As the busy shopping season approaches, trendy high street fashion chain Urban Outfitters is obviously looking to pull out all the stops when it comes to customer service. So, to stay on top of this year’s rush the company is asking its employees to work for free, at weekends.
In an email, obtained by online US gossip site Gawker, Urban Outfitters cheerily informed its employees that the company was searching for volunteers who would ‘pick, pack and prepare packages’ for delivery to customers. The store opted to not dwell too much on the fact that the work would be unpaid.
Instead, calling the idea a great ‘team building opportunity’, the company went on to offer transportation and a free lunch to anyone who was willing to get involved. The email, Urban Outfitters told CNBC, ‘received a strong response’.
Urban Outfitters has, in the past, been very forward looking in its development of employee policy. The company recently supported a call by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman to end on call shifts, which require workers to be available for shifts that may be canceled at a moment’s notice.
Robert joined the HRreview editorial team in October 2015. After graduating from the University of Salford in 2009 with a BA in Politics, Robert has spent several years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past he has been part of editorial teams at Flux Magazine, Mondo*Arc Magazine and The Marine Professional.
