Introduction
While hiring interns for unpaid positions with a promise of real-life experience is not illegal, it is a highly debatable approach to finding new talents. An inside look into business operations may help significantly to a fresh graduate, yet the question regarding the sacrifices necessary to be made for it still stands. The situation becomes worse if a company knowingly hires an intern without intending to somehow compensate for their efforts eventually and merely exploits their labor. This paper will reflect on the ethical issue that may arise during unpaid internships.
Discussion
The need to possess in-depth knowledge about internal processes specific to the industry causes many fresh graduates to become stuck in positions they did not intend to take. An unpaid internship may fill this gap and present a valuable experience, yet it has many ethical issues. Signing up for such a position leaves an intern with many uncertainties and a complete lack of essential benefits and guarantees, such as health insurance (Nickels et al., 2019). This risk must be justified by a promise of receiving a similar value back from a company. A probationary period when an intern works with a prospect of a full-time position if their performance is satisfactory will be more suitable for a company that seeks to weed out undesirable employees (Nickels et al., 2019). It is in a firm’s best interests to attract high-quality workers, making interns only a temporary option.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is unethical to earn profit from the work of a person who gets nothing in return for their efforts. If a company benefits from the work an intern student performs, their work should be paid, at least in the future. A firm may suffer losses in reputation and human resources if its attitude toward unpaid workers is unethical. Replacing pain positions with fresh graduates may cause a loss of experience, while refusing to hire unpaid interns can lead to a lack of new hires.
Reference
Nickels, W. G., McHugh, S., & McHugh, J. (2019). Understanding business (12th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.