SHODDY LETTER IS A POOR REWARD FOR FIVE WEEKS’ UNPAID LABOUR
A young jobseeker has revealed publicly his reference from supermarket giant Asda, in which the author couldn’t even be bothered to get his gender right. Former music student Joseph Wilson had worked for five weeks unpaid – including night shifts. As he wasn’t offered a job at the end of his placement, this reference was intended as his reward.
Joe showed Channel 4 News what was apparently a template letter written on Asda headed paper. In it, his name had been written in pen in blank spaces provided within the text. The reference read:
“We can confirm that [Joseph] worked for us as a Shopfloor Assistant on a temporary basis for approximately eight weeks. During this time she proved herself / himself to be punctual and hardworking. She / he was a team player but was also able to work using his / her own initiative when required.”
A disappointed Joe said “It would have taken them two minutes [to delete she and put he] and they couldn’t even be bothered to do that.”
The sloppy recommendation was seen as Channel 4 News revealed that Asda is yet another supermarket giant that has been participating in the government’s controversial work experience programme, where young jobseekers work for up to eight weeks unpaid, in supermarkets, discount stores and fast food chains.
Joe and 11 other jobseekers worked at the Harrogate, North Yorkshire, store during the Christmas rush – and he says that his job centre made clear that the placement was mandatory, not voluntary. “We weren’t asked anything, we weren’t asked, we were told. This is what you’ll be doing,” he said.
And Joe denied that he was just work shadowing, saying:
“We were doing the work itself. For the first week or so I’d have a manager hanging round just to make sure we weren’t doing too badly. After that we were basically doing the work.”
He also said that his paid colleagues were concerned that their hours had been reduced since Asda as a result of him being there:
“At nights when it was quiet and there was no one around to hear it would be like ‘This is rubbish. There’s no overtime and you’re doing our work for us’.”
Graduate Fog has been shocked about many aspects of this controversial work experience programme, which we strongly believe is unhelpful for young jobseekers – and pushes paid work further out of reach for the majority. But the very least these companies – and the government – can do is ensure that every participant receives a decent reference. That they can’t even be bothered to do that speaks volumes.
Want to see the reference for yourself? Click here to view the video
*WOULD YOU HAVE BEEN PLEASED WITH THAT REFERENCE?
Is it further proof that the work experience is a bad deal for young jobseekers? And do you blame the government – or the companies themselves?
He also said that his paid colleagues were concerned that their hours had been reduced since Asda as a result of him being there:
This is true, the same is true when customers use self service tills at supermarkets – but how many make the same connection.
Automation typically means people lose jobs, but we all willingly accept it. I now visit my Sainbury’s local and no one speaks to me, I go in, get my own basket, do my shopping, take stuff of the shelves myself, queue up, check out all the shopping myself – pretty soon I’ll turn the lights on and off and sweep up I exit and leave. I do it because I have to, they won’t lay on extra staff now, I’m forced to use the self service, sometimes the tills are completely unmanned.
Rant over. Normal service resumed.
PS> A robot typed this.
Surely that reference is not even worth the paper it’s written on?! how appalling. I feel the jobless get penalised enough without being made to work for so called ‘experience’. (and when i say jobless i mean the people who are actual decent people that want to contribute to society and get a job).
No instead you’re making people do your work…for free. You pay no wages, and you pretend that the ’employee’ gets something out of it….Bulls**t. From what i’ve read about these schemes it seems the only thing they get out of it is depression, anxiety and a feeling of being used. And in this example the employer couldn’t even vindicate themselves by giving him a worthwhile reference…, y’know maybe a good deed that takes a few minutes…for someone who’s worked for you for what…8 weeks?! FOR FREE?! and saved you £££’s in wages???
I am unemployed but I’m fortunate that i can get by financially at the moment…these schemes are a disgrace. They really are.
Well done Derrick, you’ve just compared the use of free labour from the unemployed as the same thing as supermarkets installing more self service check outs. So machines and humans alike both shouldn’t be paid then? Makes perfect sense to me(!)Great example, as per.
Lisa stop being so personal. Last 2 comments you’ve made were aimed directly at me. I’ve compared the outcomes and focussed on job creation. All you did was criticise. Grow up.
To be honest Derrick, your comments I find extremely ill informed and quite personal to all graduates struggling. In every article you rarely post anything that resembles helpful and useful information to the debate. This website is to help graduates who are struggling and all you do is add to the side which keeps telling us to stop complaining and that nothing is wrong. Maybe you should comment on a website that is mostly connected to your views instead of coming here and graduate bashing.
(Not to mention ‘Tanya bashing’ and picking at “flaws” in her articles (NMW, chapter titles in her future book, etc). I would argue that’s personal and unnecessary to the writer!
Yeah we get that you’re always peeved at me Lisa and Tanya defends herself. Have a rest, keep breathing, you’ve made your point and I’m sure Tanya will step in if people get out of line. End of.
Wouldn’t the world be such a lovely place where people only heard exactly what accords to their views?
Lisa, you’re wrong. Derrick’s comparison is a valid one; Automation and unpaid internships are similar. The result is paid job losses; the reason is corporate greed. Both will result in less paid jobs.
Unfortunately, you can’t regulate automation… Then again, the government can’t seem to regulate unpaid internships either!
I just think it’s a flawed comparison and trying to make that quote redundant via that comparison, for me, doesn’t work.
And sorry Derrick but it is frustrating seeing someone be so constantly negative on a site that is to support graduates.
Please keep bringing these to light and if you can bring them to attention of the wider press because it goes to show how mendacious the government has being.
How does it help people into work if the store can’t even be bothered to supply a decent reference?
How does it help people into work if the other employees are noticing that there is less overtime available or less people are being hired?
Whoops I meant has been 😉
The reference is pathetic, but what is also of particular concern is that Asda (and most likely other companies participating in Workfare) seem to expect to wash their hands of their slaves once the placements are over. The vast majority of employers would not want to accept a reference already in the possession of an applicant, as there is the possibility of the applicant having forged it, so employers usually expect job applicants to give them referees’ details, then the prospective employer will want to contact the referees directly.