The New Economy – Free Labour Pains

The global depression we’re in is seeing an increased in volunteering “positions” as companies find new ways – albeit borderline legal ones – of cutting costs.

Used to be, the only ones “working” for free were the interns, and to be in one those roles, you had to be enrolled in a recognized post-secondary program, or a co-op program through high school.

These days, I’m hearing horror stories of people with years of experience and education putting in full-time hours in the corporate world, yet they aren’t receiving any pay.

It’s questionable advice many career counsellors are giving to the unemployed and underemployed – instead of having gaps in their work histories on their resumes, it’s better to volunteer and show you were doing something.

Yeah, right.

Next time I go out for dinner, I’ll just offer to voluntarily enjoy the meal, so the restaurant doesn’t have any empty seats.

I’m sure that’ll go over well.

NOT!

But if you volunteer, you might have to do that, because how are you going to pay for food in your tummy, clothes on your back, and a roof over head?

Volunteering for a non-profit charitable organization is a good thing – for the community and those who take the time to make a difference in the lives they affect by doing some good.

But we’re talking about people volunteering at for profit companies – companies which are making money off of the backs of those so desperate for work, they are willing to work for free.

Despite the poor advice from some career counsellors, it’s really up to each company whether or not they accept volunteers or not.

Those that do – shame on you!

Exploitation of those misplaced during the worse depression since the 1930’s isn’t anything less than evil.

Evil.

Mega Evil.

Dr. Evil never would stoop so low –that we know of.

What’s worse, is these evil companies accepting volunteers while making a profit are in many cases, expecting their volunteers to work just like their paid staffers – putting in full-time hours, signing contracts which limit their outside activities during office hours, even going so far as to having their volunteers pay for their own background checks, prior to being “hired.”

But there’s no pay – and no hope of ever being paid.

If you’re working for free, why would they start paying you? They’ll just find another desperate person willing to do your work for nadda.

Yet that’s the hope driving many volunteers – that one day, their evil slave owners – for that’s what volunteering is when someone else is benefiting from your hard unpaid work – slavery – will see the value of their slave – I mean volunteer – and hire them on staff.

It’s the same dilemma many contractors go through – also victims of our global depression.

Contractors give it their all, hoping they will be offered a lucrative and stable staff job.

There are the occasional stories of volunteers and contractors being brought on-board into staff roles. But those are so few and far between, you can count them on less than one hand for the most part.

It just doesn’t make sound business sense – anyone willing to offer their services for less than they are worth are going to be raped for those services. That’s the unfortunate nature of our society.

Which is why the onus is on big business to lay down the law, and to have clearly defined policies and procedures which prohibit staff from using volunteers in established businesses.

Because people displaced by the global depression may not know any better.

So it’s up to business leaders to set the standard, to avoid exploitation, and creating a society where slavery is once again an acceptable form of work.