Have you ever been asked to work an unpaid trial shift?

bugslet · 20 November 2017 at 9:41PM

I'm an employer in the haulage industry and never asked anyone to do a trial shift. It's usual to be asked in our industry to complete an assessment of about an 30 mins to an hour to show you know how to do walk round checks, coupling up and can drive OK, but that would be it.

I have had an offer from more than one person to do a free trial, but declined.

I can see in some jobs there may be a call for a trial of sorts, but for basic jobs I think a test of no more than a few hours should be sufficient to tell if someone is suitable. More complex jobs then I'll take my cue from the software engineer, where a longer trial could well be appropriate.

AJS321 · 21 November 2017 at 12:47AM

I did a about 5 or 6 trial shifts when I was out of work a few years ago. I don’t see anything wrong with them as they’re usually just part of the interview process.

I did however have an issue with one company that made me go on a 3 week full time college course for training followed by a trial shift and still didn’t offer me the job for a very spurious reason. Very annoying when I was on JSA and had to ask my mum to pay for my train pass to get to college every day.

I got my first proper job after doing a 2 week work experience placement that was organised by the Princes Trust. My main concern with legislation would be that it could have the unintended consiquence of banning high quality work experience placements provided by reputable organisations for the right reasons.

After another short period of unemployment last year, I got a job after spending a half day shadowing someone, so this was something I benefited from.

I’m tempted to look at the glass half full and see trial shifts and work experience as a way for people to prove themselves to potential employers. This is especially true for young people who have never had a full time job before. Making employers put their hand in their pocket would just make life more difficult for the unemployed.

But looking at the glass half empty, I imagine some employers do use unpaid trial shifts to take advantage of people. There may be a need for regulation such as a maximum length of unpaid trial shifts, but I think a blanket ban would be a step too far.

Potbellypig · 21 November 2017 at 8:48AM

I once went to a job which was door to door sales (I didn't know this at the time, but that's a different story). I was given a 'mentor' to go around with and it took a couple of hours before I realised what was happening. So yes, but only for a couple of hours.

StewartMMcDonald · 21 November 2017 at 11:58AM

Many thanks for your responses so far. It's interesting to see the different experiences people have had with unpaid work trials. It's clear though most of us either have, or know somebody who has, done a work trial.

ska_lover wrote: »

I know someone who got stung for THREE consecutive trial shifts and then were turned down for the job

Disgusting.

I understand one, but three days worth is pretty much using the job market as free holiday cover

This is the one of the extreme, unscrupulous examples of the practice my Bill aims to stamp out. If people are going to be offered a trial period where they apply their skills in the hope of securing work then they should be paid fairly and properly.

mycleverbunnies wrote: »

My daughter did a whole week of 4 hour 'trial' shifts at a smoothie/crepe type shop under central station bridge.They then said she'd need to do another week 'unpaid training'. She said no.For the next year while I worked in town I had to walk past the shop in town seeing an ad in the window everytime for part-time staff and a mobile number to call.I am convinced they did this repeatedly to exploit young people and to get workers for nothing. I should have reported them but I didn't know who to.They could still be doing it if they are still there.

This is another unacceptable example, and if you do suspect that employers are failing to pay minimum wage, you can contact HMRC.

My Bill will make it clear that if a trial period is to be offered then the employer must pay up for that period whether or not a full offer of employment is made. To be clear, I aim to ensure work shadowing and volunteering are protected from the Bill, and then ensure employers cannot exploit such loopholes.

I am keen to hear more views of those who want to tell me what they think about this practice and how they would like to see it change and offer people better protection in the workplace

Comms69 · 21 November 2017 at 1:16PM

StewartMMcDonald wrote: »

Many thanks for your responses so far. It's interesting to see the different experiences people have had with unpaid work trials. It's clear though most of us either have, or know somebody who has, done a work trial.

This is the one of the extreme, unscrupulous examples of the practice my Bill aims to stamp out. If people are going to be offered a trial period where they apply their skills in the hope of securing work then they should be paid fairly and properly.

This is another unacceptable example, and if you do suspect that employers are failing to pay minimum wage, you can contact HMRC.

My Bill will make it clear that if a trial period is to be offered then the employer must pay up for that period whether or not a full offer of employment is made. To be clear, I aim to ensure work shadowing and volunteering are protected from the Bill, and then ensure employers cannot exploit such loopholes.

I am keen to hear more views of those who want to tell me what they think about this practice and how they would like to see it change and offer people better protection in the workplace

Perhaps limiting trial shifts to a few hours would be the answer.

Interviews are unpaid, but often have the same effect as a trial shift.

pete_v · 21 November 2017 at 2:05PM

bugslet wrote: »

More complex jobs then I'll take my cue from the software engineer, where a longer trial could well be appropriate.

Worth pointing out that the day in the office I did was unusual in the industry, possibly unique to that company. The normal approach is a couple of interviews, and possibly a short (under an hour) programming test.

Some places do hand out test assignments to be done in your own time, which is a little bit controversial, but it's not the same as this "free shift" thing because the task is just a "dummy" problem and not something the company can actually profit from.

Pete

mycleverbunnies · 21 November 2017 at 4:19PM

Hi
Yes it was Glasgow Central Bridge.I think I remember the name of the company but just incase I am wrong I won't mention it.
Wish I'd known about HMRC at the time.I was so cross on my daughters behalf.

ElefantEd · 21 November 2017 at 4:53PM

Would an alternative solution be to allow trial shifts; but if the applicant isn't subsequently offered the job, this has to be paid for at the normal rate for the job. This would enable employers to assess people who they are seriosuly interested in whilst deterring those who are scamming free labour (though quite why you'd want the hassle of a string of different people each day is beyond me).

StewartMMcDonald · 28 November 2017 at 10:50AM

ElefantEd wrote: »

Would an alternative solution be to allow trial shifts; but if the applicant isn't subsequently offered the job, this has to be paid for at the normal rate for the job. This would enable employers to assess people who they are seriosuly interested in whilst deterring those who are scamming free labour (though quite why you'd want the hassle of a string of different people each day is beyond me).

An interesting concept. Currently it is extremely difficult for the applicant to claim anything back as the law is incredibly grey, the workforce has not been unionised and it's never been tested in court.

I've had a lot people contacting me saying they've been in the situation where they've been asked to work a trial shift, subsequently told they didn't get the job and then it's become clear the employer never actually had a job in the first place. I'd be interested to know if anyone has experienced this?

Comms69 · 28 November 2017 at 11:29AM

StewartMMcDonald wrote: »

An interesting concept. Currently it is extremely difficult for the applicant to claim anything back as the law is incredibly grey, the workforce has not been unionised and it's never been tested in court.

I've had a lot people contacting me saying they've been in the situation where they've been asked to work a trial shift, subsequently told they didn't get the job and then it's become clear the employer never actually had a job in the first place. I'd be interested to know if anyone has experienced this?

Yes, telesales job. But again it was a learning experience.

I sometimes feel that the government does too much to 'protect' people and not enough to educate them to protect themselves

Have you ever been asked to work an unpaid trial shift?

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