The thing about volunteering is that you typically do it out of the kindness of your heart because it feels right. It’s usually a humbling experience that may teach you a little something along the way. So, if someone is going to dictate when and how you volunteer, it probably doesn’t feel right. This is what one Virginia woman found at a previous place of employment. They decided they were going to enforce what is known as “mandatory volunteering” and it didn’t sit right with her.
Courtney (@jackolopeandhuckleberry) shared a TikTok video captioned, “The time my employer tried to enforce ‘mandatory volunteering.‘” She said she was once approached by a coworker who said that they would see her at “mandatory volunteer weekend.” This shocked Courtney, who asked what they meant. She was then told that everybody at her job was expected to volunteer for eight hours on Saturday. Courtney told the worker that she wasn’t going to do it, and they said, “Oh no, you don’t get a choice.”
Courtney told her coworker that “you can’t put the word volunteer and mandatory together.” She explained that the only way she would appear is if they paid her just like a normal workday. Courtney’s coworker warned her that she would be fired if she didn’t participate. Her supervisor even told her that they implemented this 20 years prior. They told her she would not receive pay because it’s voluntary. But if it’s voluntary, you have a choice. If it’s mandatory, you don’t. The two cannot exist together.
In the end, Courtney’s boss threatened to go to a higher-up and get her fired if she didn’t ‘volunteer.’ Courtney stood her ground. She apparently went to the Department of Labor and told them what her job was trying to pull. Then, she said everybody was paid for their ‘volunteer‘ time. That’s how you take care of business.
One commenter shared, “One of my jobs calls this volun-told. I’m facing this on a regular day off while I’m working my other job. I’m like… you can’t force me to work on a day off when I have another commitment.” Another person said, “I don’t volunteer at work. Not for anything. Not ever again. Neither will I answer their calls, texts or emails on my off time. I work for pay or not at all.” That’s the best way to stand your ground. If it feels illegal, it probably is.
