Working for Free – Development or Exploitation?

According to the dictionary definition, work is defined as “actions requiring effort, performed for some purpose,” and secondarily, “activities that we perform for a living.” It follows that pay does not have to be the essence of work or its essential part, which many employers sometimes take too much to heart. Many of us have probably found ourselves in a situation in which the client is interested in using our resources and skills, but what they want to offer in return does not really match our expectations. Instead of specifying the amount of monetary remuneration, they mention “exposure,” “opportunity,” and “reach,” or convince us that completing the task will wonderfully enrich our CV and make us more attractive according to the standards of the labor market. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

“It'll only take you a moment!”

Exposure and a portfolio entry have become a kind of currency that can be offered in exchange for the performance of a service. A service that is easy to price, but for some reason the client does not want to do it. Why? Could it be that they cannot afford it? As the experiences of freelancers show, it is not about the financial possibilities or the size of the company, but rather about the management style and approach to potential collaborators. The reluctance to make transfers is often associated with a lack of respect for the commissioned work - after all, it does not cost anything, so it does not really matter, right? If we assume that remuneration is, among other things, a sign of respect for the contractor, it does not make sense to expect that we will be treated with gratitude - it will be more likely that we will have to answer questions like "couldn't it be faster?"; we can also expect more corrections and additional tasks that "will only take 10 minutes". It is not only the clients who are criticized for free work, but also the contractors, who are accused of spoiling the market and reducing the value of services.

Real experience, fictitious earnings

A slightly more subtle version of this approach is unpaid or low-paid internships. Theoretically, they are supposed to be a chance for newcomers to gain experience that they will need in their future professional careers, but in practice they cause numerous problems. A dozen or so years ago, internships and placements were associated with the proverbial making of coffee and watching the job you are considering doing. This approach was widely criticized as a waste of time, during which you could learn the skills that are really needed. Currently, companies and corporations boast in their advertisements that you will only use the coffee machine when you yourself feel like having a coffee and that you will have the opportunity to "gain real experience". Finally! However, the enthusiasm fades when we realize what it really means. "Real experience" very often involves working full-time (or slightly less than full-time) and performing the same tasks as full-time employees, only... for free, at best for a symbolic rate. It is worth noting that young people entering the job market increasingly rely less on parental support and try or are forced to support themselves – so they simply cannot afford unpaid internships.

Invisible everyday work

Unpaid work is not limited to professional relationships, however – it is not even a major part of it. The term unpaid work or unpaid labor also refers to the time we spend on cleaning, shopping, caring for dependent family members and other activities related to household chores in the broad sense. Presenting such activities as work with a specific economic value arouses great opposition in some circles – because from now on, are we supposed to pay grandma to cook Sunday dinner? Comments of this type diminish the scale of the problem and distract from its essence. “Good advice” in the style of “if you want to get paid for raising children, get a job as a carer” only emphasizes that work at home has a market value that can be relatively easily valued. In 2004, researchers from the University of Economics in Wrocław estimated that unpaid work constitutes almost 1/3 of the country’s entire GDP. Analysis of the data also showed that a significant part of it rests on the shoulders of women.

The longest Friday in history

October 24, 1975, went down in Icelandic history as the so-called "Long Friday." As part of a nationwide protest, almost 90% of women refused to do all household chores, including childcare. Icelanders were forced to reorganize their schedules - many of them took their children to work, and those who decided to eat dinner that day at a restaurant had to reckon with the fact that they were not the only ones with such an idea and that it would not be a relaxing family outing. This showed that disruptions in the private sphere have consequences in the public sphere, so running a home is one of the overlooked components of the efficient functioning of the state. As a result of the protest, the Icelandic government guaranteed women wages equal to those of men, which initiated further changes, thanks to which the situation of Icelandic women on the labor market became one of the most favorable in the world.

Dad on parental leave?

The mere guarantee of equal pay for work performed is just the tip of the iceberg. According to research conducted by the Boston Center for Retirement Research, giving birth to a child reduces the value of social benefits for women by 16%; each subsequent child is another 2% less. However, these numbers do not apply to men who have become fathers. These values ​​were calculated based on data collected in the United States, but the problem itself is universal - the issue of remuneration during maternity and parental leave, as well as the impact of breaks in work on the amount of subsequent retirement are still problematic issues in many countries. Returning to Poland, however, according to data collected by the Central Statistical Office, women take parental leave much more often. This form of leave is chosen by about 40% of women and only 1% of men. The uneven distribution of household tasks also affects the inability to expand professional competences - childcare takes up so much time and energy that there is no longer enough for training, courses or even independent education.

Remove the invisibility cloak

What can we do to at least try to deal with the problem of unpaid work ? When it comes to taking on poorly paid assignments, it is worth remembering a few things:

• Regardless of the type of remuneration, let’s draw up a contract – it will help regulate mutual expectations.
• If we are offered "exposure", we should clarify what this actually means. How long will your work be exhibited, where and how? Will viewers be aware that you are its author? It would be good if provisions on this subject were included in the contract.
• Let's choose the right partners for cooperation in the form of exchange - it's good if working for a public benefit organization whose mission you support is satisfying for you. If you have doubts about whether you should agree to cooperation, you can use a helpful decision tree .
• Let’s be careful with unpaid overtime. Will management really appreciate sacrificing time off for the good of the company, or will they rather get used to a comfortable situation?

When it comes to issues related to housework, changes must unfortunately take place primarily at the social and legal level. Arbitrary divisions in the scope of performing housework are gradually (although very slowly) becoming a thing of the past. Adjusting the rules on social benefits to the needs of mothers will also take a lot of time, but it is important that this issue is increasingly publicized and discussed. Let us hope that the times are approaching when there will be no need to prove that the economy is powered by millions of hands doing invisible work.