In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re revisiting our 2024 conversation with Julia, who was then working as a delivery driver in Poznań. It’s worth exploring what our work looks like from a woman’s perspective, how our relationships with other employees are structured, and the stereotypes surrounding women.
You can find this interview and many others in our brochure, “This Is What Exploitation Looks Like.”
Hi Julia, thank you for agreeing to talk to us. We wanted to get to know the point of view of the work of a female delivery driver, but it was not easy to find such a person.
Maybe to start with, tell us a little about yourself, how did you find yourself working for Platforms?
This may sound unusual, but I was encouraged by… Dexterowski. The guy who records on YouTube or Tiktok about delivery. At first, I was afraid of this job. Today, I don’t know why I was afraid and I’m glad I overcame my fear. The videos that you can find from this industry have taught me a bit and given me a few tips. I had my first trip to Glovo in September.
What were you afraid of?
I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to handle it. Let’s be honest, some customer addresses are complicated. That I would get lost in Poznań, that deliveries would be delayed because of me. Over time, even customers praised that I arrived very quickly, and even that I was able to reach them without having to call them. This gives me motivation to continue working.
And how do you work: bike, scooter, maybe a car? Do you have a business or through a Partner?
I drive a car. I know that it’s not the best means of transport for a delivery person, but I simply love driving. Personally, I thought about trying my hand at a taxi, but I haven’t made a final decision yet. My billing partner is Evelstar. I have no problems with them. The previous one was AppJobs, which no longer exists as far as I know, due to the leak of personal data. There was a lot of talk about this partner for a while, but I managed to leave before this scandal.
What kind of contract do you have with the Partner?
I have a partial contract for services and a car rental agreement, thanks to which I pay less contributions, but they are still paid. It seems complicated, but the partner I mentioned shows everything clearly, what amounts for what, etc. Additionally, this company is also on the Discord platform, which makes it easier to talk to support faster in case of problems.
And which platform do you work for? How many hours a week?
I work on Glovo. The schedule is adjusted so that I have continuity of orders practically to the point that I do not have to use other applications. I also have Uber Driver, but I did not have continuity of orders from there. I try to work about 40 hours a week. As if full-time, you could say that.
Do you like this job? Is there anything interesting about it?
I like the freedom. Glovo has a schedule, I decide when I go to work. No one tells me how much I have to drive, etc., I set it myself according to my needs.
I like working on my own account – previously I worked in retail. When someone dropped out of shift, their duties had to be done. Believe me, anyone who has not worked one day in a supermarket will not understand why sometimes you have to wait up to an hour for shopping, e.g. from Biedronka. In delivery, on the other hand, you work for yourself, one could say so.
I like the fact that I decide how I will work on a given week. Most often I drive from 4 pm to 2 pm, i.e. at night. Evening hours are standard for me. To such an extent that several BP stations or kebab shops know me inside and out. Some of the customer orders are interesting, especially on Glovo. The platform offers not only food, but also, for example, pharmacies, flowers or grocery shopping. Thanks to this, there is a variety of what we transport. Several times I had special requests from clients to buy cigarettes etc.
And tips – I don’t know if it’s because of gender, but I get them. A friend once asked me how much – I can get about 200-300zl per month (only the cash, from the app it’s a separate topic, but if you count them together it’s even twice as much). Of course, plus or minus, it all depends on the generosity of the clients.
Are there any dark sides to this profession? Does something bother you at work? What would you change?
No guaranteed rate. When there are downtimes, you don’t get paid for it. And when the app gives an order far from the center and you sometimes have to go back on your own account. It could assign the order from some point. Here I often mention Glovo, but I work the most for it and have the most experience. There are days when I don’t have downtime, and sometimes there are days when you don’t have an order for 20-30 minutes. It may not seem like much, but over a week or a month it can add up to several hours, and as a result lower pay.
Support at Glovo – I think there are people there who should be replaced with someone more competent. I had a situation where support charged me 2 hours of work – as a “penalty”. Why? Because I wrote the truth. I had a problem changing money – it was a cash order. Support then told me to return the order to the restaurant! And I said, what? The customer should get cold food? I hung up on him. I contacted someone else and he immediately dealt with the matter properly. But the hourly blocks were removed. I reported the matter further, but I don’t know if any consequences were drawn. This is not a one-off situation. I am on the Telegram group of couriers, or on the FB group, and other couriers have also experienced such situations. I know that support is a separate company that has nothing to do with delivery. But fortunately, lately I have come across good people when there is a problem.
As for customers, I haven’t met many aggressive ones in my life. I recently had a situation like this: a customer was upset that I arrived too late, because he ordered an hour ago. But I haven’t had many such situations. Considering that I have completed 2600 deliveries, I think I am quite lucky with this. Especially since, as I mentioned, I drive at night.
And on top of that, an order for a large amount on Glovo – it’s literally pennies. I don’t understand the idea behind Glovo, why doesn’t it give, for example, 10-15 PLN to one courier for carrying all the heavy purchases, but prefers to give, hmm, 1 PLN? At such a standard rate. It prefers to pay another courier for help in bringing the order. This is incomprehensible to me and that’s why I separate them as much as possible.
Oh, and the waiting time in restaurants! There are days when you wait in these places for quite a long time – and then it’s true, we are paid for the waiting time, but these are pennies. 1 hour of waiting is 6 PLN in Glovo. But for example, Uber doesn’t pay anything for waiting.
You mention groups on Telegram and FB. And what are contacts with Delivery Girls like in real life?
In real life, they rarely talk to me. Many are also of a different nationality than Polish. I can communicate in English, but Ukrainian is definitely worse. I have never encountered verbal or physical aggression in real life in connection with my work. I have very good contact with the ambassador and the supervisor of Poznań. It was the ambassador who suggested that I give you an interview. I also meet women who work on various applications. There are definitely fewer of them, that’s true, but I have the impression that there are more and more of them every year. I could be wrong, maybe the statistical data differs.
Why do you think this profession is so dominated by men?
Because of the stereotype that women can’t drive. I think that’s one of the reasons. My friends, when they drive with me somewhere, are not afraid. Quite the opposite. They know that I will keep my cool in different situations. Driving in the city center and in general around Poznań has taught me patience. Sometimes I watch couriers who drive fast and carelessly. I try to drive according to the rules because I don’t want to pay fines.
Another reason is the weight of orders, because a woman can only carry so much. If there is an order that is a bit heavier and I can’t share it with another courier, then I simply take it. It’s not easy at times, but that’s the job. There are good and bad days in every job.
I honestly don’t know any other reasons why this profession is dominated by men. I think that working in trade, where I worked, as I mentioned, is physically harder than delivery.
And have you come across comments like: a woman in Delivery? I wonder how she copes with heavy orders…
Today I read about it on Telegram and I’ll say this: during the whole day I can have 4 floors without a lift several times, and sometimes zero times. When it comes to shopping, if it meets the conditions, I divide it between another courier, so as not to ruin my health. I also tell other men about it: divide it! Because everyone has one healthy back or arms. But most often I see looks. I don’t know if they are negative or positive. Sometimes I encountered couriers “pushing me away” because they thought I was an ordinary customer in a restaurant. That’s why I started wearing a company cap or sweatshirt to stand out. I had one situation when another courier proposed a date to me, I didn’t accept, but I admire that he asked me outright. But there were also situations when I advised others what to do, etc., or gave tips. I still do that to this day. I’m quite active on Telegram. I like helping.
The European Union has passed the Platform Work Directive, which is to be implemented in Poland within two years. What do you think about it?
I’ve read about it. At the moment I can’t say how big an impact it will have. If cooperation with applications doesn’t go the way I want or simply doesn’t have a positive effect on me, then our paths will simply diverge. Many people in this industry talk a lot and complain about how bad it is on this and that platform, etc., and still work there despite everything. There are people who like the way it is now, and there will also be people who will like the conditions we will soon encounter. They haven’t been implemented in our country yet, so I can’t say whether it will really be a good change.
Finally, a practical question: If you had to give some advice to people who are just starting out as a Delivery Driver, what would you tell them? What should they pay attention to and what should they avoid?
Who asks does not make mistakes – ask people who have experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, even the most obvious ones. Everyone started from scratch.
Don’t always be guided by pins on the map when it comes to the customer’s address. It is often in a different place than in reality. I recommend Yanosik maps, they are better than Google Maps in my opinion.
Be polite to employees of restaurants or other establishments. They are also people. Of course, there are rude people, but I think that calmness and composure are important in this job.
If you have a bad day, don’t give up. There are also better moments. However, everyone decides for themselves whether this is a good job or not.
And drink water