Working for free
What have you got to lose? Nothing, of course, so speak up.
I’ve had this in my drafts for 18 months. From time to time I’ve revisited thinking I’ll snap it into shape, but I don’t because I am continually too het up about the subject. I concluded I don’t have it in me to write anything smart, cool or probably even coherent.
But, on the cusp of International Women’s Day, whilst I remain het up, I’m pressing publish regardless. It’s not the brilliantly written and particularly incisive, but sometimes writing something is (possibly) better than writing nothing.
Note: as a long time freelancer I am very aware that some of what we do is unpaid - pitching for articles or new clients for example, having initial meetings. I understand that comes with the territory. This is not about that type of thing.
Four highlights from my inbox over the last few years that got me particularly het up:
The new women’s members club (whose overarching vision was to empower women) who asked me to create, produce and host a series of wine tastings for their members, in exchange for no money and a six monthly membership (to a club I had no plans to join in the first place) so I could ‘network’. I’m place proper value on networking but the fact they asked me to be the host suggests I’d perhaps networked enough for the time being.
The trade magazine that invited me to go on a trip to a UK winery hundreds of miles away with no expenses covered… because they thought it would be interesting. If I wanted to spend upwards of £100 travelling to and from a winery (which is what it was going to cost me) I’d just do that off my own back. Not for their benefit where it would be presumed some free content would hopefully be created.
The content led wine merchant who asked me to write a piece for their site but said they have no budget for content, despite that being a cornerstone of their brand and business model.
The PR agency who asked if I would host an IWD tasting at a high end central London bar, mentioning how it was designed by a famous interior architect (in other words a high budget venue) yet there was no budget for me.
One of the best, if not the best way of supporting women anyone is to pay them fairly, and ideally generously. Not with perks. Or freebies. Or (trigger warning) exposure. But with money. Money they can spend as they choose and need. It could be for a holiday, some new clothes, some nice wine, a present for someone’s birthday. Or it could be food, bills, petrol or rent.
It doesn’t matter, because it’s none of your business.
I am asked regularly, by which I mean about once a month, to work for free. (This does not include charity requests, of which I get very few because I’m neither famous nor famously wealthy and, incidentally, if I can help a charity I will.)
Obviously they are rarely so explicit as to write ‘will you work for free?’ presumably because if they did they would realise what a preposterous proposition it is. They just don’t mention money. And then when you ask, they skirt around the fact that there isn’t budget and impress once more that it could be a really interesting opportunity for research/content/networking etc.
The ones that really rile are those that try to co-opt you under the guise of ‘support’, as if it actually is a charity and not their business enterprise. In the instance of initiatives such as IWD, there’s a sense that if you decline you are being a bad woman: unnecessarily unhelpful and just generally not a nice person.
There’s little doubt that the net impact of IWD since its inception in the early 1900’s is overwhelmingly positive but in certain corners of the world, or perhaps internet, it’s become a set up to guilt trip women into donating their time, energy and resources for free.
This year I was asked to contribute to one of those articles where you name other women you think are great (although since it’s been published I’ve thought of at least three people I failed to mention, so now I’m anxious about that) but I did at least get paid. A token amount, granted. And only because I asked.
You should ask too. Some people might think I’m a pain in the arse for asking annoying questions such as ‘what is the fee for this piece of work that is positively contributing to your business enterprise?’ but I think it’s a risk worth taking. In any case, it’s a win-win situation. You have, quite literally, nothing to lose.
Unfortunately, none of this nonsense is unusual. Plenty of friends tell me about the audacious requests and rewardless propositions they receive just as often as I do.
If you have some you’d like to get off your chest, pop them in the comment box below and perhaps I can collate a juicy dossier of nonsense for IWD‘27.
Say it louder for those in the back! Brilliant words and sentiment Spivey 🙌🙌
Spot on. No one should be working for free in the drinks industry, or any other commercial industry. While I understand why people might feel the need to undertake free work, I really think they shouldn't, because it simply encourages and normalises what is a truly unacceptable practice carried out in the name of nebulous, mostly illusory, rewards.