Furloughed, still working for 20% less pay while furloughed colleagues get same with no work?

[ditherwood]

I work for a small school, we were told a couple of weeks ago by email that all staff were having a pay cut of 20% which would take effect this financial month (April) and last until September. This was a huge blow as our salaries are already very low. A week later the company then sent an email around stating that some employees would be furloughed so would also be paid 80% by the government but wouldn't have to work.

Today I found out that two people in my team of five have been furloughed. They are thrilled, said they are looking forward to catching up with gardening and DIY etc. While I am running the course online, having to use my own resources, laptop, wifi, printer etc, develop new course material, manage a body of students who are all livid about having to go online for learning etc. We haven't been supplied with any instructions, resources or materials, were initially asked to consider being available for extended hours to facilitate student zoom calls etc (I said a firm no to this).

What would you do in this instance? It feels massively unfair, I can't see how I can manage financially on 20% less income, so am hugely stressed about that, having to figure out a new way of working and my direct team mates are getting the same albeit reduced pay and nothing is expected of them. Should I demand that I work 20% fewer days?

My company has done the same thing. I'm glad I'm still working as it keeps me busy

Thanks SmallBearOwner I love how you've reframed it so positively. Sorry you've been affected too but I love hearing how positive you are xx

Furloughed staff are not permitted by law to do any work for the company. If you work in a role that is still required management cannot furlough you. They would be in serious legal trouble if they tried.

I know if feels unfair but you really cannot blame your company for this, it is how the furlough scheme works. It seems insane to pay people but insist they are unproductive. Economically it is insane. However it is all about making sure the scheme is not exploited by companies that are still earning profits.

Rather than resenting your furloughed colleagues try to appreciate that without this government scheme you would be trying to manage on zero income as your employer would go under. Surely that would be worse.

Lulu1919 it just totally sucks

diaryofanedwardianlady really good points, thank you.

Mummyoflittledragon you're right, the pay cut should have been held. I will be emailing my manager tomorrow once I've prepped my arguments.

You may find that you options are a lower salary or no salary. Businesses are going under left right and centre. It probably isn't possible for them to pay you your pre covid-19 salary. Your pay cut may seem unfair but it may be necessary to ensure there actually is a business to employ you when all this is over. I wouldn't take that as a given. Can you survive on zero salary?

Myself and a small amount of colleagues have this. We are about ten people doing the work of 80. It's a joke. Furloughed staff also get their bank holidays back so will get the equivalent of four days extra holiday at a nice time when we aren't in lockdown.

We haven't received anything to sign. If we don't I will raise a bit of a stink about it, I think.

I think a lot of the assumptions about who will get made redundant are unfounded - being furloughed means there isn't work for you right now, not that there won't be after lockdown is lifted - and, while it's often just a way for people still working to cheer themselves up, in cases like this I think it's quite insidious. OP is being encouraged to feel grateful for being screwed over like this because she's supposedly more likely to have a job at the end. There's no guarantee at all of this - there is every chance that at the end she won't have a job, and that some of the furloughed people will. I think in that scenario, OP, you'll really regret not protesting a bit more now - as you say, the situation is just so clearly unfair.

OP is being encouraged to feel grateful for being screwed over like this because she's supposedly more likely to have a job at the end. There's no guarantee at all of this - there is every chance that at the end she won't have a job, and that some of the furloughed people will. I think in that scenario, OP, you'll really regret not protesting a bit more now - as you say, the situation is just so clearly unfair.

^ This.

Of course it's unfair, but what do you expect the OPs employer to do. The unfairness is down to the nature of the furlough scheme, which expressly excludes employees who can still work, and expressly forbids furloughed staff from working.

Employers are paying 80% not because they are ar5eholes but because they are trying to keep their employees financially on a par with furloughed staff. Chances are 80% is more than they can afford, so numbers of working staff are limited to a level they can finance without going under.

I am an employer. I understand both sides. My business is on a knife edge, I am desperately trying to ensure my employees have jobs this autumn. I am having to make similar decisions. Awful whatever way you look at it

you can furlough for 3 weeks at a time, if I was an employer I'd be switching the workforce every 3 weeks.

Employers are paying 80% not because they are ar5eholes but because they are trying to keep their employees financially on a par with furloughed staff.

Why? Why should OP take a paycut to be on a par with people not working? That's what I expect her employer to do: pay her her full salary for doing her full workload

Totally sympathise.
A third of my 25 strong 'team' has been furloughed on 80% of their salary. Those furloughed were the ones who were persistently off 'sick' either for a few days a month randomly or for weeks at a time. They are now enjoying their free holiday while the rest of the team are working much longer shifts (and putting themselves and their families at risk) to make up the shortfall for only 20% more than the furloughed people.
I can assure you that the furloughed ones are delighted given that they are serial sickness offenders anyway. Its not fair AT ALL and I am seriously considering leaving when this is all over. They have been rewarded for their poor sickness records with a 3 week holiday.
Management obviously decided that they were so unreliable that they could not be left to run the operation and so furloughed them in one fell swoop leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack.
Its a fucking joke.

I'm paying my secretary to stay at home using the scheme but topping the 20% up. She will no doubt be off for a minimum of 6 weeks maybe more. Meanwhile as the company owner I'm not getting paid at all until this situation sorts itself out. I'm doing this so everyone keeps a job. I have 7 other employees who are working albeit not every day but still paying the full 100% wages because can't furlough as there is work to do still although not much and legally you can't do both.

It's hard being an employer of a small business right now. We aren't all bad !

The situation is really serious.
Never been anything approaching this serious in our lifetimes.

Companies and businesses have seen their income disappear overnight and are trying to survive.
Many will not be able to restart, or will have a much diminished business afterwards.
Many will never collect the debts that are owed to them by customers and other businesses which will push them over the edge.
My sister and daughter have lost their jobs permanently, and my niece has not been paid for the freelance work she did. My partner will inevitably be laid off this month, as 85% of the workforce have already been. They would all love to be on 80% of their income.

There's what's fair and reasonable in an ideal, pre-Covid, world and what is fair in the current dystopian world.
Life is going to be very different for all of us when we eventually emerge through the other side, if we are lucky enough to get through!

80% of your previous income and a chance to help the business survive to pay you 100% in the future is better than 100% for a few months and the business going under, then 0% until you out-compete the rest of the unemployed for the few vacancies.

The world is going to take a long time to recover and it'll look very different as it emerges.

*Employers are paying 80% not because they are ar5eholes but because they are trying to keep their employees financially on a par with furloughed staff.

Why? Why should OP take a paycut to be on a par with people not working? That's what I expect her employer to do: pay her her full salary for doing her full workload*

@LisaSimpsonsbff you ask why? Because it is the only way to ensure OP has a job in 3 months time. Have you ever run a business? Do you understand the economic situation small business owners are in? I assume not.

I had to give my employees a choice. 1 month on full pay, followed by my winding up and company and them losing their job, or 3 months on 80% which I am funding from my own pocket through overdrafts and loans while the business make a loss.

Everyone has chosen 3 months at 80%.

It sucks for everyone. However this is the reality of the situation we are in.

OP's employer thought they could afford to pay them all 80% - then discovered that actually the government would pay to furlough a load of staff but never revisited that pay cut for those still working or explained why the situation hadn't changed in any way despite this. That's what I think she should push against. And OP doesn't know that it's accept lower pay now or no job later - it might be lower pay now and no job later, in which case she might regret taking the high ground now. And her employer certainly doesn't seem to be opening into the dialogue you describe. I have a lot of sympathy for business owners but I don't think employees should just feel grateful to take pay cuts for the same work with no explanation any more than they normally would.

Ditto in my job... half of the staff have been furloughed and the other half including me have had a twenty percent pay cut until further notice and have to with full time with extra duties. I'm super tired and bitter.