Jealous of Furloughed Co-workers

[RollercoasterRita]

70% of my company have been furloughed, on 95% pay ( 80% from the government and 15% from our company) I have been sitting at home, working all day for 3 weeks now, for 5% more pay. It's hard and I haven't been able to spend hardly any time with my children. Whenever I look on social media, all I can see are my furloughed co-workers having fun with their children, sunbathing in their gardens, catching up with chores. AIBU to feel so jealous, given that when this is all over, hopefully my job will be safe?

I agree with most. Furloughed workers as you describe are more likely to lose their jobs if the company struggles as the weeks pass. Basically, the people who have continued to work will be able to show the company can function to a lesser degree but recover, without them.

OP I can understand that

Is it more senior people who are still working?

Seriously dh is trying not to furlough as if they are they be made redundant after this is over. He been lucky so far. Those with furlough are vvvv worried and redoing cvs.

Part of the problem is that most companies don’t have as much work so don’t need everyone to work their existing hours and are struggling to pay full wages. Ideally a lot of workers would be given reduced hours, but most people cannot take much of a reduction in pay. Unfortunately because of the way the scheme works, then companies are having to furlough some workers whilst the rest do the work. Ideally we should be able to reduce hours and the government make up the pay to 80% or something like that.

Me too.

Our jobs are funded differently so no furlough, colleagues get 100%

Worst of all the funder could pull the funding and we end up redundant despite having worked through it...

YABU this is something to think not say out loud when you think about key workers and those not furloughed but redundant next time you are looking at FB posts of your colleagues put yourself in their shoes.

At the company my friend works for you've either been furloughed on 80% or you've been dropped to 50% capacity for 50% pay.

Now, that's unfair!

I am juggling working from home & parenting while keyworker DP is out at work. I am really hoping I don’t get furloughed as in my head (rightly or wrongly) it would be a clear message that my role is dispensable. Not saying it’s easy trying to manage everything but better that than no job at the end of all this. Am worried enough about that as it is .

Im jealous of colleagues who have opted for working from home and then discovered that their wifi isnt up to the task.
Or those who have merrily skipped off for 2 weeks leave on the first lockdown day because they said their partner or child coughed and felt unwell and management had to believe them . And who have now returned and are beefing about the work load. Yes - thats the workload left after the rest of us have slogged our way through quadruple workloads.

But Im glad that so many have replied to this because we need the balance of opinions. It cant be fun and games being at home wondering how to pay the bills when you struggle to live on 100% wages and are expecting 80%.
.

Being furloughed ain’t that great either, we are now on day 17 of not working and no pay so far! And who knows when the furlough will come in. I’d much rather be working and knowing I’m definitely getting a wage and that my future at the company was secure. The uncertainty isn’t great . So there are pros and cons for both sides of the coin!

@NCforthedebtchat Just about to say the same. DH is working harder than ever before but has agreed to a 20% pay cut for the foreseeable and to forgo next year’s bonus in order to try and keep company afloat and viable

I have specifically asked my furloughed staff to consider their colleagues who are working in a tough environment when they post on social media. They know their colleagues are putting themselves at risk to keep the business open everyday, working fewer, but much longer shifts. Plus having to deal with clients who are angry that fluffy's nail clip is not considered an emergency.
They have all respected this, it may be worth talking to your manager.

My DP’s company have furloughed 90% of staff and basically placed the business in mothballs so he is confident he will have a job to return to providing it doesn’t go under completely. There’s plenty of work waiting for them to return to.

haven't they passed a law now that if you are struggling for childcare you can asked to be furloughed or am I talking rubbish?

At my DHs work the one's that have been furloughed will likely be the first ones to go if the business struggles after lockdown. He's pissed off he's working ridiculous hours to get the business through whilst others are getting furlough but mgt have already told them they will be getting a bonus.

I understand how you feel honestly l do but surely it is better to be generous of spirit in this awful time

Yes I know exactly where you're coming from.

A lot of our business has been furloughed, including one member of our small team... on 100% pay.

We now have to pick his work up between a small number of us and there is far too much work for us to cope with.

I can see why it is really frustrating to see but remember most people try to keep their social media feed happy and filtered to the good things. They will show themselves playing in the garden with their children but not crying on the sofa out of sheer frustration and boredom and no desperately looking for secure work. They won't be feeling happy any more than you are.

But YANBU to feel you have a raw deal. To me, working from home is the 3rd worst in a heirarchy of, from luckiest to worst off:
Key Workers
Furloughed
Working from Home
Unemployed

YANBU to feel jealous. My sister has been furloughed on full pay and I'm jealous! But everything always works out perfectly for her and likely always will. I love her but I do envy her charmed life sometimes.

At the same time I'm happy to be a key member of staff in my company and I know they would struggle without me for a month, let alone longer. It would be nice if things quietened down a little but at the moment I'm very busy working from home.

I don’t understand how key worker are lucky. They are people like nurses who are risking their lives every day.

I don't really understand the logic of 'if you're furloughed you're clearly less important so you're more likely to be redundant'. That might be true in some circumstances, but surely the test for furloughing is whether or not you can usefully work in current circumstances, not whether your work is useful or not under normal circumstances? They're furloughing almost all of the cleaners at my work, but they will need them again when the site reopens! I work at a university and the people being furloughed are all people whose whole job is about either face-to-face student contact, food provision or the physical site, but there's no way that they're going when the inevitable wave of redundancies hits.

I wouldn't. I think if you are furloughed you may be first to considered for redundancy once the day of economic reckoning comes. I am sure many businesses will restructure and they will be taking a close look at who was 'core' to business during COVID-19 lockdown and who wasn't.

I’m a key worker on minimum wage, I’m pea green with envy over the furloughed people. It’s not protecting me against redundancy either because the furloughed people are the only ones who can do a particular part of the job. When it’s open to the public again they'll bring them back to do that job because there’s no one else, I on the other hand might face redundancy.

When it comes to restructures After this hopefully your post will be safe.

I've been furloughed and I'm looking after my son, but I'd honestly rather be working and have the security of not being furloughed.

The grass is not always greener on the other side

Of course there are people in a worse position, but for colleagues within the same company, of course it would be disheartening.