Strategic Design and Management Advanced Research and Design Methods Robert Rabinovitz Spring 2013
#INTERNSWTF
Inseok Kang Grace Lauren Seunghoon Lee Andrea Pardo Victoria Petersen
ABOUT THIS PRESENTATION Design Management prompt to find social need Exploring different domains of social need Inspired by United Nations human rights Culmination of skills
ABO UT US
HOW WE WORK
DESIGN PROCESS
SOCIAL NEED
RESEARCH
IDEATION
PROTOTYPE
SCALE
WE ARE EXPERIENCE 129 experience, noun.
the conscious events that make up an individual life
the combined number of our years of age
ABO UT US
DESIGN
LOGO DESIGN
ABO UT US
MEET OUR INTERNS We don’t have employees. Only interns.
INSEOK KANG
GRACE LAUREN
SEUNGHOON LEE
ANDREA PARDO
VICTORIA PETERSEN
intern
intern
intern
intern
intern
Fluent in Korean, skills in Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, research, and support for customer need
Fluent in Japanese and Korean, skills in MS Office and Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Always seeking innovative and creative ways to solve problems
Fluent in Korean, merchandising & buying, Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, provide administrative support for the customer relations
Fluent in Spanish and French, skill in in adobe suite & Microsoft office, very organized and pays attention to detail.
Research and writing, art history, creative project management, client relations, organization, fluent in French
Nice to meet you!
SOCIAL NEED
B RA INST O R M
EARLY STAGES
BROAD SOCIAL ISSUES
[
human rights
DOMESTIC EDUCATION
women’s rights child labor illegal workers labor tax racism education organ trading terrorism protection fast-fashion industries tuition student loans unemployment human trafficking health care
LABOR
LABOR
B RA INST O R M
MIDDLE STAGES
NARROWING DOWN THE TOPIC [ [ [
EDUCATION
child labor internships illegal immigration
[
labor education protection
tax tuition unemployment
kidnapping human trafficking organ trading
PROTECTION
T H E UNIVE RS A L D E CL A R ATI O N O F H U M AN RIGH T S
FINAL STAGES
THE UNITED NATIONS World leaders agreed to abide by the laws, to ensure the human rights of citizens across the world 30 laws represent universal recognition of the basic rights every human should be granted Apply to everyone without regards to race, religion, language or other defining status
T H E UNIVE RS A L D E CL A R ATI O N O F H U M AN RIGH T S
FINAL STAGES
UN ARTICLE 23
The article reads as follows:
Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just favorable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
something we could relate to broken by the current internship system Interns aren’t just learning from someone else. They are doing the same tasks that some entry level employees are doing. So isn’t that against the “equal pay for equal work” policy?
Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Everyone who works has the right to just and favorable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
IN T E R NSWTF
PROBLEM STATEMENT
$7.25
DEFINING THE PROBLEM
the minimum wage per hour as declared by New York State law
160
the number of hours an intern works per month based on an 8 hour, 5 day work week
The problem is that interns are not getting paid. In companies large and small, interns are completing entry level work for zero compensation. They are subjected to long hours and mundane or profit-generating tasks. There is a lack of educational experience that must be included to categorize the program as an internship. In today’s sluggish job market, many students must complete unpaid internships to ensure a competitive advantage for an entry level paid position. Underprivileged students are clearly placed at a disadvantage within this system.
$1160
the total cost to an employer to pay one intern at minimum wage for one month
#INTERNSWTF When we think of illegal and unpaid internships, we think: “Interns... WTF?!� We aim to find opportunities to change the existing internship system to benefit both the employer and the intern in the best way possible.
RESEARCH
The Urban Dictionary definition: DEF INIT IO N
WHAT IS AN INTERN?
1. Company bitch.
Intern, go scan these 5000 documents.
2. Free slaves in the workplace.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Slavery is outlawed by numerous international treaties and a Proclamation in the United States.
The Merriam Webster definition: intern, adjective an advanced student or graduate usually in a professional field gaining supervised practical experience.
3. Poor innocent individual starting out with a whole set of impossible goals and naive ambitions that end up crushed under the path of some self-righteous menopausal bitch that is dissatisfied with her own life and for getting an office ass and taking it out on cute young girls that might actually make something of their lives and live their dreams...and work off the constantly invading office ass. An internship is when (usually a college undergraduate) goes and works for a company who can get away with paying him a very small salary or often nothing because he hasn’t graduated yet. It’s basically just working to make someone rich and getting nothing in return - the modern equivalent of slavery, except nowadays, people are actually willing. Person A: Hey! I got an internship with Yahoo this summer! Person B: Awesome! What will your job involve? Person A: Correcting grammatical errors, making cups of coffee.. you know the usual - they’re paying me $50 bucks at the end of the six weeks. Person B: That sounds fantastic! That’ll really benefit your career in the years to come.
Let’s take a look at the development of the internship over the course of history...
A HIS T O RY OF I N TE R N S HI P S
TIMELINE 1890-1920s
1960s
LOOKING BACK
The practice of apprenticeships expands to fields such as medicine and science, where training becomes more broad and lecture-based.
Formal internships as we know them today begin to become popular
Today
Internships are as popular as ever, with a bachelor’s degree no longer substantial enough to land a paying position upon graduation.
1200s
Apprenticeships begin to become popular as a way to teach young adults a professional trade. The apprentice is usually training to learn a specific technical skill or craft, under close supervision. The master often houses and feeds his apprentice in addition to teaching him.
1920s
The business world begins to take on their own version of apprentices: messenger and copy boys
1970s
College board begin creating internship programs, making their universities seem more attractive to applicants and graduates more desirable to employers. Universities also begin offering credit for internships, making them even more appealing to students.
A HIS T O RY OF I N TE R N S HI P S
ROOTS
It is estimated that
1/4 to 1/2
MOVING FORWARD
of all internships are entirely unpaid.
75%
Percentage of students at four-year colleges who complete at least one internship before graduating
We acknowledge that internships have strong roots in western culture. We see the value in passing down knowledge and traditions from our wiser elders, but a line must be drawn. What is the difference between education and exploitative labor? Take a look at some recent statistics.
13.3% Unemployment rate for 20-24 year olds as of March 2013
6.9% Unemployment rate for everyone 20 years and over as of March 2013
IN T E R NSH IP S TOD AY
WHY DO PEOPLE INTERN?
BENEFITS OF INTERNING
If the economy is so terrible, then why do people intern? There are many valuable aspects to interning. Despite the lack of pay, interns typically gain strong personal connections to the industry they wish to break into, and valuable insights into the workflow of a particular field. Even if a student interns for a company they don’t necessary want to work for, learning about daily office norms are seen as the first steps of working towards a stable career. This is why internships have become extremely popular and almost a requirement to earn a good job after graduation.
Qualifications for a Legal Internship: REG UL AT ION S
CURRENT POLICIES
FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACT
1. similar to training which would be given in an educational environment; 2. for the benefit of the intern; 3. does not displace regular employees
Interns in the for-profit private sector who qualify as employees rather than trainees typically must be paid at least the minimum wage and overtime compensation for hours worked over forty in a workweek. Source: The United States Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 71
4. training derives no immediate advantage 5. not necessarily entitled to a job after the internship 6. both understand the intern is not entitled to wages
C AS E ST UD Y 1
HEARST VS. WANG REAL WORLD
THE CASE Diana was an intern at Harper’s Bazaar who is now suing the company THE DEFENSE Hearst issued a statement saying she received academic credit and they are in compliance with applicable laws THE RESULTS Settle for undisclosed sum THE ANALYSIS Provoked other internship lawsuits and program alterations
Source: The International Business Times, December 5, 2012
THE ANALYSIS C AS E ST UD Y 2
CONDE NAST MODIFIES PROGRAM REAL WORLD
THE NEWS Condé Nast decided to reform its own internship program
Conde Nast is clearly worried they will be the next target in the attack on unpaid internships. Their changes are certainly commendable and show the corporation’s interest in obeying the law, but are the changes in the best interest of the interns themselves? It seems the company is only looking out for themselves. The changes are not very radical, and given Conde Nast’s position in the publishing world, we expected more from them.
THE CHANGES can intern one semester per calendar year required orientation with HR can only work until 7pm stipends around $550 for the semester. Must receive college credit official mentors tasks must be related to the job
Source: Fashionista.com, March 2012
THE FACTS C AS E ST UD Y 3
UNIVERSITY POLICIES
Report from US News and World Report: 86% of 2011’s graduating seniors had completed at least one internship. THE ANALYSIS
REAL WORLD
infers that universities with a high number of students graduating with internship experience should be praised for preparing their students for the real world lacing wages with “academic credit,” as if this alone frees them of all their legal responsibility for compensation universities are relieved of their typical costs of a class.
“
The trouble with completing an internship for “academic credit” is that academic credit is not free.
”
the student is largely on his own when completing the internship. the student is paying the same amount of money as he or she would pay for a normal credit class, to do an unpaid internship through the school in order to graduate Source: US News and World Report, November 20, 2012
STUDENTS
PERSONAS AGE
AGE
20
29
EDUCATION
EDUCATION
Parsons School of Design, BBA
Carnegie Mellon University, MBA
INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY
Art
“
Software Technology
M ICH ELLE CO LE
I needed these credits, but I feel like I am paying to work for free.
”
SEA N MATTHEWS
“
I was lucky to find a paid internship at a great company. I’m definitely in the minority
”
AGE 24 EDUCATION Pittsburg University, BBA
STUDENTS AND PROFESSIONALS
PERSONAS
INDUSTRY Public Relations
“
KAYLA MEYER
”
I was so lucky to receive a job offer after my internship!
AGE 22 EDUCATION School of Visual Arts, BFA INDUSTRY Graphic Design
“
AGE 49 JAK E H ARRISO N
I knew without this internship I would not get a job in my field.
”
EDUCATION Syracuse University, BBA INDUSTRY Clean Energy
“
A LAN D OY ERS
I think interns gain extremely valuable experience working for me. At their age, it’s worth more than money.
”
“
These are experts we felt we could use to consult for advice about our work...
EXPERT INTERVIEWS
This MACH program is specifically for people who seek for full-time opportunities once they graduate.
”
PROFESSIONALS
SEAN SIEBEL
SEAN SIEBEL Paying their interns is a way of “investing” in their interns’ career development and it is their hope that those interns eventually land their career on Microsoft. Their goal is to “hire top-performing graduates” and to “enable a strong start and meaningful contribution to the company with long-term career potential.”
“
JEFFREY RIMAN
The challenge is making sure both the student and the host company are working together and working effectively.
”
“
These are experts we felt we could use to consult for advice about our work...
STUDENT AND PROFESSIONAL
EXPERT INTERVIEWS
The fact that there is a long line of willing design students and grads doesn’t make it right. And the fact that the economy is terrible doesn’t make it acceptable.
”
MARK BUSSE
M ARK BU SSE I used to be a staunch defender of unpaid internships and advised fellow firm owners and young design grads alike to engage in this time-honoured tradition. I was wrong. So wrong. These days, typically the only people able to accept unpaid internships are the privileged young supported by their family. It’s B.S. when agencies take advantage of young people, claiming their internships are some kind of learning experience when really they are exploitative. I implore employers to rethink their policies by joining me in proteting the next generation, and for goodness’ sake, pay them at least minimum wage.
“
When I am paid, I treat it like a job, and I want to be good at my job.
”
KATYA PUPKO
If you are a young designer feeling like you have no alternative in this hyper-competitive industry: don’t be afraid to ask employers to outline what you’ll be doing, learning, and gaining if not getting pay.
Source: PFSK.com, April 2013, Mark Busse: Why Unpaid Internships are Harming Creative Business
EXISTING PLATFORMS
EXISTING SOLUTIONS
I NT E R N J U S T IC E
PAY YOUR INT ERNS (PY I)
INT ERN AWARE/CLAIM B AC K YOU R PAY
Intern Justice is a public discussion on find justice for unpaid interns. The site helps to spread the word among other interns and discuss the issues involved.
The PYI Campaign was a national awareness campaign that used intern swag bags, tote bags, and t-shirts to spread their message: Pay Your Interns! The bags were given out during London Fashion Week, a time with heavy media coverage.
The campaign targets London-based employers in the fashion industry. They allow the intern to contact their previous employer and request backpay, which also raises awarenes in the actual firm who did not pay the intern.
M O T IVAT ION P E R S P E CTI V E S
STAKEHOLDERS
grow GDP encourage hiring to gain taxes strengthen workforce
WHO IS INVOLVED
GOVERNMENT We want to incentivize hiring to grow businesses and the economy
study my field gain experience in my industry
STUDENT I need to get a well-paying job! require student internships monitor learning process
UNIVERSITY We want to prepare our students to enter the workforce
COMPANY grow my business hire more personnel lower my costs
I should replace my entry level workers with unpaid interns
I D E AT I O N
LOC AL AND CA MPA I G N - B A SED P LAT FO RM S
HOLD A PROTEST
EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES
SOLUTION IDEATIONS
PHONE CASE GIVEAWAY
INFO SESSION
STICKER POSTINGS AND STREET ADS BROCHURE GIVEAWAY
O NL INE PL ATF OR MS
LOCATION-BASED WEBSITE
EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITIES
SOLUTION IDEATIONS
START A TWITTER HASHTAG REVIEW WEBSITE
FACEBOOK PAGE START A PETITION TO LAWMAKERS
PROTOTYPE
PROP O SE D S OL U TI ON
REAL PLATFORM
#INTERNSWTF CAMPAIGN TWITTER We would like to build momentum on our campaign by launching a viral hashtag called #INTERNSWTF. Interns across the country could hashtag their tweets of horror stories and other bad experiences they’ve had while interning. This would lead them to our own Twitter account, which could then direct them to our website.
WEBSITE Upon arrival to the website, they will be further introduced to what our movement is. Interns can use a form to rate their experience at a particular internship. They can also search for internship ratings by industry, location and company size. This will be helpful to other students who may want to intern at their company in the future. They can post anonymously of course, to preserve their public reputation. Furthermore, there will be informational links on the site so people are well aware of what constitutes a legal internship. If they wish to take action, there is a legal page, where they can contact a lawyer. They can also choose to join our online petition against illegal internships.
PROP O SE D S OL U TI ON
REAL PLATFORM
#INTERNSWTF CAMPAIGN
RESULTS After selecting a particular company, the results appear. An average number of stars is shown based on the data we have. The number of reviews will be posted as well, so the viewer knows whether this is just one person who had a bad experience, or this is a combination of hundreds. Quotes will be pulled from each review and listed below each question. If a person wants to read more responses to a particular topic, they have the option to do so.
SEARCHING When a visitor goes to search for an internship, they can search by location, industry or company.
PROP O SE D S OL U TI ON
REAL PLATFORM
#INTERNSWTF CAMPAIGN REVIEWING AN INTERNSHIP When a visitor goes to review an internship they’ve completed, they are directed to this page. Here we ask them to provide at least a rating of their internship based on a 5-star scale, with 5 as the highest and 1 as the lowest. The other fields are not required but we do ask them to list specific tasks they completed, the friendliness of the employees and whether they believed their internship was a valuable experience. This last question is open-ended enough that they can put in their own comments if they wish to.
SCALE
WHY WE CHOSE THIS SOLUTION
OUR PROJECTIONS IM M E D I ATE G OA L S
SHORT-TER M GOA LS
LONG-TER M GOA L S
As we stated earlier, the problem is that interns are not getting paid, and one of many reasons why is because both employers and students are not aware that unpaid internships are unethical and illegal. Therefore, we thought that it was the best to inform employers and students to be aware of the U.S. Department of labor regulations and to let them know under what circumstances it is okay to employ an unpaid intern.
In the short term, we would like the U.S. Department of Education to require all colleges to give information sessions about internship programs to employers before Internship Fairs so they are aware of the current laws in place. Students, universities and employers will be well-versed in the regulations as imposed in the Fair Labor Standards Act before entering an internship.
Long term, we would like to rework the current laws in place under the Fair Labor Standards Act. We would like to ban unpaid internships entirely, as companies have shown that they cannot responsibly differentiate between an educational internship and exploitative labor.
The immediate advantage to this system is to raise awareness about illegal unpaid internships. It will serve as a therapeutic place for people to vent about the experiences they’ve had, and conversely, rejoice in the value of a successful and informative internship. Secondly, after reviews are posted, the database will serve as a guide for future interns and make sure they are better informed when they select a company to intern for.
A takeaway will be given to remind everyone of the 6 criteria to determine a valid unpaid internship. It will be reiterated that employers are required by law to pay their interns unless their internship program meets those criteria. This must be given to every intern before he or she begins their internship.
If they see online that a company is notorious for over-working their interns and treating them poorly, perhaps the intern will choose to intern somewhere else. Hopefully, companies will notice this and start implementing policies which protect interns from unfair treatment.
For those employers who pay their interns, the Department of Labor could give them a virtual badge for their website, displaying something such as “We Pay Our Interns,” to emphasize that they value their interns. Furthermore, the US government should give these employers a tax break to encourage more companies to begin paying their interns.
We aim to bring this awareness and new generation of educational and paid internships to not only a New York City wide level, but also to bring this to the national level and work with legislature to make unpaid internships illegal and to ensure that internships are educational experiences. For the most part now, internships are beneficial to the ‘employer’ and interns are not receiving fair treatment. We strive to see a change in the near future over how internships are organized.
#THANK YOU #INTERNSWTF