Work exchange ethics
The backpacker economy: innovation or exploitation?
This morning, I left a work exchange experience in Tijeras.
It will probably be my last work exchange.
As I wait for my train, the experience is fresh enough for me to be able to bitch and moan, I mean, write a thoughtful blog post about the work exchange dynamic.
So, let’s dive in, shall we?
In 2002, traveler David Milward wanted to create a platform for travelers to have more authentic cultural exchanges. Using “Programming for Dummies,” he created the website Workaway as a way for travelers to trade their time for accomodation and a true cultural experience.
It took three weeks for him to get his first subscriber, but eventually the website grew into a massive global network that connects budget travelers and hosts. Today, Workaway features over 50,000 exchange opportunities in 170 countries with millions of website hits every month.
When I became a nomad, Workaway felt like an oasis in the desert. I was definitely a budget traveler. Actually, flat broke traveler would be a better description of me. The only thing I had to offer was my time, and Workaway gave me a way to trade my time for stays in beautiful places.
Beyond the price, I’ve never been a big fan of the typical travel model. You can only go so deep when you are staying in a hotel room and going on carefully planned excursions. My greatest adventures have happened when I connect with local people and dive into what life really looks like for them.
But, if you spend enough time in the work exchange world, you will probably start bumping into some cognitive dissonance. Even worse, you might start asking questions.
One question that continues to circle back around for me as a traveler is:
Is this setup innovation or exploitation?
I admire the foundation that Workaway was built on. A network that believes in mutual exchange, trust, and community? Sign me up! But, something seems to have happened over the last 24 years. Maybe some hosts have forgotten the original vision for this online community.
Especially in the United States, there seems to be a heavy emphasis on the “free labor” part and less on the “cultural exchange” part.
The community guidelines on Workaway state that work exchangers should expect to work four or five hours a day in exchange for room and board. As you can imagine, this guideline leaves a lot of wiggle room for hosts to interpret that however they see fit.
In a perfect world, accommodation means a safe, clean, and private space to rest. Food means multiple nourishing and filling meals a day. Work means tasks that match the traveler’s skill set, or at least doesn’t completely exhaust or endanger them.
Alas, this is not a perfect world we live in!
I have heard absolute horror stories of work exchange experiences from fellow travelers. It’s one of my favorite things to chat about over a drink because we all have them.
There was the guy who found himself stuck in a cult in Italy or the woman who was terrified of a fellow work exchanger who brought a gun and an anger problem. Rat infested trailers, outdoor showers without curtains, and handsy hosts. Hosts who handed their workers a bucket of rice and dried beans for their meals or expected work to stretch beyond the five hours.
Maybe that’s the downside of a network built on mutual trust.
When you are a work exchanger, there is no HR department or Union Rep. You are responsible for keeping yourself safe and speaking up when you aren’t. This is easier said than done in a power dynamic where you are depending on a host for food and shelter.
Usually when you have a problem with an employer, you may have an uncomfortable conversation, but then you get to go home to your safe place. In the work exchanger’s world, it’s all a big enmeshment. Work, home, food, and belonging all simmering together in one pot.
So, why not just avoid places with negative reviews?
Well, again, not so simple. No one wants to leave a negative review on Workaway because you will probably get a retaliatory negative review on your own. Which means it will be hard or impossible to find another exchange.
Workaway has just introduced a blind review format that goes into effect this week. I wonder how that might change the culture of reviews on the website. I think the best case scenario is to message a past work exchanger to get their true opinion about a stay.
I want to believe that networks of reciprocity and mutual exchange can work.
It drives me crazy that a young traveler works so hard to build a different kind of life, only to find that the travel world is overflowing with opportunities to be exploited. Being a nomad can be such a rich experience, but it can also be a life that leaves you vulnerable and unprotected.
The older I get, the more protective I am of my time and energy. Sometimes I will agree to a work exchange if I feel like I’m really gaining something from the experience. Otherwise, I just can’t justify twenty-five hours of unpaid labor in a week.
In this experience I just left, my greatest issue was that the community aspects that were advertised were non-existent. They fed us well and my room was great, but even that is not enough for me anymore. I felt like the help.
There are some incredible hosts on Workaway, and usually they are the hosts who lived as travelers and know the unique challenges of a nomadic lifestyle. The hosts that are living out the original vision of Workaway are doing things that, to me, feel like a no brainer.
They feed their travelers well and make sure they have accommodations that don’t look like a horror film. They treat their travelers like equal human beings, not free laborers. They invite travelers to join in meaningful experiences that make them feel like they are a part of their community.
If Workaway is going to evolve with the changing times, we need more hosts who see the network as a form of innovation, not easy exploitation.