TECH ROUND UP
Technology brings to life people rendered faceless by their jobs
have informed a lot of our thinking at SweepSouth. Unlike traditional cleaning services, our SweepStars aren’t anonymous “helpers” or “cleaners”.
When you book a cleaning session, we always give you your SweepStar name and a professional profile picture, as well as a bio that details hobbies, hopes and aspirations. It’s one of the simple things we’re doing to professionalise an industry that has been informal and not regulated for too long and we also encourage more human connections between people.
Domestic workers have historically not been able to negotiate an hourly wage – there tends to be a “whatever-madam-is-willing-to-pay” attitude among many. A kind of regional day rate may emerge thanks to social media sharing – but it’s one the domestic worker has no say or control over.
With a regulated hourly rate, however, consumers are reminded that every hour of a domestic worker’s time is valuable. Every single hour.
No domestic worker should have to hang around waiting for her employer to get home when they are working late, sacrificing time with her own family. Worse still, to grin and bear it when her employer can’t pay her on time, or needs her to hang around to watch the kids, without any additional remuneration. That wouldn’t fly in the corporate world and there’s no reason it should in the domestic space.
It’s a lot easier for people to remember that when they’re paying by the hour. Our hope isn’t to destroy a traditional industry, but to improve it, giving its workers a greater sense of freedom, independence and professional respect. The impact of this elevated level of connection between consumer and independent contractor is already evident. The best on-demand platforms now provide their contractors with things like basic life insurance, training on how to get the most out of the platform, and educational opportunities so they can further their learning and skill-sets.
In many cases, these additional benefits come as a result of partnerships with similarly disruptive players in other industries. And as more and more entrants enter the on-demand space, consumers and service providers alike will flock to the ones with the best offering, reputation and opportunities for connection. Aisha R Pandor is co-founder and chief executive of SweepSouth, Africa’s first online platform for booking, managing and paying for home cleaning services.