This is what ELM People, BFC's intermediary, say about themselves ....
ELM People offers a range of bespoke training and development programmes, customer journey mapping, and event management. Specialising in executive coaching and mentoring across all areas of our clients’ organisation, we will work with you to understand your needs, then build programmes addressing those specific needs.
The team at ELM People has a proven track record of delivering successful training and development programmes for our clients, including local authorities, retailers, national theatre companies along with event management for English Rugby Union Clubs and the London Olympic Games
The expertise and flexibility of ELM People enables clients to bring their ideas to life and liberate their potential.
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So, it was BFC's turn to board the gravy train (plus four years' parachute money). Nice job. Presumably ELM People are in this for a decent earner. For the folks who answer the call to get involved, there seems to be not the smallest crumb of compensation of any kind, other than the chance to do the work itself. The tasks seem 'soft', it's true, but they still involve dealing with the general public at a high-profile football match, and it doesn't take much for a well-meaning soul to find themselves suddenly very much involved at the sharp end.
Burnley is not a wealthy town. Within its city limits, however, a private organisation has struck gold but it seems it's in order for the organisation in question to hoard as much of its good fortune as possible. BFC has a thriving Community Trust - why not let the many worthy charitable activities be the beneficiary of the volunteers' goodwill, and let the football club fund its own needs. The scheme outlined above is just pure exploitation.
Tory MP and now brexit secretary Dominic Rabb was castigated for advertising for an unpaid 'intern' (he probably watches a lot of American TV). Perhaps the psychology of this latest 'work for me for nothing' trend is that those people and institutions offering the work see themselves as so great, others ought to be glad to have the opportunity to stand close to their greatness. Another layer is added if volunteers get taken to task for not doing the job well enough. Goodness knows where the whole issue lands in terms of insurance, law, and safety. To me it all feels like a modern version of cap doffing.
If the volunteer role was for example interacting with fans to promote Burnley's community work then I would not have a problem with it at all. We have volunteers who work for our Community operations.
But it isn't - the role as advertised, however much it is dressed up as something else, is 'Match Day Steward'. These volunteers will replace people (likely on worker agreements) who are currently earning at least NMW/NLW.
I think its a reasonable idea - but not for a PL club. They could afford to pay minimum wage easily. Suspect the hourly rate equates to less than a minute rate for most of their players! Also - the last line is the killer - by all means get keen supporters to volunteer (some people will certainly take up the offer) but to then say they may not be able to watch the game is a real kick in the teeth!
I'd have thought it was a bonus if you were a Palace fan.
I think its a reasonable idea - but not for a PL club. They could afford to pay minimum wage easily. Suspect the hourly rate equates to less than a minute rate for most of their players! Also - the last line is the killer - by all means get keen supporters to volunteer (some people will certainly take up the offer) but to then say they may not be able to watch the game is a real kick in the teeth!
It's really not about that. The people that will volunteer for this are the same type of people who did for the events I've listed above. Often these people range in age from 20-60+. Some use it as a way of getting good event experience under their belt, some look at it as a genuinely enjoyable past-time once retired, others actually take holiday to go away and volunteer while paying their own expenses. It's something they love doing.
This isn't about getting away with paying people minimum wage. This is about making use of the army of volunteers that currently love working at sporting events, and trust me some of them will have no interest in watching football - they simply want to be happy and make peoples experience a good one.
I've worked on events with volunteers exactly like this, and it's not something I could ever do, but credit to them.
Now, having said all that - volunteering on Rugby World Cup is slightly different to volunteering at Burnley so be interesting to see the take up.
De Turck thought this was a good idea too, seriously.
He also, allegedly, wanted us fans to clean up the stadium once the match was over.
Heard that too.
Really.
Having stayed at the SKY rooms at the Stayen, I witnessed the post match Sunday morning 'clean up team' turn up at the ground.
There must have been at least 20 of them working around the whole stadium, aisle by aisle. Fairly sure none of them were volunteers as they were all wearing the same company logoed boiler suits.
I despair at the fact that people need helpers to find their bloody seats!! - It aint difficult to read a ticket
Yeah, and everyone should know the seating plan off by heart.
Well they should know the fkin alphabet and how to count... you know A at the front... z at the back. Then left or right for the increase or decrease in numbers. Is that really hard ?
Z is not at the back.
Can you explain why I have to keep getting up and down while people walk all along our row, clutching a ticket, and with a bemused look on their face?
And that is with stewards!
Stupidity I suspect my friend, and unfortunately there is not yet a cure.
There are analogies with this in other industries. The fashion industry uses tons of unpaid "interns" mainly because they can get away with not paying, people are desperate to gain experience to get their foot in the door. Similarly, museums and galleries are staffed by many volunteers. I'm sure they all have fun, but the point is that the institutions/fashion brands all get a load of free work in stead of having to pay for it. That means that, for example, people who cannot afford to be an unpaid intern, live in London etc, won't apply, and won't then get the experience to find paid work. This leads to a total lack of diversity in certain industries, where only the rich can afford to find work. Same with journalism. Similarly, someone I know was trying to find employment in the museum sector, but couldn't because the job could go to someone retired doing it for a hobby.
The "heroes" at Burnley are doing work. Work that is important enough to need to be done... I don't care if they are happy to do it for free, pay them a proper wage.
There are analogies with this in other industries. The fashion industry uses tons of unpaid "interns" mainly because they can get away with not paying, people are desperate to gain experience to get their foot in the door. Similarly, museums and galleries are staffed by many volunteers. I'm sure they all have fun, but the point is that the institutions/fashion brands all get a load of free work in stead of having to pay for it. That means that, for example, people who cannot afford to be an unpaid intern, live in London etc, won't apply, and won't then get the experience to find paid work. This leads to a total lack of diversity in certain industries, where only the rich can afford to find work. Same with journalism. Similarly, someone I know was trying to find employment in the museum sector, but couldn't because the job could go to someone retired doing it for a hobby.
The "heroes" at Burnley are doing work. Work that is important enough to need to be done... I don't care if they are happy to do it for free, pay them a proper wage.
Yep, they are the real heroes worthy of praise (and large tax free payments)
There are analogies with this in other industries. The fashion industry uses tons of unpaid "interns" mainly because they can get away with not paying, people are desperate to gain experience to get their foot in the door. Similarly, museums and galleries are staffed by many volunteers. I'm sure they all have fun, but the point is that the institutions/fashion brands all get a load of free work in stead of having to pay for it. That means that, for example, people who cannot afford to be an unpaid intern, live in London etc, won't apply, and won't then get the experience to find paid work. This leads to a total lack of diversity in certain industries, where only the rich can afford to find work. Same with journalism. Similarly, someone I know was trying to find employment in the museum sector, but couldn't because the job could go to someone retired doing it for a hobby.
The "heroes" at Burnley are doing work. Work that is important enough to need to be done... I don't care if they are happy to do it for free, pay them a proper wage.
Yep, they are the real heroes worthy of praise (and large tax free payments)
There are analogies with this in other industries. The fashion industry uses tons of unpaid "interns" mainly because they can get away with not paying, people are desperate to gain experience to get their foot in the door. Similarly, museums and galleries are staffed by many volunteers. I'm sure they all have fun, but the point is that the institutions/fashion brands all get a load of free work in stead of having to pay for it. That means that, for example, people who cannot afford to be an unpaid intern, live in London etc, won't apply, and won't then get the experience to find paid work. This leads to a total lack of diversity in certain industries, where only the rich can afford to find work. Same with journalism. Similarly, someone I know was trying to find employment in the museum sector, but couldn't because the job could go to someone retired doing it for a hobby.
The "heroes" at Burnley are doing work. Work that is important enough to need to be done... I don't care if they are happy to do it for free, pay them a proper wage.
Yep, they are the real heroes worthy of praise (and large tax free payments)
So many people missing the point here - the people that will volunteer for this don't want paying!!!
They do it out of love for volunteering and do it for all sorts of reasons. Volunteers I've previously worked with on sports events have been from all sorts of backgrounds - some use it to grow in confidence and gain experience, some people are seriously high powered, well paid individuals who do it as an opportunity to give back, some are retired and it gives them something to get involved with.
This is so very different to unpaid internships etc. This is Burnley recognizing that these people exist and want to use their friendly nature to try and enhance the match day experience. A first in football really so will be very interesting to see how it goes. As mentioned previously been very successful in other sports.
Just a quick google will make you realise how different volunteering is what most people on here believe it to be (unpaid internships, exploiting people for no money etc).
So many people missing the point here - the people that will volunteer for this don't want paying!!!
They do it out of love for volunteering and do it for all sorts of reasons. Volunteers I've previously worked with on sports events have been from all sorts of backgrounds - some use it to grow in confidence and gain experience, some people are seriously high powered, well paid individuals who do it as an opportunity to give back, some are retired and it gives them something to get involved with.
This is so very different to unpaid internships etc. This is Burnley recognizing that these people exist and want to use their friendly nature to try and enhance the match day experience. A first in football really so will be very interesting to see how it goes. As mentioned previously been very successful in other sports.
Just a quick google will make you realise how different volunteering is what most people on here believe it to be (unpaid internships, exploiting people for no money etc).
Most rugby clubs have a history of volunteers going back to the amateur days for a number of reasons - 1) the crowd are generally very well behaved, 2) they are 'clubs' in the true sense of the word and 3) there is nowhere near the money that there is in football - especially the Premier League.
The job as described is that of a Match Day Steward and currently Burnley will be paying their stewards real folding. This is replacing that cost with a volunteer army purely to save that cost.
Not on my watch would something like this be put into practice at Stoke City.
So many people missing the point here - the people that will volunteer for this don't want paying!!!
They do it out of love for volunteering and do it for all sorts of reasons. Volunteers I've previously worked with on sports events have been from all sorts of backgrounds - some use it to grow in confidence and gain experience, some people are seriously high powered, well paid individuals who do it as an opportunity to give back, some are retired and it gives them something to get involved with.
This is so very different to unpaid internships etc. This is Burnley recognizing that these people exist and want to use their friendly nature to try and enhance the match day experience. A first in football really so will be very interesting to see how it goes. As mentioned previously been very successful in other sports.
Just a quick google will make you realise how different volunteering is what most people on here believe it to be (unpaid internships, exploiting people for no money etc).
So many people missing the point here - the people that will volunteer for this don't want paying!!!
They do it out of love for volunteering and do it for all sorts of reasons. Volunteers I've previously worked with on sports events have been from all sorts of backgrounds - some use it to grow in confidence and gain experience, some people are seriously high powered, well paid individuals who do it as an opportunity to give back, some are retired and it gives them something to get involved with.
This is so very different to unpaid internships etc. This is Burnley recognizing that these people exist and want to use their friendly nature to try and enhance the match day experience. A first in football really so will be very interesting to see how it goes. As mentioned previously been very successful in other sports.
Just a quick google will make you realise how different volunteering is what most people on here believe it to be (unpaid internships, exploiting people for no money etc).
What exactly are they "giving back" - giving back Burnley's chairman about two grand a match in this case is all I can see?
Volunteering to work for free for a charity or church or school etc is giving back, not saving a profit making organisation hard cash so they can spend it on higher wages for someone who is already a millionaire.
I am sure that the nice people at Elms are not doing the recruiting for free?
Comments
Something about this really irritates me.
This is what ELM People, BFC's intermediary, say about themselves ....
ELM People offers a range of bespoke training and development programmes, customer journey mapping, and event management. Specialising in executive coaching and mentoring across all areas of our clients’ organisation, we will work with you to understand your needs, then build programmes addressing those specific needs.
The team at ELM People has a proven track record of delivering successful training and development programmes for our clients, including local authorities, retailers, national theatre companies along with event management for English Rugby Union Clubs and the London Olympic Games
The expertise and flexibility of ELM People enables clients to bring their ideas to life and liberate their potential.
++++
So, it was BFC's turn to board the gravy train (plus four years' parachute money). Nice job. Presumably ELM People are in this for a decent earner. For the folks who answer the call to get involved, there seems to be not the smallest crumb of compensation of any kind, other than the chance to do the work itself. The tasks seem 'soft', it's true, but they still involve dealing with the general public at a high-profile football match, and it doesn't take much for a well-meaning soul to find themselves suddenly very much involved at the sharp end.
Burnley is not a wealthy town. Within its city limits, however, a private organisation has struck gold but it seems it's in order for the organisation in question to hoard as much of its good fortune as possible. BFC has a thriving Community Trust - why not let the many worthy charitable activities be the beneficiary of the volunteers' goodwill, and let the football club fund its own needs. The scheme outlined above is just pure exploitation.
Perhaps the psychology of this latest 'work for me for nothing' trend is that those people and institutions offering the work see themselves as so great, others ought to be glad to have the opportunity to stand close to their greatness.
Another layer is added if volunteers get taken to task for not doing the job well enough.
Goodness knows where the whole issue lands in terms of insurance, law, and safety.
To me it all feels like a modern version of cap doffing.
But it isn't - the role as advertised, however much it is dressed up as something else, is 'Match Day Steward'. These volunteers will replace people (likely on worker agreements) who are currently earning at least NMW/NLW.
Modern slavery!
Having stayed at the SKY rooms at the Stayen, I witnessed the post match Sunday morning 'clean up team' turn up at the ground.
There must have been at least 20 of them working around the whole stadium, aisle by aisle. Fairly sure none of them were volunteers as they were all wearing the same company logoed boiler suits.
Now the owners just want to save money and can't even pay the employed staff what they are due.
"Good will" has to be earned and can easily be lost.
The "heroes" at Burnley are doing work. Work that is important enough to need to be done... I don't care if they are happy to do it for free, pay them a proper wage.
They do it out of love for volunteering and do it for all sorts of reasons. Volunteers I've previously worked with on sports events have been from all sorts of backgrounds - some use it to grow in confidence and gain experience, some people are seriously high powered, well paid individuals who do it as an opportunity to give back, some are retired and it gives them something to get involved with.
This is so very different to unpaid internships etc. This is Burnley recognizing that these people exist and want to use their friendly nature to try and enhance the match day experience. A first in football really so will be very interesting to see how it goes. As mentioned previously been very successful in other sports.
Just a quick google will make you realise how different volunteering is what most people on here believe it to be (unpaid internships, exploiting people for no money etc).
Edit - more information on the same type of programme at Saracens Rugby, where they are called Pioneers rather than Matchday Heroes. https://www.saracens.com/allianz/pioneers/about
The final bit about not being allowed to watch the football!
How does that compute?
The job as described is that of a Match Day Steward and currently Burnley will be paying their stewards real folding. This is replacing that cost with a volunteer army purely to save that cost.
Not on my watch would something like this be put into practice at Stoke City.
Volunteering at the museum brings its own rewards though.
Volunteering to work for free for a charity or church or school etc is giving back, not saving a profit making organisation hard cash so they can spend it on higher wages for someone who is already a millionaire.
I am sure that the nice people at Elms are not doing the recruiting for free?