Bad Economy Opens Door For Exploitation of Interns

Phoenix Managing Partner Pavneet Singh Uppal was interviewed on KTAR News Talk Radio on the topic of interns in the workplace. A poor economy and high unemployment has left many people looking to get their foot in the door any way they can. Pavneet said this can create a "perfect storm" for exploitation, especially of interns: "You have a greater pool of candidates who are willing to work for free and you have a greater potential pool of employers who might take advantage. That intern is entitled to be paid for all hours that he or she spent during the internship." He said he has seen more and more cases of companies using interns as free labor and warned, "That type of work that's unpaid during an internship has the possibility of displacing currently employed workers that can further lead to an increase in the unemployment rate." Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a specific crackdown about unpaid employees. The failure of businesses to follow the rules can have serious consequences.