The legal classification of volunteers: A cross-European case law comparison

Abstract

This contribution provides a structural analysis of the case law of national courts in the EU, EEA and UK confronted with questions on the classification of volunteers. It explores the criteria and rationales used by courts to decide whether workers hired as volunteers should be reclassified as employees. These are put into perspective by reference to more recent evolutions of court approaches to employee status, particularly in the context of the platform economy. Given the societal relevance of voluntary work, a particular focus lies on the question of whether the operation of volunteer organisations might face challenges due to the tendency to broadening the concept of worker.