Mumsnet not paying staff disgusting

[stepuporshutup]

Just read that mumsnet do not pay their night staff.
This cannot be true can it mumsnet?
If it is true then what is going on at mnhq
Aibu to be shocked by this
Or do fellow mumsnetters think it is ok to work for free
If the story is true

Surely they are doing well only if their income exceeds their wages bill by a reasonable amount

All these people comparing Mumsnet volunteers with eg the Samaritans or other charitable roles is hilarious. Mumsnet is a business setting out to make a profit - surely it's blindingly obvious why people are uncomfortable that they aren't paying people, and that this is different to charities?

How the hell is Mumsnet, a business turning over £5.9 million (year ended 31 December 2020 and dividends of £5.5 million in the previous year together with a £3 million plus wage bill) the same as the Samaritans, a volunteer dependent non profit charity?

The level of double standards on here is amazing. Pay rises all round for everybody but if it's Mumsnet...fine, get people to work for free.

Mumsnet is not a charity.

Ok, I'll rephrase that seeing as you seem keen to misinterpret my point. 😅

'What is the actual reason that Mumsnet chooses to have volunteers do the nightwatch rather than have paid staff?

It's always seemed very wrong to me too.

Here's the non-issue thread of the day. The night moderators are volunteers, they can un-volunteer themselves if they aren't happy with the arrangement. CTFD.

With Aidan and all those other young men?!

The question surely is why does a business with a £3.5 million wage bill rely on volunteers at night?

This is the vibe I’m getting too.

I always find it amazing, what people[the richer people normally] can get others to volunteer for free for.

Because they like not having to pay people. If they can get the job done for free, they will, and they are. It's not a big mystery.

Many years ago, I volunteered in a very similar manner, for a company that makes nowhere near the profits MN does. Once I'd shown I was a 'regular' and up to the job, they offered to pay me. I'd had no idea that other people were getting paid for what I was doing, but it sort of made sense to do it like that. It helps you get people who are passionate about what they are doing, rather than looking for money, and you don't need to pay if it doesn't work out.

Not that there's the same need for passion for the role at MN, but perhaps that's what MN is also doing?

If it's true that the night moderators are not paid that is highly immoral and exploitative.

MN is not a charity, it's a profit making business. As a feminist I feel really strongly about the unpaid, hidden work women often do to support society.

Why pay people when you can get the work done for free under the ruse of volunteering for the greater good?

I am amazed at people comparing this to schools or charities.
Charities are a public good to help people in need. Most would not exist without volunteers.
Schools have volunteers doing the extras that would not otherwise happen.
Having volunteers in a business making a LOT of money for its very rich partners is totally different. And yes it is unethical.
I do wonder of the nightwatch went to ACAS if they could lodge a claim to be paid minimum wage.
It is exploitation.
Would you be happy to be served by people volunteering in McDonalds or Pizza Express? Or to to have volunteers delivering your Ocado groceries?

"As a feminist I feel really strongly about the unpaid, hidden work women often do to support society."

And this. MN pose as feminist but exploit women to help them make more money.
And it is exploitation.

Do the nightwatch team only 'work' when they get pinged about a dodgy post, it's not like they are checking all posts all night?

Would you be happy to be served by people volunteering in McDonalds or Pizza Express? Or to to have volunteers delivering your Ocado groceries?

No but then I PAY for those services and certainly don't regard them as a community in the way that I view MN.

Anyway, good to see so many people are willing to pay for MN via Premium so that maybe those volunteers can be paid.

Lots of forums have volunteer admin and mods. The fact is MN is much quieter during the night and having people who use the forum actually makes a lot of sense because they know how to spot trolls and gfs; and can easily hide those threads.

The only issue is that in the last few years, the Sussex threads and the TRA threads have brought lots of trolls and gfs from other timezones to MN. It's why there's a flurry of gf and troll posts from about 10pm onwards.

Interesting thread, at first I did think it was a bit of a non issue, seeing as lots of forums rely on everyday users being non paid voluntary mods.

However, as pointed out, those forums aren’t all profitable businesses! This one is, and a very successful one too. So it’s definitely interesting to ask the question: Why do MN use volunteers at night instead of paid staff?

Of course they should be paid-

1. MN is not comparable to a charity or non-profit forum.
2. The fact they’ve volunteered doesn’t make it ok to exploit them. This forum is usually pretty hot on this stuff but not for them, for some reason.
3. It’s nice that people see MN as a community but it’s also a profit-making business making money from advertising. The fact we pay for it directly makes no odds- I don’t pay for ITV directly but I still expect them to pay their workers.

Big up to the nightwatch. Without them there'd be loads of vile stuff at night.

I can’t put it into words, but I feel like this comparison isn’t the same somehow. Almost as if you’re saying that those who complain about the staff not being paid are part of the problem, so we should pay for the Premium service?

We signed up to MN knowing it was a free site for the users, and that the creators would still make a profit, so we’re not exploiting them in any way. That’s the site that was originally intended, for it to be free to users, so we’re not doing anything wrong by choosing to use it like that. Them choosing not to pay some staff is a separate issue surely? I can’t explain myself properly!

If people wanted to be paid for doing something, then they wouldn't volunteer to do it for free, would they?

Am I the only person getting 'employ people like the infamous intern' vibes Always interesting to see posters who are new to MN; new to feminism and suddenly developing an interest in employment rights when they think there's an opportunity to try to infiltrate MN modding and admin again. Still, I'm sure I'm just deeply cynical and MN isn't going to get burnt twice.