The modern “Gig Economy” is built on a linguistic lie. Companies call their delivery fleet “Partners.”
In a partnership, you share profits. You share risks. You have a seat at the table. In the current model, the “Partner” takes all the physical risk (traffic, weather, accidents) while the algorithm takes the profit. If the “Partner” is sick, they starve. If they are slow, they are deactivated by a bot.
This is not a partnership. It is a Digital Caste System. It creates a permanent underclass of humans who serve the “knowledge workers” but are invisible to the system’s benefits.
The Algorithm as a Bad Boss
A human boss might shout at you, but a human boss can also have empathy. An algorithmic boss manages by gamification.
- “Complete 3 more orders to unlock a Gold Badge!”
- “You are in the top 10% of speed!”
This manipulates the dopamine centers of vulnerable workers to extract maximum labor for minimum wage. It turns human effort into a video game where the points are fake but the exhaustion is real.
The FoodHero Labor Standard
At Manaspurti, we believe that Efficiency cannot come at the cost of Dignity. If our delivery times are fast because our riders are breaking traffic laws in fear of being fired, we have failed.
We are piloting a different model:
- Salaries, not Gigs: We are moving towards a fixed-salary model with benefits (Insurance, PF). A stable mind drives safely. A stressed mind drives recklessly.
- The “No-Rush” Button: Our logistics engine (Smartcart) optimizes for Batching, not Speed. We prefer to deliver 5 orders to one building at 1:00 PM (efficient) rather than 5 separate orders at 12:55, 1:00, 1:05 (frantic).
- Dignity of Access: We are negotiating with residential societies to ensure our fleet is allowed to use the main elevators, not the service lifts.
We cannot build a “Food Hero” brand if the person delivering the food feels like a zero.
The Question: Is your convenience worth someone else’s desperation? We believe we can build a system where both the customer and the courier win.