Leneka Pendergrass, a worker-researcher who is a mother and a student at UC Berkeley, noted that the most important dynamic among interviewees was “being policed” at work—experiencing excessive control, from dress codes and micromanagement to racial and gender discrimination. She described one interviewee having no ability in their role to share ideas or request help. In her analysis of interview data, she noted, “If someone has an idea that can make a workflow more effective, they should have opportunities to contribute or at least feel that their voice matters in a place where they are spending most of their time and contributing their labor.” Leneka added, “It’s like a slap in the face to take someone’s labor but reject their voice.”
As we look beyond this first phase of research to the second phase of building an investment fund, we have both insights and a team with a clear view of employment models worth investing in from the worker’s perspective.
And to guide this fund, we have embraced three main principles that build on our insights:
● First, we will reimagine “career” and “career progression” in a dynamic way. We talked with several workers who were “bouncing around” in jobs where they see themselves lacking options and being policed, and with others who were in occupations that were very different from the focus of their educations.
● Second, we will develop a framework for better employment with criteria along two axes. The first axis is “being policed” and its opposite, “having ownership”—with real, material ownership of our labor valued over psychological ownership. The second axis is “lacking options” and its opposite, “having autonomy”—and not just limited autonomy (as an Uber driver might have), but “real” autonomy to define one’s career. Importantly, we heard that workers often feel more trapped when they have limited ownership and autonomy than they do when they have none at all.
● And third, we will define what it means to invest in employment models, and for employers to invest in workers. One former receptionist said her last company saw her as “interchangeable” and didn’t take any interest in her as a person. In contrast, a graphic designer told us that her company literally invests in her as a co-op owner and she sees a happy future with a living wage and benefits.
As we plan Phase 2, in which we hope to build a fund to invest in better employment models, we’re continuing to seek input from you, our community. We invite you to share your ideas with us and our worker-researchers in a conversation on November 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. PT. RSVP to join us!