Are unpaid observation periods exploitative?
I saw a job advert for a great looking Graphic Design role but it mentions that there's a ' unpaid 3-month observation period'. This has put me off applying.
I get that it will amount to experience and a possibility to a permanent full-time job but I feel like companies could take advantage of this to get someone young/less experienced to work for free. Everybody's time and talent deserves compensation, especially in hard times like these when it's hard to get by from month to month, in those circumstances 3 months seems like a long time. I am pretty reluctant (possibly to my detriment) to apply. Plus there's a 50/50 chance they could get rid of you after the 3 months is up, that's pretty scary to me.
What are your thoughts on this?
Replies10
- @Alister Shapley thank you for your reply Alister. I agree it's awful that companies would even have the audacity to exploit workers like this. Thank you for your information on this too, you've helped clear it up for me. I can send you the job ad link if you want to look at it further?
- Hi Lee, I think I saw the job post you're referring to and as it's a London, UK based agency this is in fact illegal.If you look at government rules on unpaid work, companies are only allowed to not pay if you're volunteering as part of a charity or school/student work experience as part of your education or work shadowing (observation of work only). More information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/employment-rights-for-internsIt's a shame companies are still trying to exploit workers especially in this difficult downturn where people are desperate. I'd like to be able to report this to business standards like Acas but I'm not sure who'd be best to contact about this.
- @Evan Brown I agree.
- 100% wrong.
- @Anna Dora L. Yeah, I had the same feeling. It just seems wrong to me. Thank you for your option.
- Hello Lee,I would say it's absolutely unethical AND illegal in the UK. I can promise you you saved 3 months from your time by skipping on this one. They must be terrible people if you think it's acceptable for not paying someone for 3 months particularly in this hard times. Generally I encourage even students to don't work for free. Although it's fairly common in the creative industry it drives into a really unhealthy circle when people think creatives do work for free. Don't support that sh*t. Hope it makes sense.Feel free to connect on https://www.instagram.com/annadoralascsik/
- @Olivia Macioti You're totally right. This was my original thinking, thank you for your advice.
- In my country, this unfortunately just means they want free labor out of you with no real intention of hiring you. They’ll tell you anything to get your hopes up and then as soon as your contract is over, they’ll ghost you or tell you they’ve found someone better.With this in mind, I don’t think three months is a fair time window to go through with absolutely no retribution for your work. Times are beyond tough, and the last thing you need is to any further stress about making ends meet. Especially since you don’t know whether they’ll actually hire you or not.It’s ultimately your choice, but you should really weigh the pros and cons and ask yourself if three months of hard work, with all the sacrifices, stress, uncertainties and limitations those entail, are something you can take on and deal with effectively and without resentment, emotionally, financially and mentally.Don’t burn yourself out if you’re not 1,000% sure about this role.
- @Cathy at The Dots thank you very much for the advice. Much appreciated.
- Hi Lee,If you’re looking for work, I’d recommend following your favourite companies for job alerts:https://the-dots.com/follow-pagesTo come higher in search results and to increase your chances of being headhunted, add your work experience here:https://the-dots.com/users/lee-o-connor-497962/editYou can also connect with recruiters and talent managers:https://the-dots.com/account/connectionsOh, and keep an eye out for opportunities here:https://the-dots.com/asks/search?filters=ask-type:People%20to%20hire.peopleI hope that helps!Cathy x
You must sign up or log in before you
add a comment.