Students vulnerable to employer pressures

Randall Pearce…students find it hard to say no to employers.

by Kerri Carr

The number of hours some employers are asking young workers to work may undermine school performance, a study has found.

The You're gold...if you're 15 years old -- The perceived impact of WorkChoices on Youth Employment and Education in NSW report was presented to Federation annual conference on July 3.

Think -- Insight & Advice researcher Randall Pearce conducted the study for Federation with research gathered from 300 students via group discussions and an internet survey questionnaire.

The participants were year 10, 11 and 12 public education students employed for a minimum of three hours per week.

The report states students are generally aware that employers favour young workers, with 83 per cent believing they are scheduled for more shifts on Sundays and public holidays because they are less expensive.

The study reported 22 per cent said they did not get paid more to work on Sundays and public holidays and a further 37 per cent said they did not know.

One respondent said: "I've been told that I am cheap; that's why I get so many hours. So, they use the youngest ones possible."

Mr Pearce told annual conference WorkChoices has created a workplace where student workers were susceptible to abusive practices by unethical employers.

"Students told us unequivocally that they were very much aware that there was age favouritism going on in the workplace," he said.

"WorkChoices has exacerbated age discrimination because now employers are perceived to have an economic incentive to hire not only young workers but new workers because those workers will be put on Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs).

"In fact, it's rarely an option for students whether they sign or not. It's a take it or leave it proposition," he said.

The report found a quarter of all students surveyed recall having signed an AWA, with the percentage increasing with age: 18 per cent of year 10, 25 per cent of year 11 and 34 per cent of year 12 students reporting having signed an AWA.

Of the students surveyed, nearly half (46 per cent) were employed in the retail and hospitality sectors, the same sectors which have been most widely impacted by AWAs.

The report states students on AWAs may face pressure to work longer hours than their counterparts on industrial awards because they are paid a flat rate for all hours worked, regardless of when those hours are scheduled.

Half of the students surveyed work 10 or more hours per week; and on any given school night more than one quarter work after 7pm, cutting into time for homework and assignments.

Mr Pearce said: "There is a strong correlation between those students who work the most number of hours and their perceived negative impact on their school performance...The most at-risk students are the ones who are working the longest hours and the latest shifts."

"The most at-risk students...are the 23 per cent of year 12, 14 per cent of year 11 and 17 per cent of year 10 students who work more than 16 hours per week because they are also the ones most likely to work late night shifts," he said.

The report states: "27 per cent of year 12 students said part time work had a negative impact on their performance at school, with 28 per cent of all students who work more than 16 hours per week report that work has the same negative effect on their performance. However, it would appear that late night shifts, combined with long hours spent at work are the most corrosive to school performance.

One respondent said: "Last week was bad; I had four to five assignments. I stayed up to 3am most nights."

The report said when employers require their workforce to be 'on call', plans can be jettisoned to fit in another shift and stress can mount for student workers. Similarly, if teachers schedule homework or assignments with little advanced notice, they can be difficult to accommodate in a timetable that is planned down to the minute.

One respondent said: "If I have an assignment that is given to me on a Tuesday that is due on Thursday, I might not be able to do it because I have to work on Tuesday and Wednesday nights."

Another: "Homework is the worst. They say, 'do this tonight,' but I can't because I have to work. So, you leave it to the next day. By then, you end up not doing it and it all just builds up and you fall behind."

Mr Pearce said: "You know, as teachers, that falling behind is student-speak for quicksand, that it is a trap from which it is difficult for students to escape, so if they begin to fall behind they tend to fall further and further behind.

"Even strong academic performers...are saying their results are mediocre because they're working too much."

Mr Pearce also said good employers generally accommodate student requests, given adequate notice but student workers found it hard to say no to bosses, even when they should.

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Last Modified: 26 Jul 2007