Homeworking, Don't get exploited
Originally appeared in the November newsletter.
Homeworking is an attractive option for many people for a variety of reasons, in particular on account of caring responsibilities, ill health, a need for supplementory income and discrimination in the workplace. Many people looking for this kind of work assume that it should be easy to find and that a list of companies should be enough in order to secure work. In fact a genuine list of companies does not exist.
Finding work takes much time and persistence, often needing local contacts, especially given the hidden nature of homeworking and the lack of advertising. Evidence suggests that homeworking is an employers' market where the demand for work far exceeds the supply, leaving workers and job seekers wide open for exploitation. This problem in finding work is undoubtedly the origin of scams. A scam is a scheme which has been established with the primary aim of generating income from registration fees. No genuine employment opportunity exists, nor any marketable product.
Lancashire Trading Standards investigated 64 schemes between July and September 1988. All companies were found to be misleading and not delivering the promised work or return.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Trading Standards Authorities and Homeworking Projects all over the country receive thousands of complaints from job-seekers who have lost money to scams. The majority of schemes are designed to generate income for the originators with little or no return for the potential homeworker. The Lancashire County Council Trading Standards Authority Homeworking Guide gives the following examples and advice.
Envelope Addressing. Many schemes ask for a registration fee of £10 - £30 at which point you are told to advertise the scheme for yourself. For every enquiry that you send the company, you are paid 40 - 60p. the originator hopes that each enquiry will lead to a new fee.
Homeworking Directories. There are no reliable directories of homeworking opportunities. Jobs which are genuine are usually local and not always seeking new recruits.
Craft Goods. These schemes ask for up front payment for kits, then promise to pay £5 - £20 for the finished article. Most are designed on the basis that the quality of workmanship required is never attained. Components are often substandard and DIY construction could never produce items capable of being sold at a profit.
Sewing. Any firm asking for money up front should be avoided. Outworking for the sewing industry is common and can be genuine, but no real company would ask for money for component parts.
Assembly work or packaging. Always ask yourself why the work is not carried out locally. Will they claim you have made mistakes and avoid paying you?
Publications. You are promised the secrets of homeworking but the work involved is usually to get people to buy a photocopy of the publication.