Training whilst furlough

[Bluespace]

Hi,

My company are demanding online training to be complete before returning from furlough. If this isn’t done then they will put us on unpaid leave until it is.

I am a sole parent and do not have the time to complete in excess of 30 hours training in a week.

Are they allowed to request this??

No. You cannot do work for your company while furloughed. Training counts as work. Your employer is being very very shitty.

You can do training as long as it doesn't generate income or provide services for the company.

Yes your employee can insist you complete training - and in fact any work which doesn’t generate revenue.

I had this very same question couple weeks ago. I googled and it said conpanies can request that you complete online training whilst furloughed but it must be paid separately from furlough and at your normal hourly rate.
It isn't classed as work and apparently companies can ask you to complete training.

@TheHighestSardine you’re incorrect.

Here

Thanks for the correction! Always appreciated.

I don’t mind being asked to complete the training, but it’s the fact that if it’s not complete I will be put on unpaid leave that is bothering me...

What sort of training is it? Is it crucial for the role? For example, if you were a lifeguard it would be reasonable to ask you to do the RLSS online training to keep up your skills as far as you can outside a pool (and it's only 2 hours a month).

But if they just want you to do a "nice to have" I think it's unreasonable. But maybe you should ask for this to be moved to the employment section so the employment lawyers can help.

PeagusesReturn, name a type of work or task in any company that doesn't somehow lead to generating income for the business? It also states you cannot supply services to your employer so even if you can think of things employees can do as work that doesn't generate income, it actually doesn't matter, you aren't allowed to work. You can do training though but it must be paid training at the NMW so if your furlough is say £200 a week and they want you to do 30 hours training, they are paying you less than minimum wage which isn't allowed

It depends on the industry and the training
In my industry there is a set of training that you need to complete and update yearly to be compliant to work , if it's that sort of thing, we for example know it will be heavily checked when inspections restart so employers will have to insist.

However it's not 30 hours worth. Is it required for the job or is it an add on?

They could also request you return to work with little notice; what would you do if that happened. Would you be able to return, or would you have to go off on unpaid leave to be with your child. I would assume that’s where they are coming from.

My periodic training is external, so the firms that do it have built online packages. My employer will pay non-furloughed employees at their daily rate, but furloughed get nothing apart from the course fee. Got to be done though, as it's a statutory requirement.

The wording is that training is encouraged but must be paid at 100% I would have a discussion about how reasonable it is. 30 hours per week seems a lot. Is that 30 hours of training per week, every week?

Yes, they can require it.

Plenty of parents are WFH full-time and providing childcare.

Sorry, I meant paid at national minimum wage level if more than furlough amount, not 100%. Long day.

@YappityYapYap I disagree. There are clearly some circumstances where work on furlough is permitted.

In relation to revenue generation the advice I’ve had from outside counsel who are employment specialists (I’m in-house counsel and a generalist) is the law is very narrow on this point so sales would be prohibited but keeping a manufacturing plant operational for the future, for example, would not.

In relation to training the recently updated treasury directive states that training will not count as work where the purpose of the training is to improve an employee’s effectiveness or the performance of the employer’s business. So again pretty broad.