It wasn’t always this way, but in today’s world, employers are firing employees and seeking volunteers to do not only girl-friday jobs, but also the high value but usually overlooked jobs which often boost their corporate image. For example, back in the ‘00s, they would not pay you for writing until you resign and they are so desperate they offer minimum wage for the next person. This is a premeditated act dressed up as “You-made-us-desperate blame-game. I can say after 30 years volunteer work, I’ve had enough. I really don’t care to work for free.

By scrolling through the Go Volunteer site, you can find plenty of previous paid work now rebranded as a volunteer position. They over-glorify your volunteer position. They offer in the subtext that you’ll be doing important and respectable work. Well duh, because previously they used to pay good money to some poor bloke who is now made redundant. The responsibilities you’d pick up are heavy indeed; and you are blindsided enough by its glory to do it for free.

Don’t be fooled. Standards for corporate ethics are morally unethical. I’ve worked in the field of writing and can say after putting my passion into that voluntary work that nobody pays you for your enthusiasm and hard work. They will pay the next gal because after all most smart people only see it as a paycheque. Passion and competence do not pay. Plodding and negotiation do.

When it comes to myself, I think those hours of volunteering only proves now that I deserved to be paid. Since the sister organizations kept sending in laudatory letters and to the executive director, the E.D. gave me a backhanded compliment and called the newsletter their organization’s “flagship”. But if I mentioned a previous paid writing job, he diminished it by saying , “Well, that was a feather in your cap. Now onto more important things. How do you feel like writing about…” Shameless promoting and selling after negging me.

All volunteer work is premeditated corporate robbery. I don’t care what agreement went on between both parties. There is no excuse for not paying for work done and done well. I don’t care for the over-glorified responsibilities as a boost to self-esteem.

Volunteerism is not a boost to your self-esteem. It’s just staff are kind to dumb suckers. All work rightfully deserves of remuneration. Using mentally challenged or ill people for free labour is what it is: exploitation.