Would You Work for Free?

June 17, 2009— -- About 40,000 people work for British Airways, which means they show up, do their jobs and get paid. But now, the airline is asking workers to do their jobs for up to a month without the "getting paid" part.

In a letter to employees this week, British Airways said, "The airline fights for survival … people will be able to opt for one-week blocks of unpaid leave or unpaid work."

It's a twist on sacrifices being made by employees around the world. In Connecticut, for instance, Courtney Bosch was given a one-week furlough from Kodak.

"In these times, I was comfortable with it, you know I can honestly say I was happy to still be employed," Bosch said.

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Bosch said she would try to spend the time with her family. But she does acknowledge feeling the pressure to work.

"We are all really kind of tense and on edge, and thinking in these times, you know, I've got to do my job, I've to give 110 percent," she said.

In this economy, despite a sense that everyone needs to chip in and that they're in this together, there are limits.

"It's absolutely a slippery slope if employers expect us to work for free," ABC News workplace contributor Tory Johnson said.

Even if it's voluntary, like it is at British Airways