First off, love the film and the overall message, but this time I'm noticing something new.
The boss character, Al Harrison played by Kevin Costner, keeps telling people that he's not going to pay them.
First of all when the Russians manage to get into space first and he says the 'how'd we come second in a 2 man race' line. After that he tells everyone that they will be working late and it won't be reflected in their pay packets, so they should warn their wives.
Then later with the IBM chaps he tells them several times 'I'm not paying you' because the machine isn't working fast enough.
I don't know if that attitude is true to the person that the character is based off of, and I know it was exceptional circumstances that probably aren't reflected in today's world what with the Cold War and Space Race, but it makes me wonder what would happen these days if a boss said that to their workers.
Also, if it did happen in that way, it makes me a little more aware of how boomers expect staff to work regardless of rate of pay or expertise, as that was the attitude they were brought up with – most boomers were in their teens or early 20s when this film happened. This was the work ethic they were brought into the job market on. If its true, obviously.