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A job ad asking for voluntary cleaners has been taken down, with the company apologising for an error in judgment.
The role was advertised as an “intern cleaning position” at Fresh Desk, based in Wellington Central.
The company website says it cleans government agency sites, has previously been in the news in 2017 for paying its staff a living wage, and says cleaners should not be undervalued.
The Seek ad, which was removed on Wednesday, said: “This is a voluntary position... we are testing the market to see if there is any interest in voluntary cleaning :)”
Requirements included “non-smoker preferred” and “good character, good health, good English language skills”.
The advert that central Wellington firm Fresh Desk Ltd placed on the Seek job website.
Comments on X, formerly Twitter, included “Horrific. Totally unacceptable” and “I don’t even like having to clean my own house for free” and “That is shocking!”
Fresh Desk said in a statement: “We acknowledge and sincerely apologise for our recent job ad.
“This was an error in judgment, and we deeply regret any frustration or concern caused, particularly in light of the current economic pressures on workers and the cleaning industry.”
It said all of its 13 team members, 10 permanent and three casual, were paid at or above the adult living wage of $27.80 per hour. It did not engage contractors, only employees, who received the full protections and benefits that came with that status.
The business has served the community for more than a decade, it said, and “proudly retains loyal staff, some with us for more than 2.5 years, even in a high-churn industry”.
“We are committed to continually improving our processes to better serve both our team and our community.”
Advice on the Employment New Zealand website said an employer should “not get an economic benefit from the work done by the volunteer” nor “have the volunteer do work that is integral to the business, such as work that an employee would ordinarily do”.
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