves, what would it look like? It would always be safe. It would be flexible around our lives but stable enough to support them. We would have transparency into how it worked and we would share in its prosperity. We would be heard, we would be supported, we would have room to grow and we would be paid fairly. It’s simple, really. It’s Good Work.
1
Good work allows workers to start a shift undeterred by fear that they may be harmed. Everyone deserves to be safe at work, always.
2
Good work is made possible when workers are not anxious about making an unexpected doctor’s appointment or making enough money to pay the bills. Everyone deserves a stable — but flexible — schedule to help balance work and life.
3
Good work clears the way for workers to do a good job by being transparent about requirements, performance and the rules. And that makes good business sense too.
4
Good work rewards workers, who are the engine powering the business. When the platform thrives, they should thrive too.
5
Good work provides a living. That’s why we work — to live.
6
Good work recognizes that the value of the worker extends beyond performing a task. Everyone is more successful when workers are valued as part of the team.
7
We all work better when we don’t feel isolated and alone. Good work supports us to adapt and manage in a rapidly changing economy.
8
Good work provides opportunity for the most fundamental human need: to grow. All workers deserve to grow and learn at work as they do in other areas of their life.
We want to collaborate with companies that rely on an online workforce. Together we can create a Good Work Code for the online economy.
Palak leads NDWA’s experimental and market-based approaches to improve working conditions, services and employment opportunities for online workers. Palak has led the NDWA’s introduction into the on-demand economy, and is driving forward the organization’s collaboration with silicon valley leaders. Most recently, Palak presented at TEDx: MidAtlantic on this topic, titled “Who Gets to Decide the Future of Work.”
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“The future of technology and the future of work are inextricably bound. The DNA of the new economy is still being written. Let’s write it in a way that prioritizes our values most.”
Time to Build a Movement for Good Work
@ Medium.com
Press
“Last week marked an important step forward as the NDWA unveiled the Good Work Code, a new initiative to promote good work in the online economy and change the conversation about labor in the 21st Century.”
“But a consensus appears to be building that treating your workers terribly is not necessarily a sign of success or realism. It’s just bad business.”
“We think Silicon Valley has done a brilliant job in solving our convenience and efficiency challenges,” said Palak Shah, social innovations director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance. “But now we think there is a way to solve for equity.”
“We did a whole round of innovation to solve for efficiency and convenience. Let’s now do a round of innovation for solving for equity and derivatives of equity.”
“Now momentum is building for broad-based nationwide efforts to improve the lives of independent workers.”
“Shah, who serves as social innovations director for the workers’ group, believes the growing use of employees is part of a broader shift taking place in the on-demand economy. “I think what’s really happening is a larger shift toward focusing on workers, and this is just one way that it’s taken root,” Shah said.”
Ibtimes.com
“Palak Shah, the social innovations director at the National Domestic Workers Alliance, is trying to help service platforms like Alfred and Honor provide jobs that provide stability and solid pay through emphasizing the value that qualified, dedicated workers provide.”
Wasingtonpost.com
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