Evolving Perceptions. It’s a group of interviews with people who are working to stop human trafficking,
Students, survivors, educators, parents and professionals give their perspectives so that readers can have a better understanding of this crime while teaching us how to respond more effectively to it. It is all about evolving perceptions.
The following interview is with Ayush Khanna. He is the the Director of Product & Marketing at LaborVoices. There he is building a glassdoor-like platform that guides workers to the best jobs and global brands to the best suppliers. LaborVoices already has collected data about tens of thousands of workers from factories and farms in 11 countries. His goal is to develop products that delight users while also creating social impact. This article talks about his experience: analytics and research roles at PayPal, Wikimedia Foundation, and Duke University. With a Masters degree in Information Science from UC Berkeley and a Bachelors degree in Computer Science from Mumbai University, he comes well-prepared for this interview.
AP Photo, Rana Plaza Building Collapse
Question: How would you define Fair Labor?
Ayush: To me, Fair Labor is about freedom. This means going beyond just fair wages, reasonable hours and safe working conditions, to giving workers the choice to work in a way that best suits their needs and helps them grow.
Question: What got you interested in helping to ensure fair labor around the world?
Ayush: For many years now, I have been fascinated with mobile technology and its potential to create large scale global impact. Previously, I worked at Wikimedia Foundation providing analytical support to projects aimed at growing Wikipedia content in India, Brazil and Egypt. In 2013, I was working on data analytics for PayPal’s mobile apps as the Rana Plaza tragedy struck Bangladesh. I was deeply disappointed then and I still am now, THREE years later, at the lack of responsiveness to this tragedy. I decided that I needed to do something about it and gave up my cushy tech job. I saw LaborVoices as an opportunity for me to best apply my skills to solving the global fair labor problem.
Ayush goes on to answer questions such as: How can technology save working people from labor abuse?and Why do some big corporations test the limits of fair labor practices?
To read the entire interview about evolving perceptions, click on the link below.
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