Young people are often told that in comparison to the good ol’ days, we have it too easy. It is the 21st century and people are no longer forced to work in tough or unsafe conditions. Standards have changed. Circumstances are relatively easier than the experiences of our grandparents. Despite these improvements, there are still considerable and serious obstacles young people face when seeking and maintaining employment.
The most typical of these issues become apparent when young people seek their first job. It tends to go as follows: you need experience to work for us, but no place is willing to give you the experience in the first place. It is a classic ‘catch-22.’ Whilst it is perfectly fair for companies to request more experienced workers, this threshold becomes a daunting hurdle when it is a widespread norm practiced by an overwhelming majority of workplaces.
When this initial barrier is overcome, there are various other obstacles that face inexperienced workers in the ‘real world.’ Most notably, there are several practices and norms that exist in particular industries that clearly disadvantage youth.
Common in both hospitality and retail is the evidence of a biased pay structure that penalises individuals for being younger than their more senior employees. For example, various large retail chains pay a higher rate at the instance a person turns 21. This norm exists irrespective of how long the younger person may have been a loyal employee. Hence, older individuals who may be less experienced or less competent are paid more on the arbitrary idea that they are older, and thus more skilled. In turn, younger employees are instantly placed at a financial and psychological disadvantage when they are paid less for the exact same services.
The central issue is the tendency for younger individuals to willingly accept unfair conditions. Drawing on my own experiences, the owner of a restaurant repeatedly took large sums of money out of wait-staffs’ tips. The money was then placed into his own wallet. When queried about why he had taken the money, the excuse was that the EFTPOS machine’s fees were to be paid by cash out of the night’s tips. It wasn’t long before I was out of there and out of pocket a few hundred dollars.
This personal experience, relatable to anyone who has been taken advantage of by a person in a position of authority, captures a serious problem – young staff, due to their inexperience, are often too shy or scared to speak up and stand up for themselves. If they do, both employers and employees know that there are countless other unassuming and naïve youth ready to replace the workers that stand up for their own interests.
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s has created a video to explain to young workers their workplace rights and entitlements. The video emphasises the importance of knowledge in ensuring that young people are treated fairly and understand their rights. However, the video fails to acknowledge that employers will often oust any individuals that raise opposition to their treatment. This reality is more pronounced when the form of payment is cash, which is a common practice in hospitality.
Whilst not all employers can be characterised as purposely malicious, there are countless stories of young individuals being unfairly taken advantage of. Young workers must be reminded that there is no excuse for a sleazy boss, consistent underpayment or unfair working hours. Further, the government must provide legitimate avenues of recourse for employers that knowingly manipulate workplace conditions or wages.
Although conditions may be a lot better than they once were decades ago, they still have a long way to go.
