Irfan Alam:
SammaaN Foundation gives a new face to the unorganized workers who form nearly 93 percent of the workforce in India. One part of the group is made up of the 10 million cycle rickshaws and push cart operators. They are mostly laborers from Bihar, UP and West Bengal who migrate to bigger cities such as Delhi, Patna, Lucknow during the off-peak agricultural season. Typically, rickshaw pullers fall between 14 years old and 60 years old. While I consider them exploited, many make a lucrative living, despite a lack of skills.

I see exploitation because a puller has to pay a significant sum to hire a rickshaw from a contractor and then looks after maintenance himself. If the rickshaw gets stolen, he has to pay for it or work as a bonded laborer until the value is recovered. After a hard day’s work, operators have no place to rest; many spend their nights in the open, where they are easy victims of criminals. Being uneducated, they often become alcohol or drug addicts, making it impossible for them to break the poverty cycle.

At SammaaN, we give them dignity by encouraging rickshaw pulling as a trade/ job and not as desperate substitute work. We register them so they receive all the benefits mandated by law. They receive cycle rickshaws, uniforms and identity cards. We created lighter models of cycle rickshaws that are much easier and have operator-friendly features. Moreover, there is insurance coverage for the pullers as well as those traveling on these rickshaws.

We have incorporated the SammaaN Sabha (gathering) to increase awareness among our operators about social issues as well as to create belongingness. Held every Sunday at our rickshaw yards, it allows discussion about issues such as alcoholism or drug abuse.

We introduced microloans and are starting initiatives for family members — education programs for children and training for wives. We are also planning low cost homes for our operators.

SammaaN earns its revenue mainly through advertisements placed on the rickshaws.

Joe Harris:
In the airline business, and I would assume in the rickshaw business, frontline employees are out there on their own every day, taking care of customers and making a myriad of decisions that affect the operation of the business and the customer experience.

It is refreshing to learn of an enterprise that seeks to improve the economic and social well-being of the people whose labor is essential to the success of its business. Indeed, some of the activities undertaken by SammaaN are those typically reserved to philanthropic, religious or civic organizations.

But the business of a business is to make a profit, right? Is it possible then for a business to be profitable and also be so committed to the well-being of its employees?

In a customer-service business, it is not only possible, it is advantageous. There is a direct correlation between the return rate of customers and the type of service provided by a customer-service employee. The theory is simple. If employees are happy and motivated, they will treat customers well. If customers are treated well, they will return. If customers are treated badly, they will be inclined to take their business elsewhere. This is true whether they are flying in an airplane across the USA or being pedaled through 5 blocks of Delhi.

Employees should take pride in their jobs. They should be “engaged.”

Frontline employees who feel good about themselves and their jobs feel empowered to make right decisions and act in ways beneficial to customers and to the success of the business. By promoting the dignity of the vocation and by seeking to improve the economic and social well-being of these individuals, SammaaN is not only performing a laudable public service, it is also building a foundation for a profitable business.