Comments on: Would You Be Willing to Work for Free?

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:28:31 +0000

NDG, The government doesn’t ask people to take time off, which is a great thing. It’s nice that you have the option to take unpaid leave to relax or work on your business. My company allows employees to take unpaid leave, but only with approval.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:27:13 +0000

I agree – taking a voluntary pay cut is never a good option if it affects your benefits. It can have other ramifications down the line as well… Sorry to hear about it affecting you.

By: NoDebtGuy

NoDebtGuy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:28:59 +0000

I can’t see me ever being asked to work for free as I work for the government. I do however take the equivelent of 32 unpaid days off and work on my business or relax. It is a nice option to have.

By: vh

vh — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:29:19 +0000

Our unpaid furloughs are not voluntary: they amount to a 15% pay cut. Some employees asked it they could simply donate days, coming in to work for free, and were told they were not permitted to do so.

At one point we were given an opportunity to take a permanent pay cut in lieu of furlough days. This amounted to shooting yourself in the foot: when you’re furloughed, your hourly rate does not drop. State employees here can accrue unused sick leave and then, upon retirement, receive a percentage of their hourly rate for each our of sick leave. For those who survive a long time, this can amount to a substantial severance bonus; accepting a pay cut meant accepting a big cut in a key retirement benefit.

Furloughs and voluntary pay cuts have not protected anyone here from layoffs. They just mean you get a cut in pay before you get canned, making it harder for you to build up an emergency fund.

By: DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad

DDFD at DivorcedDadFrugalDad — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 00:02:24 +0000

I feel like I work for free all the time . . .

If I were independently wealthy– I would certainly find worthy causes and give my time.

By: Patrick

Patrick — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Most states make workers wait through one week of unemployment before being eligible for benefits, so if you are going back to work a week later, you probably wouldn’t qualify.

As for health insurance, companies that ask people to take temporary unpaid leave aren’t removing people from the books or stopping benefits, they are just asking them not to come in to work so they can save money on labor costs.

By: marci

marci — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:05:28 +0000

I work for a small family owned company.
So, yes I would, as they have been very good to me.
And, the hours (paid or not) would go towards my 30 hrs/wk
I need to work to keep my health insurance in effect.

Now – if it was a week or more off, wouldn’t you be eligible for
unemployment benefits also? (after the waiting week we have
in our state)

By: Curious Cat Investing Blog

Curious Cat Investing Blog — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:09:33 +0000

I would definitely take leave without without pay. Many actually do work for free when they work extra hours, etc.. I agree with you that the more connected you feel to the company and the work the more likely to work without pay (in order to help out the company). Unfortunately so many companies fail to make the employees feel engaged. I write about this on my blog http://management.curiouscatblog.net/category/respect/ Companies can set up conditions that create a climate where people want to work more (they go beyond what is required to get earn their paycheck) for free – Google does this very well, so do many others.

Like you though, I most want time off, so I like the idea of helping by reducing the cash flowing out of the company while times are tough (if that will help).

By: Patrick

Patrick — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:40:28 +0000

Kristin, it’s never wrong to work hard to protect your job. So long as you aren’t doing anything unethical or designed to undermine a coworker’s position, then I think you should have a clear conscience.

I would be careful though not to go too far or else they may not value you or your services as much. You want to be valuable, but not give the impression that you are willing to work for free.

By: Kristin

Kristin — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:28:20 +0000

I work for a library and we’ve just been asked to participate in a voluntary furlough program. Unpaid leave for one day a month for the rest of the year. This program is a test case for a possible mandetory furlough program next year.

I’ve been struggling with this exact question as we are unable to hire replacement staff members and already work is starting to build up. I’m a children’s librarian and serving the kids is something I love and am seriously considering volunteering my time to work unpaid on these furlough days.

I have to say though. I’m not above making sure my boss knows. So if the question of layoffs comes up during budget cuts, I might get brownie points for working above and beyond and saving the city money. Is that wrong of me?