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.

I agree in your observation OP and it's likely v prolific on MN because people can anonymously be more vocal about what they really think than perhaps they may be in RL.

I'd like to not work and be on full pay since I'm now teacher on top of a full time job and handling everything for someone shielding. I've also had my pay reduced and workload increased. That being said I don't resent people who have been furloughed and think no one is having this easy. You've got job insecurity and boredom to deal with etc. and some people will also have had a pay cut one way or the other from furlough.

Even giving a bonus to staff working throughout this would probably be unfair . It's not as if we have a say in any of this like do you want to be furloughed or work , we have been told your furloughed. Yes I'm appreciative of my colleagues who are working keeping the company going but they are working from home where I've not been given that option .
I agree the resentment should be with the employer topping wages up they don't have to do that . My employer is not paying my wage the government is because they said I'm not allowed to go to work so it's the only option .

My employer cut everyones salary by 20%. I am still working but I do have colleagues who are furloughed. So, I've never been busier and am only being paid 80%, whilst colleagues are doing zilch and being paid 80%. Its easy to see where resentment comes from. Even more annoying is that another colleague who is was on maternity leave, has now come off maternity leave early, purely so she can be furloughed and receive 80% of a fulltime salary, which is considerably more than her Maternity Pay. But in reality, she is just extending her maternity leave, at the government taxpayers expense. And again, I'm bursting my hump while she gets months extra at home, on what is now a great maternity pay, to spend with her baby. A luxury that few of us ever had, or indeed will ever have. So yes, there is simmering resentment there and I don't feel it is unjustified.

I totally get the resentment, we havent had furloughing where I work (government agency) but I do work in a large department that have civilian and non-civilian staff in who do the same job- the civilians are at home on full pay but not working (GDPR means we can't work from home) whilst non-civilian are in working as normal. It is breeding massive amounts of resentment, and doesn't seem even remotely fair for lots of people. Can't see us bring a cohesive team for s long time once the non-working ones return - whenever that is.

Can't see us bring a cohesive team for s long time once the non-working ones return - whenever that is

But surely that's not right? It is not your furloughed colleagues fault that they are at home on full pay and you are working. Why resent them personally for it and not be a 'team' when they return?

I will treat my furloughed colleagues when/if they return as I always have because its nothing to do with them personally, they didn't choose it.

The example with my friend being mad at her colleagues getting 100% pay just seems like saying she wants her colleagues to suffer because it's not fair on her. Which I don't like.

But @antisupermum don't you think that's your employer in the wrong for allowing this not your colleagues . The 20% pay cut is wrong for working staff plus the colleague who came back from maternity early .
My employer originally wanted to cut everyone pay by 50% but then the furloughed scheme and lockdown came in so majority are furloughed the rest are working from home .
I've seen from other fb friends who are furloughed sat in the sun drinking and that would annoy me massively, I wouldn't do that it's definitely not on to gloat that you are on some sort of holiday . The reality is different all the time you are worried about if you will even go back to work there is no distraction.

By all means people should take these problems up with employers if they believe decisions have been made unfairly. Not individual people though.

Some people are furloughed because they are shielding or living with someone that is. So I would not feel resentment towards them.

I can understand how it could form a huge divide ordinarily though.

Spare a thought for the small business owners who have no income and no help from the government.

It's really kind of rubbish for everyone.

Did you read my post - they are not furloughed they have been told to stay at home by their manager but they are not furloughed. They are saying its WFH but not really as we literally cannot do it due to data protection rules on sensitive information. They are still fully employed, getting full pay, only not working. Would you not feel a bit aggrieved at this, when the only difference between you is whether you wear a uniform or not?!

The thing is furloughed workers are still paying tax and NI on our current income and will continue to pay tax and NI once were back in work- which most of us will be at some point in the next few weeks and months. If a company has work that can be done at home by employees and still generate revenue then great but many many sectors cant operate without customers therefore making wfh impossible.

Also, Business closed their doors to stop the spread of the virus. Furloughed workers have stayed at home becuase that's been the message sent out over and over again since this began. If every furloughed worker took up a voluntary job or carried on about their normal lives it would have rendered the whole furlough/lockdown pointless.

I feel a bit resentful if I’m honest. My job share partner has been furloughed on full pay. She’s paid more than me (works more hours and gets a higher rate) so she’s getting more than twice my salary for doing nothing, while I’m having to pick up her work. There is a lot less work coming in at the moment so it’s understandable, but I’d love to be paid for doing nothing. I do a lot of freelance work as well and am really busy; I could really do with a break!

Would you not feel a bit aggrieved at this, when the only difference between you is whether you wear a uniform or not?!

Yes... With my employer.

I've not seen anything at all that has been anything to do with your individual colleagues and not your bosses.

The bot that's emotional for me is not the drinking wine in the sun aspect. It's my child falling behind while other people can home school really effectively. Makes me sad soft her. However there are also children trapped at home 24/7 with dreadful parents so things could always be worse.

I'm a glass half full type though.

I'm on furlough but so are all my colleagues as the small business we work for has had to shut down entirely.

Seeing some bitterness on here towards those who are furloughed though.

Hmm... When companies start looking at redundancies (which is likely in a recession) it may be the furloughed workers who aren't as involved in the current work that are easiest to lose. I'm not furloughed, but I'm certainly not jealous of those who are.

My furloughed DH would love to be at work. The top limit is lower than 80% of his usual wage and we are worried about how long we will be able to keep on top of outgoings and whether he will have a job to go back to.

He pays his ex a decent amount of CM and no doubt his ex is worried that he’ll have to pay it based on his furlough rate which will leave a hole in her household budget too.

Worrying times.

I just really dislike that the anger / annoyance seems to be directed at the individual employees who had no say in the matter

Welcome to the life of a disability claiming 'scrounger', just wait until the MSM start running stories saying that all furloughed employees are all on the £2500 max with examples of a few people who are outliers within the system but are clearly taking the piss

I think you're expecting us all to be perfect people and behave impeccably and we're just not. Especially when people are in a hugely stressful situation.

I have colleagues at home on full pay, not furloughed but not possible for them to do their job so they're at home. It's not their fault, and they're lower paid than me and do a job I wouldn't want to do. I know it's not their fault they can't work and I wouldn't want them to struggle financially. But you know what, I can't help but be fed up when I'm going out to mix with the general public and worrying about what I'm being exposed to and one colleague in particular is posting endless pictures from the hot tub. I won't treat her any differently and I wouldn't say it to her face but I don't think it's hard to see that it gets tiresome. I like her very much and objectively I know it makes no sense for her to be sat at home miserable, she might as well be enjoying herself but still, it grates.

Rationally people know this, but try telling that to my colleagues who are in tears because their babies are having to go to nurseries for 40 hours a week now instead of grandparents and not settling well, or another who has had to leave her children with her ex husband because the LA can't find a place for her 2 year old and half of the team constantly post pics of drink big gin in the sunshine or playing with children etc. Its a kick in the guts and whilst not their fault, it's also not unjustified for people to feel pissed off.

*drinking not drink big!

I think its very easy to say that we should all take it up with employers but the cold, hard facts of human nature mean that is unlikely to be the case. Employers/decision makers can often be many tiers away from the workforce. Its the workforce/colleagues that we speak to every day, possibly may be friendly with or have on SM. Therefore, we see them posting about their fun in the garden/family time/projects/ studying etc they have the time to do, whilst we are grinding and picking up the extra work load that their absence is giving us. Resentment is a totally natural reaction to this situation.
Unfair: very possibly.
Realistic: abso-fuckin-lutley.

@antisupermum absolutely agree.

There's a lot of people feeling aggrieved towards others. I think lots of people are quite petty and small-minded, but hard times bring it out even more. Some people are able to be magnanimous and generous of spirit, but others are curtain-twitching finger-pointers who are always sure someone is getting more than them or cheating the system.

I don't like the resentment against those who are furloughed - they haven't chosen it and they are more vulnerable. I don't like the finger pointing at anyone who isn't out clapping at 8pm on a Thursday or who is spotted leaving the house or who has a delivery van pull up and deliver. There is a lot of jealousy and spitefulness amongst whatbis often rather fake community spirit.

It's a shame but I think it comes from some people having too much time on their hands or possibly worry. Quite a lot of these people would have loved to grass on their neighbours about all kinds of odd little things to the Stassi or the Gestapo. Okay, that's too extreme (hopefully) but you can see how societies become divided and turn on each other.

I am so grateful to still be able to come to work. I work at a heritage site and there's now just 4 of us on site and two working from home, everyone else has been furloughed. To be able to keep this sense of normality has been an incredible gift. My company IS making up the 20% difference for all our furloughed workers but since the team, even when we're all in, is so small, we're also very close and i have no grievance whatsoever with my company helping our furloughed workers support their families.