Every week we will be looking at trends and news in regards to volunteering
and unpaid internships at business events in the arts world. We are hoping to
shed some light on the many debates and issues that arise when employers look
to hire unpaid staff for their event.
One of the most discussed issues has mainly surrounded the acceptance of utilising volunteers in business events and
there is much that can be argued for and against it. Employers have found
undeniable benefits in employing motivated and eager volunteers as they can bring
both creativity and ambition to the workforce (Van Der Wagen, 2007) but it has
also lately been discussed how the work might benefit the volunteer. This is especially so within the arts world, as many art fairs and the many businesses within them rely on
unpaid volunteers and interns to work as much as a full time paid employee.
This type of volunteering is often a first stepping stone
for arts graduates and students looking for a career in the creative industry (Jones,
2010). Why organisations have been able to work with this system and continue
to do so is mainly because of the traditional perception that this is an
acceptable management strategy (Friend, 2011) and there are many still in the
industry that agree with this, even the volunteers themselves.
This silent agreement between employers and volunteers is slowly
changing as new laws and restrictions are being developed. As the laws are changing,
volunteers and interns are becoming more informed of their rights as an
employee, and more critical to how the employment might suit their own needs
(Marshall, 2011). Although volunteers can be invaluable in terms of cost and
force it is also important to consider the welfare of your employee. If you are
interested in what the future of volunteering might hold, The Museum Association is
holding a seminar on volunteering on the 26th May 2013 at the Royal College of
Surgeons in London. More information can be found by following this link.
References:
Friend. K. (2011) The
creative industries need to focus on talent rather than free labour, The
Guardian, 28 November [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2011/nov/28/creative-training-arts-education#start-of-comments
Accessed: 09/04/13
Jones, S. (2010) Why
volunteer in the visual arts? [Online] Available at: http://www.a-n.co.uk/knowledge_bank/article/506400
Accessed: 09/04/13
Marshall, D. (2011)
Internships: Don’t be a slave to the idea if you’re being exploited, The
Guardian, 2 December [Online] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2011/dec/02/internships-weighing-pros-cons
Accessed: 09/04/13
Van Der Wagen, L. (2007)
Human resource management for events: Managing the workforce. Oxford:
Elsevier Ltd.
If laws are being brought in to restrict unpaid volunteering, will the government be giving more funding to arts organisations to cover the costs of more paid staff?
ReplyDeleteAs you might be aware, the government have been pretty harsh on the arts and aren't looking to increase any support soon. But what can be considered in the context of our blog, Art Fairs are often highly commercial (just think of Frieze)and can generate a good income, even if it isn't for profit. However none of it goes to the hard working volunteers that made it happen.
DeleteThe laws aren't however changing to restrict unpaid volunteering (the government is actually trying to encourage more volunteering through different schemes), what is changing is more publications and policies that provide clearer frameworks on how to manage your volunteers, for the benefit of both parties.
Natasha has just posted some interesting stuff in volunteer contracts developments that touch on the same subject. In that you can also find more on financial obligations.