Improving Workers' Condition: From Another Perspective

The plight of factory workers, notably in China has captured the attention of many people across the world. Sights of squalid living quarters, seemingly unending working hours and absence of basic welfare in these factory towns resulted in rightful calls for better treatment for the most important people in the production lines.

In a rush to support this just cause, we appear to have forgotten one thing and unknowingly have committed a mistake, that is, of asking the workers what they really want in their working life but instead enforcing our definition of what’s best on them.

A TED presentation by Leslie T. Chang gave support to this view. In a series of interviews with workers whom she had established relationships with, Chang found out that while workers probably appreciate improvements in issues raised as examples above, they actually gain higher utility (in the words of an economist) from things/activities that may result in potentially better jobs. Some of these include the opportunity to learn computer skills and English.

As we close 2012 and embrace 2013, I thought this is a good reminder to everyone who has the good intentions of helping someone: never assume but in the words of Ernesto Sirolli (another TED presenter), shut up and listen before we come up with ways to help someone.

Happy New Year Eve!