Martin Thomas is at the forefront of a shift in working habits sweeping the world. The product manager at British Airways has just decided to take a month off without pay this summer and then work part-time for the following 14 months – and that is precisely what the lossmaking airline wants.

“It was an opportunity to give some focused time that I wouldn't have been able to commit to if this opportunity hadn't presented itself,” says Mr Thomas, who will help his parents set up a charity in Wales as well as enjoying more time with his wife and two daughters.

Thousands of people like Mr Thomas around the world are looking ahead to a summer of unpaid leave or fewer working hours as employers try out a raft of methods to counter the deep recession. Companies across the spectrum – from Cartier in luxury goods to BBVA among the banks and KPMG in professional services as well as Union Pacific, the rail operator, and ArcelorMittal in steel – have looked at ways to cut costs without axing jobs. Their aim is to ride out the downturn with as much talent intact as possible.