on exploitation

For the past four days, I have been working non-stop at work. I barely even time to eat my lunch. I don't take breaks. I just work at my computer, letting my body get all strained and tense because I'm concentrating so hard. It's painful.

Why? You ask. Because I am being emotionally bullied into working like this because one of my managers is an enormous jerk. I will refer to him again as Douche Bag (DB, for short, and to save my blog from becoming a breeding ground for profanity).

Yesterday, he yelled at me and the other unpaid interns for two hours. Every two seconds he'd drop an f-bomb and then yell at us about how our work wasn't up to par. He wasn't even being constructive. He would just say "this is stupid," "this is bad." And then he'd be inconsistent about everything he was saying, so at various points throughout this yell fest, he'd contradict himself. This whole place is just a disaster in terms of communication. It's not like that many people work here -- get your act together, guys.




So yes, we endured this for two hours. I contemplated getting up and storming out, quitting right there on the spot. But I didn't. I defended myself and my work, rationally, as I should. To act otherwise would give them reason to dismiss me, or give me a bad review, or impact my chances at getting a real job.

Basically, DB said that as long as we worked really hard over the next 6-8 weeks, he'd help us with our resumes. He wanted us to "sweat and bleed" and then he'd help us with our resumes. Right. It's not my resume that needs help, DB. My resume is really awesome.

Later on, I reviewed the labor laws. Let me count the ways I am being exploited.

Ok, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, "there are some circumstances under which individuals who participate in 'for-profit' private sector internships or training programs may do so without compensation" and "Internships in the 'for-profit' private sector will most often be viewed as employment." Certain terms have to be met in order to qualify, but usually people in this sector will have to be paid minimum wage and overtime for working over 40 hours in a week.

Here I will go through the six criteria and describe how I am being exploited as an unpaid intern.

1. The internship, even though it includes actual operation of the facilities of the employer, is similar to training which would be given in an educational environment. 


This is not at all like an educational environment. I do a lot of so-called "bitch work." I also get yelled at a lot. I sit and stare at a computer all day, and do minimal thinking. We do not debate ideas rationally. People yell, scream, and call each other names. There are no informative seminars. I guess you could call listening in on phone calls educational...but that's pushing it. The only thing I'm learning is that business is full of B.S. and vagaries.

2. The internship is for the benefit of the intern.
This business is directly profiting from my work. I don't really think it's for my benefit. This company exploits educated workers from top universities. We are all very intelligent and talented -- we just haven't been able to find jobs yet because of institutional factors deep-rooted within society. More specifically, my two co-workers are from outside the U.S. and have been having an even tougher time finding employees who will sponsor them. I don't really see the benefit of this internship for me besides being able to add something to my resume. They can try to justify the entire internship as a learning experience, but it's really just a holding tank of exploitative labor.

3. The intern does not displace regular employees, but works under close supervision of existing staff. 
Here, directly, this firm is violating criterion #3. We are directly displacing regular employees. Without us, they would literally not have a business. We make the pitch decks and do all the analyses. We write, we market, we do business outreach and development. Without us, they would not be able to support their clients at all. Granted, we work with one employee, but even he could not take on all the additional work.

4. The employer that provides the training derives no immediate advantage from the activities of the intern; and on occasion its operations may actually be impeded.
As in #3, the employer benefits directly from my work. This is how they make money. I'm not being trained. I have not impeded the firm's operations, and even if I may have made a few errors by misinterpreting DB's barking orders, I have hardly damaged his credibility. If anything, I have improved the firm's branding and image and have begun to help drive business.

5. The intern is not necessarily entitled to a job at the conclusion of the internship. 
Yeah, there is no way in heck they are going to offer me a job at the end of this. They just wait until people get real jobs and send them on their merry way. Thanks for the labor, see you never.

6. The employer and the intern understand that the intern is not entitled to wages or the time spent in the internship.
On this point, they've got me. I knew I wasn't going to get paid. However, I am spending just about $20 a day just commuting to this internship, so I am not even breaking even. I am spending money to get exploited. I don't know why I agreed to this. I should have just stayed at home and done nothing, but that may also reflect poorly on my quest for a job.

In the firm's defense, the managers say they have yet to take a distribution, that is, they haven't gotten paid in a year either. They have just been paying the bills and breaking even. Still, that's not a legitimate reason to get unpaid interns to do your dirty work, especially when you don't treat them with respect and aren't teaching them all that much.

So what is to blame? When you have the highest standing in your major, a really high GPA, leadership in extracurricular activities, and a stellar, even "affable" disposition, what's the deal? How can society do this to me?

Yesterday when I stumbled upon the Occupy Wall Street movement, I thought about joining them. Maybe I still will.

Things have got to change.