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

There are lots of important jobs that people do not do much most of the time. Night security, gallery attendants who spend a lot of their time just sitting or standing watching people, some shop staff in shops with some hours with no or few customers. When a large car showroom was being built near me, there was a security guy sitting in there every night by himself just watching in case anyone tried to damage it. No one came near. He was paid to literally sit there every night for weeks.
You do not get to decide whether to pay people based on how much people do. If it is labour for a business it should be paid.
The "volunteers" do not even get the support, training and development opportunities that any good charity would provide as standard.

Can I ask how much actual time it takes to do the job, and does it sometimes require you just being present on here but not doing anything? Also do you ever wish you could be paid for it? Thanks for all you do! 💜

With the size and profitability of mumsnet, a million a year profit in the last accounts despite a challenging environment, it seems rather cheap to be relying on unpaid volunteers to monitor the site at night.

Surely they could afford to pay a few staff to moderate the website

at the misleading and alarming thread title.

I supppse the difference is you have ownership of your reddit sub, can within some very broad perimeters set the rules, who can post, who can see, choose to delete posts you don’t like etc. while to be honest it’s been made very clear over the years MN is not ours in any way and you have none of that ability, we are actually the product mn is selling.

Why are you being personally insulting?
I personally mod a reddit sub. I do understand exactly how it operates and how different it is to MN.
If MN allowed users to set up its own board where the user could control membership, whether the board is public or private, and the mod rules for that board, I would set up an MN board and mod it.
Reddit is a very different model to MN. Reddit is basically a software platform that you use for free in return for putting up with advertising. But you have a lot of control over how you use it.
We have very little control as users on MN. We can not even edit or delete our own posts or comments. We certainly can not control who are members or have any control over the mod rules.
They are very different types of platforms.

@antelopevalley since you now know that Reddit mods do $3.4million of unpaid work, how are you going to approach it with Reddit?

I'm not a member. Their model has always seemed exploitative and poorly moderated to me. Its ethos and values don't match mine. It reminds me of HuffPost which is built on not paying for content hence why a lot of its content is very poor journalism. Anyway, are you going to continue to use Reddit when you now know its exploitative? Or are you going to campaign for change on there?

@GoldenSongbird I have already explained the vast difference between MN and Reddit. Asking Reddit for pay would like being asked to be paid for modding my personal facebook wall if friends fall out.

@antelopevalley you tagged me. And you tagged me in a post that was completely inaccurate and insultingly framed a question to me. If you don't want posters to respond to your inaccuracies and insults then don't tag them.

we are actually the product mn is selling.

We are, but having to see a few ads (providing they don't interfere with the functionality of the site) is in my view worth it for the good things that MN has brought to my life. Where else could I see the Jubilee Pageant re-enacted by Playmobil!?

Are you kidding? Besides the fact that security guards are always alert and paying attention (so actually doing something), do you realise what their job is if something does happen? The dangerous situation would need to put themselves in?

The Night Watch just hide threads.

And I’m confused what support and training you think they need.

You do not get to decide whether to pay people based on how much people do.
Every single business in the entire world decides how much they pay people based on what those staff members do and the supply/demand for the staff.

@Sweetpeasaremadeforbees I’m here so I’m obviously fine with it too - but don’t forget it….

@ReeseWitherfork every single business has to pay at least minimum wage.

Volunteers in good charities get training and development, if they want it, to help them develop. Not simply the bare minimum needed to do the job.

We just browse Mumsnet as any other user would - there is absolutely no pressure to be “on duty” and if there’s trouble down t’mill, we swoop in and have the power to hide threads and replies.

it’s not a huge job (apart from when there is a troll making mischief, or an invasion of spambots) but it’s interesting. I’ve been on Mumsnet for many many MANY years and am able to take a step back from the fray to deal with problems overnight.

no, I’ve never wished I was paid.

I don't forget it, but I'm fine with it on MN. Whereas I'm deliberately not on Twitter and FB because I disagree with their ethics and refuse to give them my data to use as they wish.

How exactly would night mods get paid? Each time they delete a post or hide a thread? Like piece work? Some nights nothing much might happen. Would they get the same as the day mods who are presumably a lot busier, and not browsing MN as a user like night mods but waiting for reports?

What a daft thread. Disgusting? Shocking? Seriously?😂

it’s sone volunteers who choose to do it as and when they please, some folks who work night shifts, some who suffer insomnia etc from what I understand. All they do is hide threads till the mods start work.

Goodness! This thread is certainly bringing out the trolls, GFs and bitchploppers.

Well they can just… ya know… not volunteer if they want.

Being paid is a different commitment from being a volunteer. I think if Night Watch staff would rather be paid with the resulting employment contract then they should be. Equally if they want to volunteer then they shouldn't be forced into a paid role with the demands and restrictions concerning hours. I also hate that posters who didn't even know they existed are now 'speaking' on their behalf.

With all the trolls targeting MN during the night, I think it would be great if there were restrictions around night time posting like we have in the Sex topic. Put all the new posters in bed by 8pm GMT

So it's a job that is required, in order to prevent chaos in the morning, it's a job that Mumsnet could afford to pay someone to do, and it's a job that someone could do from home; perhaps someone with a disability or limited mobility or mental health issue?

Absolutely disgraceful that they use unpaid volunteers when they could use their power to turn someone's life around with actual, paid employment.

This would be set out by employment legislation as to what is required.

Every single business doesn’t have to pay minimum wage if they ask for volunteers.

Would it though?