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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Stay at home, go to work

205 replies

sunshine19781 · 23/03/2020 21:00

What is deemed absolutely necessary when deciding to go to work? Many self employed, builders for example, will want or crack on with their jobs so they get paid. Has Boris done enough?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
7
Gin96 · 23/03/2020 21:57

@Heathercob my horse has a shoe hanging off so blacksmith coming to the yard tomorrow. what are we msupposed to do, if not looked after we will have dead horses in the field

Longsleepneeded · 23/03/2020 21:57

It is not clear. My dh is a self employed gardener. He works totally alone, has told all his customers to pay online and has not contact with anyone and is outside, but it is not essential work. Does he still go?

Missyelliottsaysso · 23/03/2020 21:58

I work part time in a large diy store...I assumed it would be in the non essential section, however, according to the BBC website hardware stores can remain open.
I have seen open abuse of social distancing by customers, people just coming in to buy plants and compost, browsing wallpaper. Whole families coming in! barely any hand sanitisers for the staff, no masks and no staff protection against people coughing and sneezing. Feels like we are at the bottom of the shit heap!

Pinkyyy · 23/03/2020 21:59

How is your husband running a business if he cant make such a basic decision?

No need for such a nasty comment. He has already made the necessary decisions, I was asking out of my own personal worry. You could try being a bit more compassionate when people are worried whether the only earner in their household will be able to work and get paid.

PerfidiousAlbion · 23/03/2020 21:59

All this thread has done is illustrate how confused and frustrated everyone is with current Government advice.

Campervan69 · 23/03/2020 21:59

StrawberryBlondeStar thank you. I'm a conveyancer. I have been begging my boss to allow me to work from home but he's having none of it. I can't imagine people will be allowed to move house now can you? The guidance has been very unclear though.

CappyCapCap · 23/03/2020 21:59

He works totally alone, has told all his customers to pay online and has not contact with anyone and is outside, but it is not essential work. Does he still go?

Can he work from home?

horsesaremylife · 23/03/2020 21:59

"VioletCharlotte" its not whether or not its an essential job its that the government has not actually said don't go to work if your not in essential and we'll pay you 80% of your wages. It's implying this but not said it. My husband does not want to lay his staff off and then find out that the government will bot pay them the 80%.
He could lay them off, its fine by him but if the government doesn't pay them because he's not layig them off because he has no work then they'll be all be up shit creek without a paddle,

horsesaremylife · 23/03/2020 22:02

"If they meant only key workers can work, that’s what they would have said. The guidance is clear. If you absolutely cannot work from home, then you can go to work."
^^This is what my DH thinks therefore if he lays them off they wont get paid the 80% of their wages.

CappyCapCap · 23/03/2020 22:03

No need for such a nasty comment. He has already made the necessary decisions, I was asking out of my own personal worry. You could try being a bit more compassionate when people are worried whether the only earner in their household will be able to work and get paid.

Well then you know the answer if he has made the decisions.

People arent confused. They are looking for loopholes as to why, it doesnt mean them.

Unfortunately, if self employed work dries up, people will need to take up other key work. Such as supermarket work. Asda is looking g for thousands of staff.

Its bloody shit. It really is.

But no one can answer individual questions. When self employed you have to make sensible decisions for yourself.

People who are trying to confuse the issue by misinterpreting what's been said and asking questions that are relevant is what's confusing people.

StrawberryBlondeStar · 23/03/2020 22:04

@Campervan69 no way. Not essential.

Bitofeverything · 23/03/2020 22:04

It is absolutely terrible drafting. But if it was just key workers, they would say that. It’s not. It’s same as Germany’s system - if you have to leave house to work, you can. But you have to stay apart from each other while working.

CappyCapCap · 23/03/2020 22:04

This is what my DH thinks therefore if he lays them off they wont get paid the 80% of their wages

The 80% is to stop employers from laying them off.

Longsleepneeded · 23/03/2020 22:05

59CappyCapCap. No, he can't, but so many people are saying stay at home unless you're a key worker, and others are saying only stay at home if you can work from home!!

StrawberryBlondeStar · 23/03/2020 22:06

@Campervan69 this was MOJs list today. Conveyancer not on this

Stay at home, go to work
polkadotpixie · 23/03/2020 22:06

@Longsleepneeded My husband is the exact same, a self employed gardener who works alone and is getting all his clients to pay online

He can't do his job from home so he is going to work until he's told he's not allowed. We need his income so hopefully he'll still be allowed to

PegasusReturns · 23/03/2020 22:06

If your job does not involve providing absolutely essential services, stay the fuck at home

You’re not being asked to stay at home unless your job is essential

You’re being asked to stay at home of it is possible for you to work from home.

If you can’t work at home because you’re a plumber or a farmer or a housing officer then you are permitted to travel to work.

AmelieTaylor · 23/03/2020 22:07

Blimey. People need to Calm Down and listen to what he said.

BoingBoingyBoing

Come on, it's really not hard.

If your job does not involve providing absolutely essential services, stay the fuck at home

Except that’s not what he said. He said WFH IF YOU CAN -only go to work if it’s essential
(In context that’s ‘essential To go in to work to do your job’.

Separately he said which businesses must close and that’s retail shops, not lawyers, mechanics, builders etc

IF you can do your job from home, effectively then your employer has to let you. Get your ‘bolsh’ on & get them told!

Some other businesses need to be closed but it looks like they’re being given an opportunity to think for themselves before being told!

horsesaremylife · 23/03/2020 22:07

"CappyCapCap" My DH is not looking for a loop hole he's actually worried about his staff. Yup he could lay them off and tell them that currently there is no guarantee from government that they'll get their 80% of their wages paid by the government how do you think they'll feel about that? It would suit him as his overheads would go down.

Babymamaroon · 23/03/2020 22:07

Do people honestly need to be told?! What is happening to people's brains! Boris couldn't have been clearer. STAY AT HOME.

StrawberryBlondeStar · 23/03/2020 22:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

yabadabadontdoit · 23/03/2020 22:07

People arent confused. They are looking for loopholes as to why, it doesnt mean them

Absolutely untrue. Dh wants to close his construction business and let his staff stay at home BUT from BJ wording we too cannot tell if that means the 80% wages will be paid or not. If he closes and they can’t claim then ultimately his business will go bust and 40 people will lose their jobs.

Campervan69 · 23/03/2020 22:08

So if I'm non-essential then I should be able to force my boss to allow me to work from home? He is saying if no work comes in then we will lose our jobs but I know the government has said they will cover this. I would be happy to work from home and have offered and begged him to let me do so but he has refused. Is there anything I can do to force him to allow me to work from home?

Longsleepneeded · 23/03/2020 22:11

@polkadotpixie. It's really difficult, he knows it's not essential but is more isolated gardening than going shopping yet feels guilty for working!

Forza14 · 23/03/2020 22:11

They are not shutting all businesses. They are asking people to work from home if they can. Those that can’t should go to work.

As I said on another thread, what they are trying to do is slow the rate of transmission to give the NHS a chance to cope. Stopping the virus altogether is impossible so it’s all about slowing it down.

This semi-lockdown we’re going into with a drastic reduction in the numbers of people going out will help to do that enormously.

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