Values

Equity

We are working to create an economy that works for all of us, not some of us.

Our economy has historically relied on the exploitation of some workers - such as domestic workers - for the benefit of others. It’s time that changed. Technology has done a great job of solving for convenience and efficiency. It’s time for technology to solve for equity.

Innovations from the margins

We see value where others don’t.

Looking to the traditional centers of power - Washington, Silicon Valley or the Ivy Leagues - hasn’t generated innovative solutions for marginalized workers. We need to be innovative to create solutions for workers who have been overlooked and excluded, and the margins of the economy are where we are looking for truly innovative ideas. Learn more.

Bold Experimentation

We have to be bold and fearless if we want to make real change.

The unique circumstances of domestic workers create conditions where traditional worker solutions won’t work; domestic workers have a 1:1 relation between worker and employer, they do not have the right to form a union, and they are a disaggregated workforce. Tried and true solutions for other work sectors will not work for this sector, so we have to be fearless in trying things that haven’t been tried before.

Practical Solutions

We build solutions that domestic workers can use, today.

Real change is going to come from a combination of legislative change, cultural change and practical solutions that domestic workers can use today. As the innovation hub, NDWA Labs experiments with new solutions to provide practical solutions for domestic workers today, in collaboration with NDWA’s legislative and cultural change initiatives.

Workers at the Center

Workers are users, too.

The online economy too often sees workers as an object in an algorithm and customers as the user to be catered to. We place workers at the center, because they are the engine of the online economy, and we know that taking care of workers and taking care of business aren’t mutually exclusive.

Good Work

Everything we do at NDWA Labs is to make domestic work good work.

We believe everyone deserves good work, no matter what kind of work you do, where you do it, or how you find your work. Good work starts with fair pay and benefits, and includes the 8 principles of the Good Work Code.