Work For Free?  Or Pie In The Sky?

How many students would go to work for free?

Well bosses of British Airways will be hoping that non-financial motivation exists, as they have asked staff to volunteer to work for free (or take unpaid leave) for up to a month, in an attempt to ensure that the firm can win the fight for survival.

This BBC article could be tied in with two topics on the new Edexcel Specifications:

1) Motivation & Remuneration - Will staff volunteer to work for free? The article tells us that some will. Would students be prepared to work for free if it saved their job? How would it make them feel?

2) Linking Cash Flow to a Survival Objective - the article clearly states that this is a “drive to save cash” as is a “part of a “fight for survival”. Whilst the action may help them to achieve this objective in the long-term, what might the costs be? Will staff become demotivated? Will they look for alternative jobs? Why will the lost salaries be spread between 3 and 6 months? What effect might this have on cash flow?

In addition, of course there is the issue of whether to work for free, or simply take unpaid leave.

Lots of questions from one useful article.