If I percieve a value to me to be involved in the work for one reason or another, I may choose to do so. It could be a professional development opportunity. It could be that I percieve it will benefit me in the longer run by ensuring continued work (i.e. the company won't lose the contract). I tend to try to ensure that the company doesn't "plan" on this on my part however.

We're hourly employees, and unionized. We've all known each other for many years ( employees & lower management ) and there is a lot of give & take flexibility. There have been quite a few times we've hustled to get an important job done and it resulted in my getting out of there 20-30 minutes late. Even though we get time-and-a-half overtime past hours, I ( and many others ) don't put in for the time. There have been many many occasions where foremen/supervisors have helped us out by bending the rules. Sometimes it's best to let water seek it's own level. Like I've said, we've known and worked with each other for decades, and most of lower management worked "on the floor" once too. There are some types that are all militant-all the time, and then they wonder why they never get any slack.

We do have a lot of overtime, but that entails working a double shift. That's too much for me and I don't do that, but so many people do want to work it that they have to keep a cascading list so everybody gets their turn if they want it. Life's too short to work a 16 hour day.

Social worker.

More people should do it - find a non-profit and volunteer some of your time. That is if you have the extra time.

I agree more people should volunteer their time towards philanthropic/altruistic missions, but I was more talking about WORKING for free. Cheers.

Me personally, no I do not work for free. There are certian times I have worked for free, but it was mostly for family.

I work for a very small company. Sometimes I stay a little late, usually if I do, my boss doesn't even know. My reasoning? that depends. Sometimes I was slow or not feeling well and things took longer then usual that day. Or maybe I just need to kill some time before picking up my son. I rarely put down the extra time. I have a good boss, a fair boss and the company is struggling to keep it's head above water. I've been here a long time and my office is like my second home.

The banking/financial crash has just about put us out of business. Now the IRS is doing an audit just to add insult to injury. I'm just hoping we don't go under at this point.

Would not want to see you lose your job.

Thanks

/hug

I keep the company website maintained and updated with new ad copy for product lines during my own time. About four, maybe five hours a week.

However, as I get a very nice bonus for writing the corporate blog, I make no complaints, am happy to do it, and it puts in in greater and greater favor with corporate.

I see it simply as illustrating my willingness to help the company (and, as it turns out, they see it precisely the same way), so I don't begrudge a few hours of my time.

I did it because I believed in the mission of the site and it was the best way I could contribute.

I worked in electronics service. I always felt my employer was the customer. The company I worked for and the companies I represented couldn't have cares less for the needs and interests of the customer. I spent countless hours trying to solve customers problems without getting paid. I also spent countless hours researching component technology when the manufacturers wouldn't do shit to inform me of the technology or how they used it.
I finally gave up in 02. It's not bad enough that it's a throw away society but businesses don't respect their employees or their customers. I can't work in that environment.

You do the math

I usually eat my lunch at work and I answer the phone, if it rings, or do other little chores during my lunch break without any OT pay. I work in a small office, I have a great boss and any little favor that is done for him or the business will be rewarded in some form or fashion, so it pretty much evens out over time. It's more on a friendship basis than a business thing.

Sometimes I do the following on the side(some of which are free or by agreement):

1 - Calligraphy - letters, cards and wedding invites.
2 - Debt Reduction Planning - I input all debts and monthly fees a person has on a spread sheet to create a payment plan without using scamming Loan Consolidation companies. (Helped quite a few in this, which then allowed them to qualify for my Mortgage Loan Processing business)
3 - Remote System Administration and Misc. Computer work - Small businesses of friends or something or another, I help out in now and then. Most times I get paid but, now and then I do pro bono.
4 - Exercise Planner - I don't do this much but hell, there are personal trainers, and I've helped out a few on this one too. Basically, I create an exercise plan for someone depending on their current physical fitness. It won't be as targeted as a true personal trainer but I find it fun, and if they can keep up with some of the things I do, it's great!

I have a regular work week however, everything else that I do is on the side. I am not licensed in 1 and 4, but I am definitely qualified for 2 and 3. 1 - I learned from a book, 2 - I got in to during the Housing bubble I had a friend that was selling they needed someone to do the processing so I did that, 3 - I am a programmer by schooling but I was IT for a while in a company, 4 - Uh, let's just say I worship in the shrine of Tony Horton, Shaun T and so forth so I help when asked(no payment necessary).

However, if you're talking about doing pro bono work for my regular job? Hell no. They don't pay me enough.

Of course in such a role, your hours expand and contact, and the idea is that as a "professional", you deal with it. But having said that, there are reasons to do "overtime" that is not part of what my position, as defined, makes sense.

So for instance, if an individual (peer) from another organization approaches me, and asks for help in an area that falls OUTSIDE my defined scope, I can decline. If their management really wants ME to help, I can defer to my management, and maybe have them reset my priorities.

Or ... I can, on my own, decide that what this peer is asking me to do is something worth doing, even if it will require me to work lots of OT. The reason I will often do that is so that I can tell my management about it, so that they can start to work such requests into our HC and funding models. The more groups are requesting MY services, or those of my colleagues, the better shot we have at increasing or at least maintaining HC (headcount).

As a "professional" I won't see any OT, but what I'm doing is trying to ensure that my value, and that of my organization is as broad as possible ... and if I have to put in extra hours to do that, its worth it ... plus, you can also get responses "in kind" ... you help some one else, they're more willing to help you down the road (usually) ...

Its like an investment.

I worked many years ago as a volunteer at Humane Society adoptions on weekends. I was glad to work for free for the animals.

If you're an employee, unless you're extremely lucky and getting overpaid, the owner, owners, or investors, are taking some percentage of what you make for the company. If the company is paying you or all other employees more than you or all the employees make for the company, usually that job is not going to last very long. So, the difference between your gross pay plus actual cost of any benefits, and what you actually make for the company, whatever those figures are, represents work you did that you didn't get paid for. That difference represents working for free.

oriented. I liked work. I loved my job.

Although I am fortunate to be in a position to generally get my full fees up front, I am also fortunate enough to be in a position to take cases at a reduced fee when I want and to take a case completely pro bono when the situation warrants it. If I find a case to be particularly compelling or even just interesting to me, I don't hesitate to help when asked, regardless of the ability to pay. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a lottery winner who works for the fun of it. Most of my clients fully compensate me for my time, but there are plenty of situations where they don't too.

with no additional compensation--when I was in the military.

Now I do it sometimes if the need to for the project. Sometimes the contract has money for paying me overtime, sometimes it doesn't.

But if there is a deadline and things need to be done, I make sure they get done.

so many of the free perks I do for my clients are to generate goodwill and perhaps prompt them to ask for that service again (and pay me).

I watched my husband work thousands of free hours because he utterly, completely and 110% believed in the company he was working for and to successfully develop his project, and see it successfully launched. His reward: an institution that he created, nurtured and promoted has become a community fixture that will live on beyond his years on earth.

They pretend to pay us...but I still do it.