By snoadmin
In order to get a worthwhile job after graduation, students need internships to gain experience. Internships help students grow in their respective fields, as well as guide them towards their future careers.
On the flip side, interns have become more valuable to the companies they work for and it’s not because businesses need more interns to fetch coffee for their top employees. Instead, companies are using interns to complete entry-level jobs free of charge.
This trend of businesses using their unpaid interns to complete entry-level work has grown because it saves the business money.
Why would a company search for permanent workers when the universities provide a fresh crop of eager students who are willing to trade their salaries for experience every semester? In a money crunch, businesses will always choose the route that saves them the most money.
Businesses have found it easy to take advantage of unpaid interns. Interns feel lucky to have earned their position and work hard in hopes of getting a job offer once their internship is over.
But, job turnover rates are not as high as they once were.
The job offers that stood as the light at the end of the tunnel are being extinguished. It does not matter how well an intern performs if there are no job openings available. Businesses will squeeze whatever they can from an intern until they eventually replace them. But, some interns are fighting back.
Last year, former interns began suing companies for making them work entry-level positions without pay.
Frustrated by having to work over 50 hours per week, the interns filed lawsuits claiming businesses were violating state and federal labor laws by having them work full-time without compensation.
If the former interns win this battle, it will send a big statement to companies who take advantage of their unpaid interns. It makes sense to pay interns money for the time and effort they put into a company.
The intern is providing a service for the company and the company should have to pay for it. Especially since paid employees are usually paid for some of the work interns do.
However, interns could be shooting themselves in the foot by demanding compensation.
It is hard enough to get a quality internship. But, the beauty of internships is that they allow for inexperienced students to get a chance to learn. It is less of a risk for a company to hire an unpaid intern. If the intern fails, the company does not lose any money.
Furthermore, if all internships are compensated, businesses will look for more qualified candidates to fill the positions.
This will take away opportunities from students looking to gain experience because they will be looked over for more experienced candidates.
It is unfair to make people work so hard without compensation. Making money is tough when all your time and energy goes into a job without pay.
If more interns continue to sue their companies and win, it could possibly change to the way internships are run. Finding a great internship could become harder, but the reward will be greater.
It should depend on how their job performance is. If they are not doing their job, then they should not get paid and if they do the job apporpriately, then yes. I have been to places where some of the interns from here were rude and I felt they did not deserve any pay. But I think it depends on performance, not want.
How many people collaborated on this article? It makes some fast circles. As far as I know internships have always been a trade of free labor for work experience. If an employer has to pay for work why would they not want to hire experienced workers rather than no-experience college students? However, an intern putting in 50 hours? There’s something wrong with that picture. Call the lawyer!.
The circumstances in which an employer may legally have an “unpaid intern” are very limited and many such internships are not in compliance. In many such situations, the interns are entitled to back pay for all time worked at minimum wage or greater. If you were or are an unpaid intern and want an evaluation of your circumstances, please feel free to call me at 619-233-8200 (ask for Bill) or email me at wadams@nmalawfirm.com. I am an attorney who has been successfully representing former unpaid interns in recovering back pay. (Solicitation for Legal Services)