To think there is a divide forming between furloughed and non furloughed workers

[FuckingFu]

I've heard so many people talking about how they are jealous of their furloughed colleagues. I've a friend who is furious because her company is making up the 20% and so her colleagues are 'sat at home doing nothing' and getting full pay whilst she's still working.

Whilst I do understand the jealousy and even frustration, I really am starting to hate the way it's being spoken about.

There seems to be a lot of talk about 'they'. They are sitting at home doing nothing, we'll be paying higher tax to cover their wages as if furloughed employees are some form sort of seperate, less superior group and a burden on the rest of us.

Personally, whilst I understand those feelings, I have had to say to myself well what would I prefer? I don't want my colleagues, friends and family being made redundant if that can be avoided. And if my company can afford to top up wages to 100% then good, I don't want people suffering financial hardship when it's unnecessary just so I don't have to feel jealous about it.

I want to say to my friend does she not realise that it could have been (and still could be) her being furloughed and not the person at the next desk over. This is something completely out of people's control, no one wants this (perhaps a minority are okay with being furloughed) but certainly no one chose it.

It's as if people think furloughed staff are all lazy bums who want to sit about and have everyone else fork out higher tax to cover them.

I don't want to pay higher tax either but if the alternative is thousands of unnecessary redundancies then what choice do we have.

Just seems to be a very them and us situation going on.

Employers who have had to furlough staff are now expected to give out EXTRA leave?

When the other staff return to work it would be good to honour leave for those who have worked through but why should they get extra?

Because it's not FAIR cocklepicker stamps feet and throws self on ground

comparison is the thief of joy

I'm fucking sick of seeing this phrase all over mumsnet.

Haha little

nuresbuttercup - i hope the company in question gets found out and the gov refuse to pay for the staff. that is totally wrong. My taxes should not be going to a company, so that they get free staff working for them

'extra' leave or time off in lieu? which is what i have talked about over and oevr and explained.

My employers were trigger happy. They furloughed too many staff and did not think it through. As i have said (ad nauseum) the issue is that we are expected to do our own work AND make up the work for others. The people miught have been furloughed, but the jobs have not been. In their 'wisdom' our office furloghed ALL the supprot staff. The support staff who make things run like clockqork. So now things are not running liek clockwork.

Today I started work just after 5 am. I worked through lunch. I had a brief break when DS1 had a meltdown because he coudl not access google classroom. I am stopping now, so i can cook dinner and put the Dcs to ebd and I expect to be back online at around 8 pm to try and catch up before tomorrow because I am behind.

So yes, something extra to acknowledge that would be good. Like- um- some time off in lieu. (although people keep saying it is 'extra' like people in my position are trying to rort the system.

excuse typos. I type really really fast

Green I know it's hard, but I'm not furloughed and I'm being really clear on what I can achieve in my working hours (which have been cut). I'm not working unpaid when I'm already losing money unless it's by choice (and I am working extra hours keeping on top of things that I feel I should be able to get done, but I'm also pushing back when asked to do things that would take me forever). I wouldn't be getting up at 5am with no commute for anyone! It's easy for me to say though, but genuinely in your situation I'd be pushing back.

I agree to a certain extent Tone. My line manager was joking today she was going to start working to rule.

Honest truth I do notknow how to really push back. Our workload has increased because I am involved with a sector that has been badly affected by lockdown in trms of the stresses it puts on people and families. I am not sure how to stop working because I am worried about my clients. And worried that I can't do what i need to do for them. My line manager and our boss have approached the senior management and asked for some named specific people to be taken off furlough (two of whom say they are desperate to return) because w eknow they can really ease the load. But we were told they can't be brought back because the company will lose out from the scheme. The company is going to survive.... it is relatively shock proof to a certain extent. TBH the company has a bit of a tradition of treating people like shit. I have joked before that I have never worked so hard on things that are so important to other people for such little money. (Less than the national average). It DOES feel unfair. But I am getting on and doing it and moaning on MN and to my line manager who feels the same way.

Im a key worker and am still working but I know that if I was fuloughed for me I would be lost. I would not swap the security of a non furloughed person for the insecurity of a furloughed person.
I certainly don't begrudge people their furloughed pay. It means also that many parents now no longer have childcare options. Not a position id like to be in.

I think life in the UK has been very 'them' and 'us' for the last 4 years;

First it was BREXIT - with the enlightened, educated, socialist southerners voting remain and the racist, uneducated northerners voting out

Then general election and again the 'nasty' people who dont care two hoots for the NHS voting blue and the lovely socialists voting red

And now we have COVID19 - with the hard-working working and the furloughed doing feck-all and getting paid 80% for it

It seems as though people have very black and white views on everything at the moment with no one willing to listen...

I am furloughed at the minute but am only receiving 80% , I would love to go into work rather than sitting at home but the business I work for is unable to be open. Being furloughed is tough I've had a wage drop and there's no opportunity for me to get a job anywhere else as I'm nearly 6 months pregnant , I have applied for a few jobs to try and help out but have been rejected. My partner has walked out and left me so I am struggling, I likely won't have a job when this over so will have to rely on limited savings or going on mat leave early. I am grateful however for being furloughed , I know I am lucky.

MrsTerryPratchett - absolutely agree with you. I try not to compare with anyone - all circumstances are very different for everyone.

No @GreenTeaMug I wouldn't be working for nothing. TOIL is different to extra leave though.

I ask @SpudsAreLife84 upthread if they were prison service as it sounded very familiar to me. In that setting any extra work carried out is either paid in TOIL or at overtime rates and the leave provision is already good.

Only one line and in people’s own minds. Which is the problem! People are sitting at home festering on their thoughts.
I’m still working and yes I’d rather be furloughed but when I get to work do I treat furloughed people any different / no.
So their is no REAL devide.

I feel most of Mumsnet is centred around the same kind of issues. Ones that don’t really exist in the real World but a product of minds running away with themselves.

Could be worse. I’m working from home. I’m deputy head of a school so trying to teach remotely, plan the provision in school when I’m not actually in school and do all my normal work. Oh an constantly being told we are shut and we should all get back to work! Oh and have all our holidays cancelled when I’ve been working everyday since we “closed”.

But I’m so super lucky to have a job where my wage isn’t affected.

The crisis is driving people apart as they are in such different positions. One thing we are learning is we are not in this together and it is each person for themselves.

I didn't chose to be furloughed. I'm worried my job has gone. I'm at home with my ds 11, supervising lessons, heating turned off in case I am unemployed and haven't seen another human being in the last 6 weeks except at Tesco (three times).

Oh yes, it's a joy ! Lap of luxury

I mean for the people that actually get 80% or what they usually earn or more if the company tops it up then I kid of understand some jealousy. My husbands job is a 24/7 call out based job meaning his wages usually include overtime plus call out fees plus standby charges. Which means his contracted hours are very few and his 80% furlough pay is actually more like 25%. I’m a full time student and it’s left us waiting for universal credit to claim benefits for the first time in our lives as we’ve been living on about 100-200 a week. Which when renting in southern england doesn’t even cover the rent. So we and eagerly awaiting his return to work.

I hate to admit it, but this past couple of days I have felt increasingly frustrated that both myself and my partner still have to work, in pretty much frontline jobs (NHS and supermarket) and putting our health at risk, when what i want to do is stay home with my OH and Dd6 and stay safe. I know iabu, but today, thats how I feel. And yes, I do feel jealous of people who can work from home or have been furloughed. I'll get over it though!

Some of my colleagues volunteered.....it hasn’t been forced on everyone. They chose to furlough and leave other people to do all the work....

Och weesht

Half the people in my company have been furloughed. The other half still working. My only feeling on it is that I’m very grateful & glad to have a job! I don’t feel jealous or any malice of any kind to those furloughed. I think each person needs to concentrate on themselves at the moment and keep noses out of the business of others.

I personally think alot of the anger is about Covid19, disruption to our lives, how it came into our lives and so on.

People are needing to channel their anger however are channeling it in the wrong direction at people who didn't ask for this either.

Having a therapeutic background I know how common it is to have displaced anger

Look at it this way, it’s not about some people getting to do what they like while you took away, it’s about supporting jobs and the economy so that we don’t fall into an economic depression worse than the 1930s. Your colleagues keeping a salary makes your own job and economic position more secure.