to be irrationally annoyed with the furloughed?

[awaywiththecircus]

I know I am but I'm jealous that they have all day to lie in the sun, home educate their dc, bake, sew, watch TV whilst I'm busier than ever trying to do it all whilst working from home.
I heard on the radio it's going to cost £50 billion over 3 months and I feel annoyed that the economy is totally f**d because we're paying everyone's salaries, and they're at home doing nothing.
I also know none of this is anyone's fault and IABU.

My husband is furloughed, I’m not. I’d rather be in my position. For people with a strong work ethic furlough is not fun, not to mention the financial impact

Miljea I'm in your age group and have 3 children younger than Y11, one still at primary - the average age for women to have their first baby was 29 when I had DC1, and average number of children per woman 1.9, who would 98 times out if 100 be 2 separate births, in the UK then, so the average 45 year old might have a 16 and a 13 year old, say, but many, many women have dc1 at 35 and go on to have another 1 or two children. Several of my old school friends in their mid-late 40s still have preschoolers!

I agree with your other points though I didn't mean to post this whole thing "at" you - I just think your friendship group must have had their children young, most women I know in their 40s have young children!

I think other "furlough is do boring" posters are ignoring how much easier it would be to be furloughed with children - very young children obviously need supervision constantly, and most children right up to early secondary need a fair bit of homeschooling/ distance learning input. Some posters are posting as though it's normal circumstances when working = outsourcing childcare and school, but this isn't normal circumstances so people are simultaneously working and doing their own childcare and school time and school work supervision. This applies to some key workers too who shouldn't have to put their families at yet more risk by using schools atm.

The only reason furlough is worse for parents is money worries where this applies, it is legitimate to envy with those with time to both homeschool/ properly care for their children and sleep. Especially those rubbing our noses in it by whining about being bored (being bored is a luxury for spoilt children, no adult should whine that they're bored - read a book or learn something new or sew a mask if you're bored! Nobody else should have to suggest things to do to you especially if you have the internet and can research!). Or the people humble bragging all over social media about how well they're "coping" with days in the garden, bike rides with the children, and endless wholesome activities with the children accompanied by motivational cheerleading to others to do the same completely ignoring the fact some people are in fact working more hours than usual yet have their children at home full time too.

We really can’t win. A poster up thread criticised furloughed staff for both sunbathing (doing nothing) and DIY (doing something) in the same post. I don’t get bored, I find plenty to do with my time, doesn’t mean I can’t understand how other people do get bored and are really struggling without the structure and social side of work. Add to that a ton load of anxiety about finances and job security. How dare they make cakes or go on bike ride and post about it on Facebook? Well maybe that’s a coping mechanism, who knows what life will be like in a couple of months.

If an employer picks for furlough those with children or toddlers at home that may well be sex discrimination particularly if they pick women over men. Also you ARE allowed to pay someone to come to your house to mind the children whilst you work from home (or out of the home) by the way so employers are assuming people will not do that or do not already have a live in au pair etc.

For people with a strong work ethic furlough is not fun, not to mention the financial impact

So true, I'd have completely lost my mind if I hadn't been able to work.

For people with a strong work ethic furlough is not fun, not to mention the financial impact

Yeah, but reading not just this thread but others it would appear that simply being in an industry that has been mandated shut, or told by your employer they need to furlough you to try and save jobs......... You suddenly have no work ethic. Doesn't matter if you've never been out of work, if you've worked every hour God sent in the past. You're just a lazy entitled arse and that's all there is to it!
No one seems to realise that a lot of the things they're moaning about being done - going for a bike ride or sitting in the garden and reading a book are fucking free and all some people can afford to do.
Be angry at the companies taking the piss by furloughing workers they clearly need because others are having to do twice as much work.
Be angry and resentful at companies that have enough money to survive this but choose to have the government do it instead.
But nope, let's have a go at the people who had absolutely no choice whatsoever in it and are as much at the mercy of other people's decisions as they are. Threads like this are going to make people on furlough resent those saints that are carrying us all through this for the way they're being portrayed as lazy good for nothing lay abouts. And yes I know the OP apologised but she's certainly not the only one who said it.
It seems to be the lock down version of benefit bashing.

Xenia if someone on an average or minimum wage paid someone minimum wage from 8:45 - 3:30 (someone above board, self employed and paying their own tax and national insurance and not needing to bring their own children with them would be vanishingly hard to find in the circumstances) to come into their home to look after a 6 year old who'd normally be at free at the point of use state school during those hours, they'd be paying a massive financial penalty to work in comparison to furloughed colleagues free to do their own childcare!

SinisterBumFacedCat why do you have to win? Some (not by any means all^ of the furloughed seem to want to simultaneously gloat and be pitied while castigating anyone struggling to find the hours or energy for working beyond their usual hours while homeschooling for not being sufficiently grateful and for mentioning that "the new normal" doesn't mean looking for ways to pass the time for a lot of people! Anyone who's strong work ethic is eating away at them could find study or volunteer work to channel it if they wanted to.

I am thinking about the people I know who are 45-55 - and actually, oddly I know, I think a couple have a Y11, everyone else either has no kids or has older kids! I guess that is a bit unusual!

I'm actually 57 and my youngest is 19.

And it's still going on.

In many companies, the non furloughed are just as likely to be redundant as though who are furloughed, for all sorts of reasons.

We pay our taxes too and will continue to do so. At 58, I have probably put a lot more into the Exchequer than many of you bitching away.

Thanks again for making us feel even more anxious and paranoid, the underclass, a burden. Karma will be wonderful.

those

PS I hope you're all proud of yourselves. Work a little but harder next week won't you, as you're carrying so many of us.

Exactly @Unworthie. My husband hates not working. And as his whole industry is closed there’s not much chance of picking up alternative work.

YABU. I don’t want to be furloughed because I know for a fact that I will have a job to go back to. If I was furloughed, I’d be terrified that I would have no job to go back to so wouldn’t be able to enjoy the time off anyway.

We are both working at home with two kids too young to self entertain and educate. It's a living hell. I'd give anything to be furloughed.

Everyone I know has enough on the bank to last a few weeks on 20% less and their outgoings are way more than that amount down. They all will have jobs to go back too once life resumes. They are happily cleaning their houses, doing stuff with the kids and DIY.

Of all my friends and family I only know of one to be furloughed and that was my DH.
He’s being unfurloughed now and will return to work next week

Everyone else I know either works in large corporations where they have had work from home capabilities anyway, or are teachers, or doctors or people who work in construction.

I feel quite lucky that the wider family and my friends haven’t been affected.

Furlough has worked out ok for us as it’s been short term only, but there have been moments of worry that if it had continued we wouldn’t be able to afford all the bills as I am currently on maternity leave

another, yes on childcare costs it's very expensive although some with a 6 year old have a 3 year old at home anyway so already pay for childcare where both parents work full time. We paid 50% of each of our net salaries in year 1 of having a baby in the 1980s but it was worth the sacrifice to preserve the two full time careers. So if being on furlough means you are more likely to be phased out later by an employer it might be fairer to let parents choose rather than an employer saying you have children to look after so you must have eg 50% less pay and be furloughed. However it will depend on the employer - some will need some workers and not others. My daughter is head of legal and working her notice period and asked for furlough but they said no way as they need her right up to the leaving day, very very busy whereas other workers there are on furlough.

I would hire someone if I were furloughed with small children even if it cost me 100% of my net pay as you then can work in peace and secondly it preserves the sanity of parents!

I would hire someone if I were furloughed with small children even if it cost me 100% of my net pay as you then can work in peace and secondly it preserves the sanity of parents!

That only works if you have a second income or sufficient savings to live in while you’re handing one whole salary to a (PT?) nanny.

Incidentally, a higher rate tax payer on furlough is capped at £2500pcm gross but that only equates to about £1400-1450 net PCM. Which doesn’t buy a lot of nanny hours.

Everyone I know has enough on the bank to last a few weeks on 20% less and their outgoings are way more than that amount down.
You have a statistically highly unusual group of friends

Most people with nannies will be in higher paid jobs and be able to cover costs of a nanny regardless or take unpaid leave or manage on 20% less, for a few months / weeks.

Incidentally, a higher rate tax payer on furlough is capped at £2500pcm gross but that only equates to about £1400-1450 net PCM. Which doesn’t buy a lot of nanny hours.

Why would you be paying higher rate tax on it, is it because your yearly salary still exceeds the lower rate? Surely if that's all you're paid that month that's below the threshold? Not sure how these things work.

The furlough scheme was rushed and inflexible. My friend drives a bus for the local park and ride. He's one of only twenty percent of driver not furloughed. He's not sure how the decision on who to retain was made- although seems to be almost all single younger males. He is still driving full time although mainly empty buses and has to do extended hours to clean them down.

It seems unfair that his colleagues can't be unfurloughed or drivers worked one week on and one off?

Most people with nannies will be in higher paid jobs and be able to cover costs of a nanny regardless or take unpaid leave or manage on 20% less, for a few months / weeks.

We could probably normally afford a nanny if we needed/wanted one, but DH’s furlough pay is about 75% less than (or 25% of) normal. It’s only the people on £30kpa or less that have only lost 20% of their normal wage (assuming no employer top ups).

(“Luckily” - - i am a contractor so qualify for none of the schemes and have lost my income almost entirely so I’m available as general skivvy.)

My autistic daughter is furloughed from an analysis role. At first she worked at home for the week, monitored by company. Difficult to adapt but managed. Then furloughed. Four weeks on and it's difficult to motivate. Going to work or working from home gave structure to the day, routine. She would far rather be working