Public Relations Princess

Speaking Out Against Unpaid Internships

A few months ago, I participated in the 140 Character Conference here in Des Moines. The format is pretty cool, kind of like a mini-Ted Ex. I could have spoken on any subject under the sun, but choose one that is near and dear to my heart: Student internships.

Recently, I read a Warren Buffet quote, "You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out," in reference to the shady financial practices perpetrated by Wall Street. The same is true with internships. When the economy turns for the worse, you find out which companies are ethical and which are not. 

Unpaid internships are illegal unless they meet very specific criteria. Any company who solicits unpaid interns is swimming naked in the human resources pool. The logical way to stop these internships is to encourage students not to take unpaid jobs. But, its much more complicated.

Universities are complicating the situation by posting unpaid internships right next to paid ones, which implies a tacit endorsement of the practices. To make matters worse, professors and programs at the college level emphazise the importance of internships in getting a job upon graduation. And I'll admit, as a hiring manager, I am usually more impressed by a student who has managed an internship or two on top of their academic duties.

Probably the most important thing to point out is that the students who need these internships are the LEAST LIKELY to rat on their potential employers. They're so desperate to get the experience that they will shell out a lot of money to live near the internship and work for free. The down economy is making the proverbial tide go out and stay out.

What's the answer to cracking down on these unpaid internships? Here are a few suggestions?

1. Speak out. When you see an unpaid internship offered, call the U.S. Labor Dept and report it. States have federal DOL offices. Here is the contact info.
2. Forbid your child from working at an unpaid internship.
3. Call local colleges and universities and ask them what their policy is on posting or tacitly encouraging unpaid internships. Follow up with the university adminsistration with a letter that contains the rules for internhips. 
4. If your child has worked an unpaid internship, you may be able to collect back pay, even if they agreed to work for free. Contact a labor law attorney to see if you have a claim.
5. Tell people you know that most internships, unless they exist to benefit the intern, are most likely illegal.

Companies who play be the rules should be the most concerned. Big, for-profit companies who offer unpaid internships are cheating the young people that they employee. It's wrong. And I'm speaking out.

Why Women in PR are Making Less Money

Preliminary data from a recent Public Relations Society of America’s 2010 Work, Life & Gender Survey shows that female practitioners' income continues to slide. The data indicate that the average annual income for men in public relations was about $120K; that figure for women was about $72K. In our 2006 survey, the average annual income for men was $98,188.82; the average for women was $67,853.08.

While researching this post, I found some very interesting (read: scary) opinions on whether a woman's place is at home with her children. As I've known since my kids were small, women have pressure coming at them from all sectors of society. Everyone has a different opinion of what women should do. I say women need to do what is best for themself and their family and ignore all the rest.

When I was 25, I already had two small children. My husband and I both worked full time and had the kids in daycare. I made the agonizing decision to stay home with them soon after my youngest daugther's first birthday. There were no shortage of opinions on what I did. My husband was scared to be a one-income family (I started an in-home daycare shortly thereafter), my friends rolled their eyes and told me how bored I would be. I stayed home for seven years, and during that time the personal computer was introduced en masse to the workforce. Just by not being there, I was falling further and further behind.

Upon re-entering the workforce at a ridiculously low salary, I found out why it's so hard to take a break. It took me most of the last ten years to catch up to where I should have been, salary-wise. And choosing PR as a profession nearly guarantees that you'll never be wealthy. There are very few examples I can cite in which a communications professional becomes the big boss.

A few other factors are in play as well:

1. There is still a taboo among most people about talking about salary. It amazes me that acquaintances will tell you all about their sex life or relationship and no one ever talks about how much money they make.
2. Men ask for more money when they get hired, they're more aggressive about asking for raises, and they don't hesitate to job-hop when they get sick of waiting for a raise.
3. In exchange for more flexibility at work, many women work part-time or stay in positions which they are not as responsible for as much as their more career-forward co-workers.
4. Maternity leave sets women back. Period. End of story. I have seen it happen with my own two eyes. Part of it is how women are viewed by their peers (men and women alike) and part of it is actually covering for the person who is gone.
5. Managers don't want to hire pregnant or women who are thinking about having a baby. If they have a choice between an equally qualified man and woman, they'll choose the man every time. It's hard to prove, but I've heard the comments with my own two ears.

My advice to women in the workforce who suspect they are not being paid as well as a male colleague: Do your research. Snoop around. Ask advice from people who you might be able to confide in. Arm yourself with surveys that indicate what the going rate for your position is. Then complile a list of your accomplishments and ask for a raise. You can do it. If they say no, move on. Sometimes the only way to get a raise it to move to a different job.

Update (3-14-11) Found this article on Forbes Woman today that adds to the conversation.

Have you ever found out you were making less than a male colleague? Have you ever asked for a raise?

Ladies, Don't Cry (at Work)

I've heard so much advice about whether women should cry at work or not, I'm going to participate in the debate. As they say, I've "been there, done that."

Last week, on 60 Minutes, John Boehner lost it several times. There is open debate whether he is just emotional, or plain crazy. It doesn't matter, because men can cry. Or yell, or act superior, or laugh or pretty much do whatever they want at work. They are men.

I've been in the workforce now for 30 years. When I was 14, I started my first job at a small ice cream shop called Frosties. It was near my home and a perfect job for a young kid. All my friends stopped by, I learned how to handle money, practice my customer service skills, and be away from my parents.

Frosties served delicious homemade sandwiches. On Saturdays, Cindy, my boss, would make gigantic batches of sauce and meatballs and other stuff to be ready for the week. She was 9 months pregnant and had just cleaned the cooler. I picked up a big five gallon bucket of sauce, swung it up and over the lip of the cooler with my knee, and promptly spilled the entire bucket. Sauce went everywhere. Cindy lost it.

I was too shocked to cry on the spot and offered to clean up the mess. I think the last words she yelled at me as I cowered home was, "NEVERMIND! I will do it." I cried all the way home, and for several hours thereafter. The next day, everyone had calmed down, and we both apologized. Me, for the spill, and she, for her reaction. By the way, she and I still dear friends. We just laugh about it now.

Years later, I was working for a local non-profit organization and we had an auction every year. After the auction event, we hauled everything back to my office. One of the gift baskets that had been purchased contained some donated wine and cigars, as well as a gift certificate to a local restaurant. They'd paid more than $500, so it was not a cheapie. Unfortunately, in the shuffle, someone pushed the basket too far under my credenza and it spilled over, dumping out the cigars and crushing them.

At the time, I was making barely enough money to survive. I had a real bitch for a boss, so I knew that going to her for sympathy, or more money to replace the cigars was out of the question. I took the basket home, repacked it, and the next day, stopped by the cigar store to replace the items that were crushed. $30 later (a fortune at the time), I was on my way to the donor's home to deliver the basket.

About the time I pulled into their driveway, it started pouring rain. Not just rain, but big 'ol fat rain, as Forrest Gump would say. I tried my best to shield the basket, but by the time I got to the door, it was soaked. As soon as the man opened the door, I tried to speak, but all that came out were sobs. I tried to explain what had happened, he just looked back at me with an unsympathetic stare. Not acknowledging my predicament, my tears, or the rain, he just grabbed the basket without saying thanks and shut the door.

Another time, I was working as the assistant to the state director for the Gore campaign. There were 20-somethings everywhere, each on the phone calling people in their assigned precincts, trying to sew up the vote for Gore. One night, during "call time" as it's known in the biz, a female co-worker got a phone call on her cell phone. She started screaming, crying and acting hyterical. Her cries were somewhere in between a hyena and a dolphin. I kid you not, she was causing quite a commotion. I got her out of the big call room she was in and drug her outside, just so the others could finish their calls. Afterwards, I learned that a very close friend of hers had been diagnosed with brain cancer. I can tell you for sure that everyone who witnessed her meltdown that night remember her crying more than her work.

I've cried at work. Sometimes out of frustration or humiliation or anger; sometimes I got bad news over the phone such as the death of my grandmother. I've cried while trying to explain my side of a situation. I even have the annoying misfortune of crying when I laugh too hard.

I've been on both sides of the manager-employee equation. Here are some generalities that I've come up with for females in the office when it comes to crying.

1. In the vast majority of cases, it is best NOT to cry at work. Period.
2. Some people will see you as weak if you cry at work. Period.
3. Men are seen as warm, caring and kind when they cry. Women are not.
4. Women who cry at work undermine their own credibility.
5. If you cry over a personal matter at work, do not talk about the reason you are crying. All anyone will think about is how much time you're spending away from your job to be upset.
6. If you are upset about work and feel a good cry coming on, get out of the office, preferably for the day. It's just as hard to explain why your face looks like you've been bawling than to explain why you are bawling.
7. If you tear up unexpectedly, cough hard and grab a kleenex. Pretend that you have a cold.

The only real exception I could come up with is if something really horrible and unexpected happens, like the death or injury of a loved one.I know I am going to hear a few opinions on this, and I welcome your comments. Do you agree that women should not cry at work? Are there any exceptions?