Several restaurants in New York City are hiring remote staff from the Philippines to greet and take orders via Zoom.
This type of ordering kiosk have been spotted at Sansan Chicken in Manhattan’s East Village. They also have branches in Long Island City and Queens.
What a virtual cashier does is greet customers who appear on camera when they enter the store and take orders during peak hours.
This unconventional setup went viral on social media sparking a debate with regards to staffing and wages.
Did you know that some New York City retailers are employing Zoom cashiers from the Philippines for $3.75/hour!!!
The American middle class workforce is evolving before our very eyes.
Do you think this is a good or bad thing?? pic.twitter.com/3MaUfzWLzl
— Bradley Productions (@productions86) July 7, 2024
It saves costs but reduces local job opportunities.
I think balancing innovation with fair labor practices is essential.— Eco Vibes 🌍 (@EcoVibeExplorer) July 8, 2024
A terrible thing. It undercuts the low tier American workers. Not everyone is mentally capable of holding a higher tier job.
— Joe (@JoeAlderman11) July 7, 2024
as tempting as this is for business owners I do not think it is a good idea, many families will be negatively affected by job losses and scarcity
— AfriStats and Polls 📊 (@afristats_polls) July 8, 2024
On one hand, it offers cost savings for businesses and creates job opportunities globally. On the other hand, it raises concerns about fair wages and job security for local workers. It’s definitely a complex issue!
In cases like this, we need laws!
— Love Scope Insight (@ElenaVus2) July 8, 2024
There must be a law protecting middle class workers from such things🤷🏻♂️
— World of Memes (@mashedAvocado_) July 7, 2024
That is not good. There are supposed to be jobs for all levels. Not everyone is capable of working high end jobs.
— Stephanie Loves (@SAL438245) July 7, 2024
Seems that capitalism will always find a way to make record profits to me. They especially like it when they don't have to pay for things like healthcare.
— TruthBeTulled (@Tizull) July 7, 2024
That's so crazy. Until regulations kick in, inevitably, this was bound to happen. People will look for any way to make profit.
— Anna Rae (@annaraeaurora) July 7, 2024
On one hand, it opens up opportunities and reduces costs for businesses. On the other hand, it raises questions about fair wages and the impact on local jobs. I am puzzled myself? 🤔
— Mr Shelby (@mrshelby101) July 9, 2024
The staffing firm responsible for this technology is Happy Cashier. They are a New York-based company that is testing its product on different local businesses. According to the company’s founder. Chi Zhang, they want to “empower small businesses by providing exceptional virtual cashier services, as well as operational assistance.”
Aside from Sansan Chicken, this type of setup is also seen in other restaurants such as Sansan Ramen and a couple of branches of Yaso Chicken.
While New York City prides itself for their minimum wage of $16 (935.85 pesos) per hour, the average Filipino worker earns roughly $3.75 (219.34 pesos).
According to the Business Process Association of the Philippines, the country has the largest business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the world, generating an estimate of $35.4 billion (approximately 2 million pesos) in revenue as of 2023.
A professor of management at the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University, Mohammad Rahman, said to Fortune that hiring virtual workers, counting those from the Philippines would cost restaurants only 10% of what they would pay in-person cashiers.
Rahman argued that while they are using this tactic to save on labor costs, they give the troubleshooting ability and warmth that automated self-service kiosks lack.
“Customers expect better services, so if you can bring in that person who is basically virtually there, this person can do all your customer service, just as if the server was just standing there,” he stated. “As long as that experience is the same, the customer probably doesn’t care.”
The professor also said that it is inevitable to lean into virtual workers, “What we’re seeing right now is just a natural evolution of the future work.”
There’s no denying that virtual work is gaining attention in the Philippines, primarily due to salary considerations. With all of this unfolding, are we already glimpsing into the future?
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