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Would you work for free?
Let's say your company tells you they can't currently make payroll. Would you continue to work?
I'm not currently in this position. I was just reading an article about basically an entire school district that teachers worked at for free (or close to it) because of budget cuts. The article was about WHY they did it. I think its admirable, but would people in other fields do the same?
Now at my last company I was in this position. I was told they couldn't make payroll but if we stayed on board at least half time, they'd pay us back in full when (or was it if) they got the money. I was 9 months PG at the time so I stayed on. Had I not been PG I would have stayed on only until I found something new.
So, what would you do? Just curious.
ETA: In my case they found money for payroll so in the end it didn't matter
Re: Would you work for free?
I would completely depend on whether or not I liked my job enough - are my benefits still there? etc etc. If I truly liekd my job, then yes, I would stay on - I think it woudl prove my dedication if and when the payroll can be made (or cuts need to be made).
ps - i left that disability tel number in the post below that we were takling about.
My sons and daughters teachers were doing just that when they went to the JCC in Deal. Eventually the school shut its doors, but the teachers were working without pay. I think what they did was commendable and admirable. I would hope that those who could afford it would keep doing what's best for the kids, but it's not always possible (financially).
Would I do it for the short term? Yes. Forever? No.
Thanks. I sent it to him.
I assume the benefits went away at my company. I didn't get through them and the CEO said "oh good. then you are lucky".
I am sort of working for free right now. It's for the greater good of the bigger picture. I don't know how else to put it but I'm not actually getting paid money to be at work.
I probably would in a situation like you describe because working for me has never really been about money. Even before I had a husband and a child, none of the jobs I took were about how much money I could make. I was a social worker because I thought I could make a difference. I worked in tanning because social work broke me mentally/emotionally and put me in the hospital physically (I was attacked by a 14 yr old client), and tanning was less stressful, fun and exciting. I got to travel and party. The job I worked in NYC in between was for a paycheck to pay for necessities but not fulfulling in any way. Then I came to work with my husband to do something creative. I stayed home with E for 3 yrs and now have to work to help our second store get going and improve sales.
For me work is about much more than a paycheck. Obviously certain costs have to be covered, I like nice things, etc, but it was never like a paycheck swayed me to do a job I didn't want to do, or made me put less into something I loved because I wasn't being paid more.
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makes sense for you, considering you own the business.
I am essentially working for free right now because i'm 100% commission and it takes time to get paid out on deals. but, I know there's money coming, so it's not really the same thing as the example cited.
It is an honorable thing to do, but certainly not always a financially feasible option. If you have children in daycare, covering that expense may be an issue, as well as it being unnecessary, if you could be home with them instead.
there are a lot of factors, I guess.
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Absolutely this. Maybe if I was single and living at home and could swing it but not when I have a family to support. At this point I work for money. If not i would be home w/ my kids
depends on the type of work and salary.
my husband does continue to work and payroll isn't always made. And there's no advance warning either - they just an email the day it's due to arrive that it won't be. They have made it up - sometimes it takes a few weeks. He stays with it because we have enough savings to cover a few weeks, he will qualify for unemployment if they lay him off or close up, it is convenient to the kids' daycare.
yet, FIL owned a courier service and when dh told him about the sporadic paychecks, he said his employees would stop working if they didn't get paid. but maybe that's the difference between salaried and hourly? or the type of job?
I work for a non-profit overseeing community health education programs. Clearly, my job is much more than money to me. I could make much more money in a private sector job that had a similar level of responsibility. That said, my salary does help pay the mortgage, so I don't think I could swing it for very long.
I would if it was for an industry that was typically underpaid/understaffed and there to help people (education, museum work, hospital work), but not if it was a standard for-profit industry.
I logged a ton of volunteer hours in addition to paid hours when I was working at the history museum. I knew their operating budget for the year and it was insanely low, so I was happy to donate my time in the interest of keeping the doors open. I loved that job and knew that volunteering in the off-season helped make sure I would have a job during spring/summer since those events frequently brought in donations and kept repeat visitors interested. I was invested enough in that museum that I wanted to see it remain a success.
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No....flame me I am a teacher.
My time away from my kids is too precious to not get paid and I need that money.
No flames here! You didn't choose to teach to retire in Bali in the first place. Our time is valuable and we do need money to feed ourselves!
No flames here. I don't think you can expect someone to work for free. If they are willing and able and do it I think it's admirable (especially in a job like teaching) but you certainly can't expect it.
If you said "I was told next year I won't get paid so I'm calling in sick every day this year", I'd flame you. But to say "hey if I'm not getting paid I think i'd have to spend time with my kids", no flames here. Just as no one in any other industry gets flamed.
I wouldn't expect anyone not to get paid for their time. That's part of the reason why we all work, right? I can see why some people may choose to do this-- they are loyal to their profession/ company, it's a small business you believe in, it's family run, etc. Ultimately, there's some light at the end of the tunnel. As much as I might want to do that, I don't think we could swing that financially.
I do think that people in the helping field get guilted into doing more for less. I'm all about the cause, but I have a family that I'm helping to support, too. I know we're all doing more with less in this economy-- so I don't know if this feeling exists in other industries. And maybe it's my own personal issue, lol.
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