Percy suddenly said hello – NRC

Canadian excitement. A journalist went to get a smoothie and salad at one of the 343 branches of Freshii, a chain for the fairly healthy quick bite. “Good morning, how can I be of service to you?” It was not the computer that spoke, but a living being, a woman in Nicaragua, through the screen.

Her name is Percy. That’s the name of all long-distance employees of the fast food chain Freshii. The journalist talked to some Percy’s and wrote about them in the Toronto Star† For example, in Nicaragua they earn 3.60 euros per hour. A ‘Percy’ from India or Bangladesh is 0.30 euros cheaper per hour. Percy’s in the Philippines earn around 1.50 euros per hour. In Canada the minimum wage is 11.50 euros per hour.

Initially, Ontario’s Department of Labor responded succinctly to questions about Percy. Outsourcing labor to low-wage countries happens in almost every industry and has even increased worldwide during the corona pandemic, so what did the journalist actually want to know?

But via Freshii, which earns money from agricultural products that are grown and harvested for a penny in developing countries, the virtual checkout assistant was given a human face. An all too human face. Outrage exploded on social media. Exploitation! Not much later, the minister openly shamed Percy – and said he fervently hoped that customers would avoid Freshii from now on.

Low wage policy debate

The Canadian Financial Post meanwhile spoke of “misplaced indignation”. And it’s true, Percy isn’t exposing a new practice. The only thing that is innovative is that the worker from a country thousands of kilometers away is standing in front of you. Not only speaking and not only on the phone, as in the countless call centers worldwide, but in person. Because whether you think Percy is the product of entrepreneurship or you are convinced of exploitation, everyone will recognize that the commotion in Canada is due to the power of the image. Only seeing Percy has sparked a debate about low-wage politics, including among people who have known for years that underpaid (and often underage) Vietnamese, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi assemble their T-shirts and footballs.

Activists know this phenomenon. For example, the Party for the Animals showed the gassing of pigs on a film screen in the House of Representatives – a first at the time. The pigs’ convulsions and screams, the animal party argued, would influence the debate more than any investigative report.

Asked about Percy, Freshii speaks euphemistically of some “labor optimization programs in development” that the company hopes “will further assist partners in cutting costs and protecting profitability.”

You would think: but that is possible without a person in the picture. Take fast food chains like McDonalds. There, the order is so automated that you don’t even have to get out of the car. While you don’t see anyone and so no one gets angry. All in all, the fuss means that Percy has to look for another job in Nicaragua. Thanks to the human capacity for empathy and indignation.