BUT SUPERMARKET INSISTS IT’S DOING NOTHING WRONG
An online ad for an unpaid (expenses-only) intern to spend 3-6 months working on Tesco magazine has been widely condemned as the latest example of big business’ disgraceful attitude towards young workers.
Yet, in an extraordinary display of so-not-getting-it, the supermarket giant’s Press Manager David Nieberg told Graduate Fog he doesn’t see what the problem is – and passed the buck to Cedar Publishing, the contract publisher which produces Tesco magazine and placed the original ad.
The advertisment states that the role involves:
“…providing administrative and organisational support for the editorial desk, along with the chance to learn and develop basic journalism skills including researching, fact checking and writing news and feature content.”
“The role is not salaried by we will pay basic expenses and provide a genuine opportunity to learn key skills.”
In an email I sent to Nieberg last night, I explained:
“While everybody knows that unpaid internships happen, they are usually something of a ‘guilty secret.’ It is highly unusual to see them advertised quite so blatantly – particularly by a large company such as Tesco.”
I then listed six questions I’d like him to answer, which were:
1) What is Tesco’s policy on using unpaid interns throughout your business?
2) What is your policy on advertising for unpaid interns? Are you aware that it is legally dubious to do this, not to mention ethically?
3) Were you aware of the ad, before I brought it to your attention?
4) If you were unaware of it, is this something you will be speaking to your contract publisher Cedar about?
5) Now that you have been made aware of it, will you be removing it?
6) What will happen to any applications you have already received for this role?
His response?
Hi Tanya, this is something you will need to discuss with Cedar Publishing.
Kind regards
David
I’m not kidding- that was it.
Despite the fact that Tesco is the ‘client’ (who calls the shots) and Cedar is their ‘supplier’ (who works for them), Nieberg made it clear he sees no reason why Tesco should comment on this matter, despite the fact that the advert carried Tesco’s name. I disagree.
So I replied:
Hi David,
I’m rather surprised by your email!
I understand that it was Cedar who posted this ad, but as the Tesco magazine carries the Tesco brand I would imagine that Tesco would want to make a comment on this – no?
Can I also ask what your job title is, within Tesco’s press office?
Thanks,
Tanya
His reply:
Tanya,
Can I ask what your issue is with advertising an internship on a magazine? I have seen many such adverts with national newspapers, such as The Guardian, advertising for internships.
I worked for many years as a journalist and work experience/internships are an invaluable way of gaining experience in an industry that is very difficult to get a foothold in. I personally worked on this basis for two national newspapers and was extremely grateful for the opportunity.
When I was doing my NCTJ training as a journalist, an unpaid internship on a newspaper was compulsory as part of your training.
How do you arrive at the conclusion that experience on a magazine, helping someone at the start of their career build up contacts and a portfolio, is a guilty secret?
Thanks
David
My reply:
David,
You are clearly a very long way behind the unpaid internships debate, which has become a national scandal. Journalism is one of the most notorious industries for exploiting interns using long, unpaid placements which do not lead to permanent work. Not only does this practice exploit the interns who do these roles – it also unfairly excludes those who cannot afford to work unpaid.
Although – as you say – unpaid internships have been happening for years, the practice is spreading at an alarming rate and many employers are guilty of using unpaid interns long-term, to cut their costs.
The Tesco / Cedar ad is an extreme example of how this practice has apparently now become so ‘acceptable’ that these positions are advertised publicly.
Of course, the other reason why this ad is of particular interest is because this story involves Tesco, which usually takes the utmost care to protect its image as a family brand.
If you have no further comment to make, please just advise me of your job title.
Thanks,
Tanya
Since then? Nothing. (I found his job title on LinkedIn).
I will give him another hour or so – and then I’ll go to Cedar to see if they want to make a comment. But really, since it’s Tesco magazine – which they pay Cedar to produce for them – I think they should accept ultimate responsibility.
If Tesco’s financial arrangement with Cedar means that Cedar does not have sufficient funds to pay for the junior staff it needs to create the magazine, then Tesco should be giving them more cash for this project. No?
On the up-side, two of the jobsites which ran the ad – Gorkana (again) and Journalism.co.uk – have now removed it.
Journalism.co.uk have also updated their policy so that unpaid internships advertised may not exceed one month.
Gorkana have not replied to my email.
Luckily, I took a couple of crafty screenshots before they took the ads down:
Tesco magazine’s ad on Gorkana:
Tesco magazine’s ad on Journalism.co.uk:
I am genuinely stunned by Tesco’s weak response to me bringing this to their attention.
There is simply no excuse for multimillon pound companies taking advantage of young people’s desperation to break into competitive industries like media by ‘hiring’ them for long stretches of unpaid work.
And I’m shocked at Tesco’s attitude that they’re not doing anything wrong. Their main defence – ‘But everyone else is doing it’ – is no defence at all.
I know everyone else is doing it.
But when Tesco – one of the UK’s biggest brands – feels it’s perfectly OK to advertise openly for a young, unpaid worker for a six-month, full-time role, this is surely a clear sign that something is very, very wrong with the world of work.
I’ve just read Nieberg’s correspondence again and can’t decide…
Do his emails suggest that Tesco doesn’t understand the internships debate?
Or that it simply doesn’t care?
*Should brands like Tesco be named and shamed for using unpaid interns?
If you’ve done an unpaid (or expenses-only) internship at a big brand, please email me directly here and I’ll look into it.
“Do his emails suggest that Tesco doesn’t understand the internships debate?
Or that it simply doesn’t care?”
It seems like the second answer to me. I just feel that they simply don’t care, like most large companies who exploit interns. Especially since the recession/financial crisis occurred, it seems that it has become acceptable to publicly advertise this sort of exploitation. It is truly alarming that any company would feel that this is an appropriate “opportunity” to publicly advertise, regardless of the economic climate. In my opinion an internship is an excellent way for a graduate to “learn key skills” but I see absolutely no reason why (or quite simply, from a financial perspective HOW?!) anybody can be expected to work without pay for up to six months. It’s ludicrous. All internships should be paid, at the very least the minimum wage, otherwise it’s disrespectful and insulting to all those of us who cannot afford to work for free.
oh this is a good one. an internship of that length of time would almost undoubtably be free labour which, as you point out, is illegal. There are so many companies skating on thin ice here.
Even in this recession, Tesco’s profits are still in the billions…BILLIONS…and have been for years. Yet David Nieberg is quite happy to support his company’s policy of NOT PAYING workers. I’d love to know what his salary is.
Perhaps this is how Tesco make so much much by exploiting every single worker associated with their tainted brand.
I will now go out of my way to NOT shop at Tesco.
I’m not sure that I agree with this article at all. Cedar Communications (who I worked for many moons ago) are contracted to product the magazine. This isn’t the fault of Tesco. The publication is the responsibility of the publisher. In this case, that’s contracted. The profits are different. I feel a little like Tesco are being hung out to dry, without all of the information – a quote from Cedar *before* this post went live could have changed that.
When I wrote about Tiffany Wright, I was accused by some of going after the small people, rather than the larger companies (not the case, I’ll address anything that I think is unfair in this industry). I think this post does the opposite. This internship does pay expenses, and whilst it’s very long and I don’t agree with that, I do know that Cedar have taken on interns and temporary staff in full-time roles. (Before you ask, I worked in the sales department at Cedar for a totally different magazine, and have no ties there – no influence in my comment at all).
Just like any publisher, Cedar’s part in the intern debate is important. I hate to say it, but I think this article undermines that issue.
@ Ali, Christopher and Jim – thanks for your comments, glad to hear I’m not the only one who thinks this situation has got completely out of hand!
@ Siany – I agree that we should give Cedar a voice in this debate – I only held off because I was hoping to get a proper answer from Tesco first – but I think I may have to give up on that! I’ve actually just emailed Cedar to say:
I’ll let you know what she says!
Although I agree that this ad is probably not the direct ‘fault’ of Tesco, I do believe they are ultimately responsible – and I certainly think they should provide some sort of proper statement, even if that’s just to say ‘Tesco asks all its suppliers to adhere to a strict code of conduct and on this occasion it hasn’t happened.’
The magazine is called ‘Tesco’ magazine. In my opinion, if Tesco is happy to gain the positive effects of Cedar’s hard work in producing this magazine, then they should also be prepared to share some of the responsibility if something goes wrong. As we saw with the BP oil disaster, passing the buck to your suppliers when something goes wrong isn’t a good look!
Hi everyone.
I wanted to respond quickly on behalf of Cedar and clarify the position. We have taken down this advert for an unpaid internship. This was an unapproved advertisement which had not gone through normal Cedar internal processes. It was lodged in error. This won’t happen again. I must clarify that this has nothing whatsoever to do with Tesco. We are an independent company and are solely responsible for this. While we do believe in offering internships on occasion as a way of providing valuable work experience and assessing potential future employees we always respect the minimum wage legislation. I trust this will close the matter.
Clare Broadbent
Managing Director
Cedar Communications Ltd
@Clare
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
However, I’m still confused. You say the ad was lodged ‘in error’ – but the contact name on the ad was that of Maureen Rice-Knight, who I understand is the Editor of Tesco magazine and therefore fairly senior at Cedar. If the ‘error’ was hers, is she not aware that it is legally and ethically dubious to advertise for a role like this?
Also, I’m interested to know at what point somebody would have stepped in to stop this placement from going ahead, if this had not been brought to your attention? I assume somebody has already started collecting applications? My point is that it sound to me like your system is a muddle, with editorial staff running recruitment without understanding the legal (or ethical) situation. What is to stop this from happening again?
I would also like to be clear that it is not only the fact that the role was unpaid that is the problem – it is also the proposed length of the placement. Whilst all unpaid work is illegal, the media is generally asked to keep placements to a four-week maximum.
Kudos to Tanya for chasing this up.
I too am wondering how someone can write a fully realised job description, conditions of employment and a designated named contact -“in error”.
Also under what circumstances could an advert go out against “normal internal processes”? A disgruntled Cedar employee gone rogue? A bring your daughter to work day gone horribly wrong?
It seems like a classic non-apology. The reason it appears they took the advert down wasn’t because they even realised that it may be wrong to make someone work for 6 months without paying them (bearing in mind it’s TESCO magazine we are talking about, not a UN humanitarian mission), but because they may attract negative PR. Possibly, the main thing they are keen that won’t happen again is being busted.
A statement from Alex Try, founder of Interns Anonymous:
“It’s disgusting that a company which such huge profit margins doesn’t even pay minimum wage for its young employees. The current internship culture fosters inequality as only those who can afford to work for free get ahead. Tesco should be named and shamed for this.”
Thanks Alex!
@Ian
Thanks for your support! : )
I agree that Cedar’s response was pretty inadequate – not to mention dismissive (“I trust this will close the matter” – Er, not if I’ve got anything to do with it, love!)
Anyone else agree / disagree?
I agree that the statement is pathetic and that Tesco/Cedar are clearly trying to avoid any further confrontation/PR damage by attributing their utter disregard for the basic right that all interns should have to be fairly remunerated for their work to an “error”. How very convenient…
What would close the matter is a promise not to do it again AND an acknowledgement that not paying people for the work they do is WRONG. Why don’t they have a 3-month probation period for new employees as a way of “assessing potential future employees” instead of making people work for free without even the promise of a job at the end? Sickening.
I’d love it if you could send me Nieberg’s email address – I’d like to let him know what I think. Same for whomever you contacted at Cedar.
Thanks,
James
@James
Glad to have another warrior fighting the good fight on this! : )
I’m not sure I should announce Nieberg’s email address on the site – not because I have any guilt towards him but just because I’m conscious my conduct needs to be as squeaky clean as possible if I’m going to start slinging mud at them! However, there’s absolutely nothing to stop you from finding it you can find it really easily for yourself by calling the Tesco press office, which is listed on their website as: 01992 644 645 ; )
Likewise, I’m sure you can find the details for Clare Broadbent no trouble by calling the main number at Cedar, which their website says is 020 7550 8000.
Be sure to let us know what response (if any) they give! I’m still in shock that neither of them has yet provided satisfactory answers to any of our questions.
And another Fogger pointed out to me yesterday that the two of them seem to disagree on what went wrong – if anything! Tesco seem to feel they’ve done nothing wrong – while Cedar called the incident an ‘error’! Er, which is it, folks?
Tanya x
In my experience, the lack of response is the norm rather than the exception. When my (polite) requests for info or responses go unanswered a few times, I usually state that I’ll have to hand things over to the HMRC and the appropriate union for further investigation.
@James – good idea, I’ll investigate my options.
Still no proper response from Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Weightwatchers or Superdrug… These people clearly don’t ‘get’ the internet! The longer this story sits there unanswered, the worse it looks, no? Or do you think they’re just hoping I’ll give up? How little they know me…! ; )
@James
I’ve just chased Morrisons, Superdrug and Weight Watchers for statements. The first 2 have promised to send something (haven’t heard from WW yet – but they said they were on the case last night).
Then Sainsbury’s said they’ll get back to me tomorrow… I can’t wait to hear what they’ve got to say! What do we reckon – will it be yet more guff about how ‘disappointed’ they are with the way I’ve handled this??
; )