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?

@IDSNeighbour-you think you are worse off working at home than key workers risking their lives and that of their family?

Yes, definitely.

I'm a key worker on a few days a month (teacher so depends when I'm on rota) and those days are the only thing I have at the moment that's worth living for. I've requested as many days as possible but I think lots of other people have too so we don't get many each.

I would rather take a (very small) risk to my life and see people, talk to to people, have a purpose and be busy and active than be at home all the time. I worked today and it was so special and emotional, I cried. Nothing special happened but human company is a rare and valuable thing for me right now. I can easily go a whole week without seeing another human being and, in my opinion, that is not a life worth living anyway. I would take my chances with the virus in exchange for an opportunity to be at work every day any time. I've even looked into whether I can do another key worker job on top of teaching but, due to the amount of online teaching hours I have, it isn't possible. And probably isn't even legal.

We should all try and be kind, everyone has their crock of worries. @RollercoasterRita I’d be looking for a promotion or a salary boost when things get back to normal, clearly whatever you do you are very, very good at it, hopefully you are being paid a salary that is top 30 percent.

Social media is mostly nonsense, snooze people and don’t check it.

You are absolutely at the bottom of the list for redundancies - which is a very good thing long term

Hopefully your dedication won’t be forgotten long term - though at this point in time even apparently busy companies are tenuous

I understand but what’s the alternative, everyone working and this killings so many more or people not being paid and getting in to debt or worse as they can’t pay their bills. We all just have to suck it up for now I’m afraid.

My husband was unemployed for almost a year once. The fun and appeal of time off wore off very quickly for him.

Honestly yes I'd quite like to have a month of being paid slightly less to just binge-watch tv and relax - but I think the reality of it probably isn't that much fun after a short time.

Or at least that's what I'm telling myself

I’m struggling with this too - we had an enforced paycut across the board. Meaning I’m on the same pay as furloughed people but still expected to produce my same amount of work alongside caring for 2 preschoolers (ie by working early mornings and late into the night). Feels a bit like work wants to have their cake and eat it too.

My DH has been furloughed, it's 80% of you wage upto £2,500 so we are set to lose quite a bit each month. Not sure how much yet and worrying and stressing about it a lot. Yes it's better than being made redundant or obviously getting covid19 but it's pissing me off when people say they are jealous of my DH!
I am a ETA so still working but pretty low paid and still out and risking bringing it home to my family.

Surely furloughed is one step off redundancy? I am not at all jealous of people on furlough.

Yep a friend of mine's takeaway business is doing double normal trade and shes just been given a 10k grant. I don't mind, it certainly wouldnt make me feel good if she was suffering so why should I feel bad if she gets a break.

ive been furloughed from two jobs luckily being paid and both jobs there when this ends but I would give anything to be at work right now two weeks in and I miss my routine of going to work being out of the house my friends at work

I'll be furloughed shortly and feel very uncomfortable about it. I suspect redundancy is on the cards for my particular job role and the furloughing of me will prove they can live without me. Been there less than 2 yrs so no redundancy package either.

I know what you mean a bit. I’ve taken a 20% paycut and am working very long stressy hours on top. My company isn’t topping up though and 80% of my salary is a lot more than 2500 so I’m financially much better off than on furlough.

@RollercoasterRita

YANBU to be jealous. I would be too.

Me AND DH have been furloughed, and I'm not gonna lie, it's been ace. We have caught up with so many tasks that have needed doing for about half a year. It's been sunny, and we have been going for walks around our village, and have been doing jigsaws and crosswords and been playing video games and scrabble and cluedo.

And as for the chance of him or me being laid off/made redundant (and others being kept on,) that's very unlikely, as EVERYone in our companies have been furloughed.

Sorry, I have probably made you feel worse, but I do agree with you, as I would feel the same.

I know 4 or 5 people who are having to work from home, and they are really finding it a struggle, as they are having to put their 35 hours work in, and it's so hard, on your own, when you're at work. They have said they're jealous of anyone on furlough too.

And I have heard from quite a few people who are key workers, who are furious that some are staying at home on 80% pay whilst they have to work 40-45+ hours a week.

Understandable that they're pissed off. As I said, I would be too.

I doubt very much that furloughed people will be the first to go if there are cutbacks at work. I think that's just what some people are telling themselves, to make try and make themselves feel better about having to work, (whilst some of their colleagues are putting their feet up watching TV and playing videogames, or sunning themselves in this beautiful weather, or going for walks in the sun.)

Me and DH have worked at our places of work a long time anyway, and are on good salaries, so it will cost them a LOT to make us redundant!

Me and dh have had to furlough each other, yes we'll get paid and having a lovely time together along with dd.
But we've lost our work and no idea when it will return. Not looking likely for a long time.
So yes, we have freedom and can pay our bills, and this suits us as we aren't money orientated, and live frugally.
But we have uncertain times to come, the same as everyone.

Being put on furlough does not mean you are En route to redundancy. The work has now dried up at my firm but will be there waiting when lockdown ends , in the meantime the majority of us will go on furlough from next week to help protect our jobs as the company will not have the drain of our wages to pay while there is no income. I see that this won’t apply in all cases but surely it will in many and is exactly why the government have introduced the scheme not as a prelude to redundancy

you think you are worse off working at home than key workers risking their lives and that of their family

Again we jump straight to “at least you’re not risking your life like the poor nurses and doctors” We should bear this in mind when nurses go out on strike to improve pay and conditions in a few years time. Presumably we can just respond with “at least you aren’t risking your lives every day like firefighters” and that will make it all ok. Or if we point out to NHS staff right now that they are in a much better situation than nurses in the developing world who are doing what they do with far less equipment, protection and money, they would just be happy with what they are doing. It is possible to find your own situation difficult even though others have it worse.

when it comes to redundancies at the end of the government help/funding it will be those that are furloughed that are more likely to be made redundant

This isn’t the case. The staff furloughed in our company are non fee earning staff. Because of the way things are happening at the moment, our projects are quieter but we still need to have an ongoing involvement in them to bring in some fees. We can do the work the non fee earning staff normally do (admin, tech assist stuff etc) to fill in the gaps and the company isn’t out of pocket and bringing in as much fee as we can. We can do their work, they can’t do ours. If half the projects come back online fully and half don’t, there is no way they will keep senior staff on. They will take back the admin staff to provide the remaining seniors with tech support and start redundancies among seniors.

will be able to show the company can function to a lesser degree but recover, without them

Nonsense. Our company couldn’t function without admin or tech support. Not without seniors eating up fees doing tasks well below their pay grade.

I’m furloughed and I hate it. Would much rather be working. Ive got so much work outstanding, I could easily fill my day, but the company wants to save cash, so here we are. Even worse they have paid a consultant to do some of my work. I think I’ll be made redundant when I go back As a result.

I have a colleague who started after the date so can’t be furloughed and he’s on full
Pay doing sweet FA because he hasn’t finished his training.

It would be nice if some companies rotated things a bit... some work, some don't and rotate... etc...
My company wanted to do that but you can’t take people off and on furlough.

We're self employed and have £0 coming in. For as long as this takes. Very difficult. I am just praying the work will still be there in the future.

I'm jealous of furloghed workers ( key worker ) but also extremely grateful to be still bringing in a full wage.
Plus (rather selfish I know) I'm glad my partner is home at the moment to hold things down at home it would be a nightmare trying to work out childcare with no parent home

I think jealousy and envy are entirely understandable emotions right now. Some people, mostly just through virtue of luck, are in better positions than others - and what is considered a 'desirable' position to one may not be considered as such to the next person.

@RollercoasterRita

There's no need to be jealous. This clearly shows the company needs you despite the economic crisis that's unfolding. The rest of your colleagues have been furloughed for a reason: If the government hadn't stepped in and offered to pay their wages, they would have been made redundant. When this crisis ends, the government funding will cease and your company will end up having to pick up the full wage bill without sufficient cash flow, a significant amount of the year's revenue missing and potentially additional interest on any new debt. It is safe to assume not everyone who's been furloughed will get their job back when this is over.

YANBU. Two of my close friends have been told they're being furloughed this week, one on 100% pay. They are both childfree! Whilst DH and I myself are attempting to work from home between us with a 4 year old and 1 year old. It feels very unfair, but in all honesty if there was even a tiny chance of my job not being secure at the end of this, I'd take this over being furloughed.

What's with the jealousy of furloughed employees? H was furloughed three weeks ago, no pay since and he's no idea when his next wage will be paid never mind whether it's 80 fkn percent or not?
Like a lot of folk we live week to week as we're a one wage household.

Are others who have been furloughed still receiving their wages as before?

Chattycatty

Totally agree! Same here.

This isn’t working out equal is it. Some people are off and having a whale of a time, some are worried about or have lost their jobs and some are still working under dreadful pressure whether from home or out in the world risking CV19. There’s always someone better off than you and always someone worse off.