'Absolutely report her and her business': Shady birthday party company requires 8 weeks of free labor from teenage employees

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 27, 2024 6:00 PM EDT

Getting your first job can be exciting. It feels like a step toward independence, having your own money, and making your own way in the world. It can also be a frightening awakening to the grim realities of the adult working world. My first job was a bundle of interesting experiences. I had an eccentric boss who had unconventional ways of running her business, and I learned a lot from watching her work. More acutely, I  learned to look for warning signs in an employer. Everything turned out fine, but since I was young, I could have easily been taken advantage of. 

When you've never had a job before, it's harder to stand up for yourself. That's hopefully where parents come in. When the time is right, they can swoop in and protect their child from being exploited. That's exactly what happened in this recent Reddit story where a kid's potential first job turned into a teachable moment. 

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  • 01
    "This lady is flaunting the fact that she uses illegal child labor"
    via Angelina Yan
  • 02
    r/antiwork u/DetroitsGoingToWin ⚫ 4d A lesson for my child
    via u/DetroitsGoingToWin
  • 03
    My daughter (15) applied for a job today. The company puts on expensive girls birthday parties. We're talking $1k for a 3 hour party plus add on's. So they interview 60 high school girls for 10 non paid "audition" spots. They go way over the top with the interview process, tell them to write a resume, cover letter, references plus they have them do tests. The "assist" gives them pointers on how to address the woman who owners the place like she's the queen of England.
    via u/DetroitsGoingToWin
  • 04
    The 10 girls that "win" the audition get to work 12 hours per week for $0 for 8 weeks. At that point the owner goes away on a 1 month vacation and the the auditions are suspended for a month. After the month, supposedly they plan to hire 5 girls at minimum wage.
    via u/DetroitsGoingToWin
  • 05
    I was so proud of how my daughter handled her interview, but I told her there is no way she should ever work for such an exploitive boss like that. I pulled out my calculator and showed my daughter how she saves $10,000 exploiting high school kids for two months, then take a month-long vacation. I, I'm calling the labor I am so department and putting her on blast on google just for even thinking about ripping off with my kid.
    via u/DetroitsGoingToWin
  • 06
    BeBraveShortStuff • 4d Let her listen in when you call the labor department. She'll remember that for the rest of her life- not just the information you get, or the fact that her mom advocated for her, she will remember she was worth advocating for, and no manager will be able to take advantage of her.
    via u/BeBraveShortStuff
  • 07
    SuckerForNoir Robots • 4d . Privledged | Pot-Smoking | Part-Timer Glad she's got a parent like you looking out for her.
    via u/SuckerForNoirRobots
  • 08
    overkillsd 4d . This sounds extremely illegal It is rigiboto01 • 4d Reply 1.9k
    via u/overkillsd & u/rigiboto01
  • 09
    Indecisive action • 4d Absolutely report her and her business. She may have to back pay every girl she has ever done this to. Any real work done, regardless of if it is part of an interview process, must be paid.
    via u/Indecisive_action
  • 10
    sopcannon 4d All work unless it is charity work should be paid, any company making a profit and using employees to do it should also pay the employees.
    via u/sopcannon
  • 11
    singularpotato • 4d Working with young people, I love how fast they are to quit exploitative employment situations. They truly take none of the that millennials or gen x used to take from our first bosses and they should be admired for it instead of dismissed as lazy.
    via u/singularpotato
  • 12
    MasterOfKittens3K • 4d Gen X here. Gen X and Millennials were raised in a world where the old compact was still at least paid lip service to. There was an implicit agreement that loyalty would be rewarded. But that compact was not honored when we got into the workforce. We all saw that loyalty was not rewarded. The company would never hesitate to let anyone go, if there was a profit to be made - even a very small one. So the young people today have grown up in a world where the adults don't tell
    via u/MasterOfKittens3K
  • 13
    juliettees0825 • 4d This lady is flaunting the fact that she uses illegal child labor to run her business
    via u/juliettees0825
  • 14
    Wonderful-Glass 380 • 4d wow i'm glad you called the labor department. that is so wild. this lady!
    via u/Wonderful-Glass380
  • 15
    ananikifo 4d • Good for you and your daughter! If you haven't already, I would talk to your daughter's school and they might warn the students and parents about this exploitation, since it seems high school kids are being targeted. It raises safeguarding concerns for me, especially as it's only girls and they're asked for a lot of information about themselves.
    via u/ananikifo
  • 16
    Axentor 4d Good for her and good for you. My niece worked for one day at a detailing job. When she 15, found out she wasn't getting paid as much as her slightly older coworkers because labor laws allow ag business to pay 15 year olds less. She said "I will not work where I get paid less because of my age "so proud of her.
    via u/Axentor
  • 17
    I_wood_rather_be⚫ 4d I am all for letting my kids have their own experiences. Sometimes even bad ones. That's how you learn to get through life. But there is definitely a point where you have to step, in to protect your child and that's here.
    via u/I_wood_rather_be
  • 18
    Detroits Going ToWin OP. 4d 100% agree. Honestly when I was talking to my wife, I had se self-doubt about how I handled it but the one lesson that I hope my daughter took away was when I pulled out the calculator. She wants 12 hours per week and she is saving $10.33 per hour (MI minimum wage) = $123.96 X 10 girls $1,239.60 = X 8 weeks = $9,916.80 of free labor this lady get, then she takes the month of Jiuly off. Then 4 weeks later 5 get jobs (supposedly, no contract) Or another way to look at i
    via u/DetroitsGoingToWin

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Tags

shady antiwork internship workplace-stories birthdays jobs teenager toxic-workplace job teenage labor bad jobs teenagers new job free labor job interview first job job application
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