Struggling with furlough

[Pearsapiece]

Not quite sure where to put this so hoping chat is the right place.
Also, have nc due to this being about work but have been here for ages.

Is anyone else really struggling with furlough? I've been furloughed since mid April, was the last to be furloughed on my team. Work in a sector which is heavily effected by how many people are on the road so have been hit with the lock down restrictions.
I'm now in the 4th month of furlough. We have a weekly update from the business lead and each week are being told people are returning from furlough throughout the business but none of our specific team have been. Its less this that's the problem and more the lack of care and communication from line manager.
She has also been furloughed and while I understand there are restrictions on what you can do re work contact on furlough, I feel like a few wellfare texts wouldn't go a miss but we've had nothing. The rest of the team still working haven't spoken to anyone furloughed either. It's like we've just been dropped without a care.
I'm personally struggling to fill the time. I feel like I just sit waiting for 'the call' to come back to work which I know won't come until the work is there. After 4 months, all the DIY has been done and I just feel useless. I'm really struggling with it. Is anyone else feeling this way? I know there's nothing that can be done about it and I'm lucky to have not been made redundant (yet) but I'm finding it really tough on my mental wellbeing.

[heartsonacake]

She has also been furloughed and while I understand there are restrictions on what you can do re work contact on furlough, I feel like a few wellfare texts wouldn't go a miss but we've had nothing.

If you’re on furlough, you can’t do any work whatsoever. Absolutely nothing. So no, she couldn’t contact you in a work capacity even a simple email/text about your welfare because she wouldn’t be allowed to.

Contacting you as a friend to see how you’re doing, not work related, would be okay, but it would depend if you were close as to whether or not she would do this.

[Jarli]

Hey OP, I really feel for you, I (and many of my colleagues) felt exactly the same. Our line manager was not furloughed and we got sweet FA from them. Some of us are back full time, some part time - I can honestly tell you it's caused an "us vs. them" situation within our office.

If I get one more snide comment about how I should be delighted I got furloughed and had a wonderful holiday I may scream. My workload is through the roof, my line manager has done nothing (despite saying he has been to HR) fo my workload although implemented processes that make it a hundred percent harder. I still have over 3000 emails to read and reply to. And we cannot get a mortgage for two years it seems now due the fact I was furloughed.

It's really shit. But yeah PP is right that your line manager cannot do any work related tasks including welfare checks.

[ItchyScratch]

As of 1st August Employers can no longer claim the national Insurance and pension on your furlough payments so that might make them bring you back.
Failing that from the 1st Sep the amount drops from 80% to 60% so maybe that will.

[Blobby10]

We are a small company and furloughed half our staff in April - they have all had a monthly letter with their payslip letting them know whats happening along with texts and email to back these up (amazing how any letters dont get delivered). Maybe we should do more but tbh I'm so busy covering colleagues work that I don't have time and tbh what would I say? If they say they desperately want to come back to work, we don't have any work for them to do! Its only the furlough scheme which is saving us from making redundancies.