Training whilst on Furlough

[GoodGirlsRUs]

I am employer of a small team. We are still currently operating but are very quiet. I have my team on Flexi Furlough where they will work approximately 20% of their normal hours.

Ideally I would like them to carry out some training. We are normally so busy that we are unable to train, so I thought that this would be an ideal situation.

All of my employees have at least 1 child at home to home school.

How would you feel if your employer asked you to carry out an online training course for 1 or 2 hours per day on the days that you are not working?

P.S I'm topping them up to 100% If that makes a difference?

Perfectly reasonable.

Reasonable thing to ask

I don't think I'd mind hugely provided it was actually useful training and not just for the sake of a tick box exercise. And if it was flexible that I could nip in and out of throughout the day or a time that's suitable.

It's very much work based training.

Thank you, I'm feeling very guilty asking them to do it that's all.

Wouldn’t bother me, I did some online training whilst I was on furlough over the summer. If I had small people who I had to supervise through homeschool then I wouldn’t appreciate full day online courses, but a few hours here and there seems reasonable.

It's completely in the rules and you're topping them up.

It's fine, especially if it can be accessed at a time to suit them. To be honest, even if it was at a set time and they have kids at home, they could manage (the same was as everyone else who's still working has to).

Reasonable - I do think it would be nice to try and make it as flexible as possible though for childcare reasons as women particularly are being unfairly hit by this pandemic and training with a child will mean you will be paying for training that they are not going to get the full benefit from if they are juggling child care and the training in the same hour.

I think if it's a 'you need to do this two hour course tomorrow' that's a bit different to 'can you do this at some point in the next 7 days please' so, ideally, be as flexible and give them the biggest time frame you can. One employee might much rather do it on Saturday morning when their child goes to their Dad, for another 9am Monday is better, a third would rather do it at 9 at night.

Yes, I have stated that I would like them to do 1 or 2 hours on their non working days, but it can be done at any time during the day.

They all have partners at home during the day.

Well no training is being done. Next month I think the 100% furlough top up will have to be dependent on it.

Feeling like such a mug!

@GoodGirlsRUs they've broken their contracts then, surely? Did you state it was compulsory (but flexible?).