If the company is shutting down no matter what, keeping the employees on is essentially giving away money for no (business) reason. To do so could be construed as a violation of fiduciary duty to the shareholders.
Alternately, who says they have the money to make payroll either way? Keeping them employed when you know there is no money to pay them would be even worse. It would leave them just as unpaid, but also even more bitter about it.
Alternately, who says they have the money to make payroll either way? Keeping them employed when you know there is no money to pay them would be even worse. It would leave them just as unpaid, but also even more bitter about it.