By Maria Azzurra Volpe
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The internet has urged an intern not to chip in for their boss' birthday party after they received an email asking them to contribute over five hours' worth of pay.
In a post shared on Reddit on Tuesday, which has so far received almost 10,000 upvotes, the intern, under the username u/Hopplafish, explained that they recently received an email at work asking them to pay 20 euros (nearly $20) for their boss's birthday party, which is in October.
They said that on top of the 20 euros, which amounts to five hours of work since they're paid 4 euros per hour, they are also to bring food to the party, which will be at a location their boss owns.
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While some internships pay very little money, others don't pay at all. Data from Center for Research on College-Workforce Transition shows that 57 percent of interns in the U.S. are paid.
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Institutions that offer unpaid internships include non-profit organizations (54.7 percent), government agencies (22.7 percent), and for-profit organizations (about 23 percent). Among those in unpaid internships, 75.5 percent are women. According to the 2021 internship and co-op report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the average hourly wage for interns in the U.S. stood at $20.76
According to National Survey of College Internships 2021 report, fewer college students (21.5 percent) in the U.S. reported taking an internship compared to 50 to 60 percent in prior studies. The report mentioned the COVID-19 pandemic as a potential reason. During the pandemic, 64 percent of U.S. companies that canceled internships didn't offer any kind of compensation.
Most users who commented on the thread told the intern to save their money and opt out of it. Lufan132 said: "Don't." And ChildOf1970 suggested: "Move the email into your spam folder and ignore it."
ChronWeasely commented: "The audacity to ask that of anybody but an actual friend though... like I've been at a place for years and wouldn't hand over money if I didn't normally hang out with the person outside of work."
Another user, TommyTuttle, said: "Nope. Interns shouldn't be required to pitch in. Don't reply, don't say anything, just don't pitch in. If anyone "reminds" you, remind them that 20€ is five hours' pay to you. Ask if they would give five hours' worth of their wages. They cannot require you to give up the better part of a whole day's wages. They simply can't."
Barnesarama wrote: "Ask if you get 5 hours pay from your boss as a gift when it's your birthday." And LincHayes added: "Who do you work for, Mr. Burns?"
Newsweek reached out to u/Hopplafish for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
Do you have a similar monetary dilemma? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
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