Do you have friends who have a tough time splitting the bar or dinner bill?
There’s an App for that!
Three Syllables: Venmo Me!
According to the Los Angeles Times:
Venmo, owned by PayPal, and Cash App, owned by Square, have surged in recent years, as cashless financial services moved into the mainstream. Some 40 million people use Venmo, and payments jumped by 73% to $21 billion in the first quarter of 2019 from a year prior. Cash App reported 15 million monthly active users as of December.
The services frame themselves as tools that make it easy for their millennial and Gen Z user base to pay back a bar tab or split the cost of lunch. But some straddling tight budgets are also turning to payment apps as crowdfunding tools for bills, emergencies and the costs of daily life.
“We’re definitely not a GoFundMe and we certainly don’t facilitate charitable payments,” a Venmo spokesperson told the Times. “If someone was going through a difficult situation and might need help with medical payments, for example, I’m sure that does happen, but we don’t have data to support it.”
The spokesperson sounds a bit adamant. Payments jumped by 73% to $21 billion in the first quarter of 2019 from a year prior—that’s big news.
Gen Z Don’t Work for Free
Members of Gen Z have their own behavioral norms that the rest of us may or may not be fully aware of.
Terry Nguyen works as a journalist. In her newsletter, Gen Yeet, she speaks for her generation when she says, “we no longer want to grovel for attention from corporations and hiring managers.”
She also says:
Nothing is done for free anymore. In fact, unpaid work is frowned upon and institutions that encourage free labor are shamed. We’re aware that, as employees, the talents we bring to the table are unique, and we defy the long-standing belief that our labor is replaceable.
I love the see Nguyen claim her power in this way. It appears the youth know the score. For this one member of Gen Z, at least, working for free is off the table. Wouldn’t it be great if we all learned from her and started speaking more honestly about work and what workplaces demand from us?
Now to the hard part…is working for free also off the table for you?
When and why do you work for free?
Free Labor Is A Violation
Even when you’re paid for the services you provide to your clients, when you opt to “overwork” on their behalf, you’re giving time and money away. When you let someone “pick your brain,” you’re giving time and money away. When you do speculative work for a new business pitch, you’re giving time and money away. When you don’t get paid up front, you’re giving time and money away.
Please do not give your precious time and hard-earned money away. Adweek is also pointing to the problem:
“Architecture firms aren’t going to give you their designs for free,” said Matt Kasindorf, svp of agency management services at the 4A’s.
Celebrity Cruises CMO Peter Giorgi said the idea that any client would ask agencies to pitch their best concepts before assigning them to a cheaper shop “offensive.” A consulting firm like KPMG or Accenture, he said, would never consider agreeing to such terms.
Why do young people, architects, and consultants know something that advertising professionals do not?
Ad people love to focus on the power of the work to change the course of their client’s businesses. Why do we forget to alter own course by demanding equitable pay and a healthy respect for ourselves and our profession?
