My girlfriend is being taken advantage of, what do I do?

Question

My girlfriend started working for a company for work experience 3 months ago. They agreed to pay travel expenses, and thats all. However from the start it wasn't 'real' work experience, but a proper job. She does all the office work (together with another work experience girl) whilst the 2 owners spend most of the day out. There was a day last week where she the only one in all day with one owner on holiday, and the other taking the day off to watch his son play golf. Here are the facts:

-She HAS to be there for 10am everyday and work till 5pm
-She can only go out to get lunch if someone else is in the office, which isn't everyday.
-They increase the weekly 'travel expenses' to £75, which is no longer travel expenses, but payment & WELL below minimum wage.

She is leaving in 2 weeks anyway but I know they'll just hire someone else and do the exact same thing. She says she doesn't mind, but I feel there's a 'stockholm syndrome' type thing going on with misplaced loyalty.

Reporting them is an option, but I don't feel its my place to do it. By me reporting them it shows a lack of respect for her wishes, and she probably would lose some trust in me.

Sorry, should also state she is 19, and hence entitled to minimum wage and has worked there for 3 months already.

Answer 1

She's obviously doing it for the working experience and for the fact that it might look nice in her CV. I would advice her to find a better job and up to then to stay there and ensure that she gets a paper that signifies that she actually worked there. After all, it is common practice to get exploited when you start a career; this is how the system works (unfortuantely) and since it is not your life to decide, but hers, the only thing you can do is express your opinion to her and let her decide. It is not you that is going to solve her problems. This does not mean, however, that you should ignore her problems; be supportive, stand up and support her decisions. This is the thing that she will appreciate most. If she has financial difficulties and you care about her so much you can even help her financially until she finds the work placement she desires. By then, let her stay in this job, since she might even enjoy the responsibilities she is given.

Answer 2

This is a difficult one, but as you say in the end it's your girlfriend's call. Suppose you do call in... who? Trading Standards? The local council? The police? ...Let's just call them the authorities - then what? A lot of grief, and whether the company gets prosecuted for it or not, the one thing your girlfriend won't get out of it is a good reference, which might be important to her and about the one good thing for her in the entire experience.

On the legal side, as well as minimum wage laws there are also regulations about numbers of hours worked and entitlement to lunch breaks. If she's at college, she could say something to her teachers, so that they won't send anyone else to this dodgy outfit. Unfortunately her youth, inexperience and good nature have made her an easy victim for scams, which 'work experience' can be.

Looking on the bright side, she will have learnt something (hopefully not all disagreeable) of working in an office, it's only for another two weeks, and she should get a decent reference out of it.

But in the end, any decisions about what to do about it are down to her - not you and, as you suggest, she may resent you for stepping in unless you ask her first.

My advice? By all means find out all the employment laws but don't take action that might land her in it. It's her life, and all you can do is support her by pointing out the facts - and letting her decide how and if she wants to deal with it.

It's tough when you see someone you care for being taken advantage of, but that doesn't give you the right to take over and do things the way you think they should be done. Just advise, support, offer - and leave it at that.

Answer 3

Chances are they know she is doing a great job, but as a work experiencee, they aren't allowed to pay her. They've clearly done what they can to increase the travel expenses to make a point (in a small way) but companies aren't allowed to just give money away - they have to justify it for the accountant and tax man. Frankly, all work experience ends up with you doing the job - it means it's been successful, and I'm sure she's gained much need experience from it all. It's a good thing she doesn't feel taken advantage of. Don't keep telling her she is!

Answer 4

Leave it. This is work experience. It is only for 2 weeks, I just completed 3 Months (and now have to travel overseas during my summer for further experience). There are much worse things that employers can do, and the smartest thing to do is cut her losses and get what she went for and that is 'acknowledgment that she completed 2 weeks of work experience at an actual employers', know what its like working in the real world (as she has learned it can be a b*tch and possibly a good reference at the end provided she does not make waves. Reporting them or making waves will only cause trouble for her in a temporary placement of this nature.

This is the standard to be expected during any work experience placement and most people are WARNED of it by their school before they set off, its really quite standard. The best advice is to just swallow it. There is a time to strike and a time to just sit back and enjoy the ride. You can end up doing everything from having to make everyone coffee, go out and get people's lunch to mopping the floors if they have nothing else to give you. Often they just want you out of the way, because believe it or not, your benefiting alot more than they are from the work you do - those jobs are pretty much menial and serve no real purpose to them and they actually lose moeny by having you around. They don't feel they owe you much more. You scratch their back and humour them, keep quiet and get on with your placement and they have no trouble saying you 'did great at the end of your placement and they were really pleased to have you there, and let you leave with a glowing reference': which is what you want really rather than leaving on a bad note.

She has said herself she does not mind, and most people should not, it is the way that trade works, the employers often feel they are entitled to it as they are participating in an enrichment program for young school kids and give you an invaluable opportunity. If things got bad enough for her to feel she was being taken advantage of then she could talk to the person who arranged the placement: 'That is what they are there for'.

If she isn't feeling she is being taken advantage of its good, and you should not influence her in a way that she begins to create 'unrealistic expectations' of work experience and work places/ I had to pay my own fares, fill in standardized forms that the permenant stuff hated, actually told me having you do this crap for us has been a dream, we can use these for the rest of the week and make tea and coffee, but that 'reference' I got from my employer at the end of the week is going to look mighty good for Medical School. The experience I got and the Medical Procedures I got to see live (or even the little things like how the system works and how to communicate with people), in between making coffee during MY lunch break, was invaluable.

My placement served its purpose, I didn't have to look it (and neither did many of my friends), because that's not where we are going to spending the rest of our professional lives.

P.S: I think its really cool and very commendable that you're looking out for your girlfriend, that's my boy! *Respect*.

Answer 5

I think you are right, but my experience is that all this "work experience" arrangements are like that, they are just abusive. They do that that to avoid paying a full time employee. I do not think it is much different in other companies. I had a similar experience in the charity sector, and I was a volunteer... it's all the same everywhere, they just take young unexperienced people to avoid paying full salaries to the experienced ones.

In the end, your gf still gains "work experience" doesn't she? That will eventually pay off.

Sorry I can't be more optimistic.

Answer 6

Tell you girlfriend that she should put in her best performance to her very last day at work. Whilst she's at work for the last couple of days, tell her to start bugging her bosses for a written testimonial. VERY IMPORTANT!!! Even if she's not getting the justified wages of a full time employee, make sure she leaves on a good note and get that testimonial. It's gonna benefit her when she hunts for a new job. Employment agencies or interviewers give preference to candidates who have good written testimonials. Remember to tell her to bug her employers about the written testimonial until they relent!

Answer 7

Actually; it is what it says on the tin; work experience.

It does sound like that are pushing things a little bit, but the experience is good - and she should get a good reference from them if she's being relied upon so much.

Any longer that what she has done and I'd be getting twitchy too - but let it lie at the moment and see what happens.

Answer 8

If you report this company, then it will ultimately reflect on her.

If she gets a bad reference from them, then she has wasted 3 months! She will have to go through the whole thing again.

Is she going to be delighted about that?

For only 2 more weeks of this?

Just leave it!!

Answer 9

There is nothing you can do. Unless you are into violence, if it was my girlfriend I would start by posting faeces to the owners After a while I would start threatening their children and maybe kill a couple of their pets. If these people then don't seen the error of the ways I would encourage my girlfriend to speak to the people who arranged the work placement for her. I would also encourage her to consult an employment law lawyer. Citizens advice may be useful.

Answer 10

It sounds like they are taking the mick, move on, your girlfriends position is under her control.

btw, i take on work expereince staff and treat them very well, but its a nightmare. I'm not allowed to ask any details of the student, they turn up on day one. So I have no chance of preparing them anything that meets thier needs/interests.

So don't always think its down to the employers, often we get no notice

At least your g/f is concerned - that puts her well above many so stick with it

Best of luck