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.

Oh my word - apologies for the typos but I think you get the gist!

I'm unhappy with management, not my colleagues. I'm still dealing with the endless Skype meetings and emails and being given other people's work to do. They know I would have been fine to be furloughed, as it's on full pay and I am struggling with other things in my life.

Furlough is bound to be really contentious.

As PPs have said, it's been massively abused by companies who've could manage but have furloughed huge swathes of staff (whom they would not have made redundant otherwise) to cut the wage bill.

As is often the case, the most hard working people tend to get chosen to be kept working while plenty of shirkers/coasters go on furlough as employers seek to maximise productivity.

I don’t get the jealousy as there’s no guarantee those furloughed employees will return

It maybe that the other staff compensate and work gets done by those still in and with new methods etc the furloughed staff may end up not being taken back on!

It’s a very vulnerable position to be ok to be fair and I wouldn’t want it

I’m resentful towards the ones who are shoving it in our faces, you know the ‘bragging’ types on social media posting pictures of themselves drinking in the sun usually with the caption ‘loving lockdown!’ or something shallow like that. Meanwhile the working people are slogging our guts off for pittance more in pay missing out on all the nice weather and having less time with our families. I mean, it’s naive to think there wasn’t going to be a divide.

They may be loving it now but there’s nothing to say furlough staff will be kept on

Many businesses will go under regardless of furlough and so it won’t matter eg many pubs pay rent and will go under far before furlough runs out so being furloughed is no guarantee of an income

I would much rather be at work than furloughed. The longer the weeks go by the more worried I am about being made redundant and feel as though they will never have me back

In my department of 60, 20 of us (including myself) are still working to keep the company going and to ensure there’s a company left for everyone to come back to. They’ve chosen workers who are probably the most efficient/productive/low sickness record/higher likelihood of dependability. The remaining 40 have been furloughed at 80% and the company is topping up the remaining 20%. For those of us working, our workload has more than doubled and we’re all working a few unpaid hours extra each day to get it all completed. This is probably going to last until June minimum. It’s definitely breeding resentment. I know it’s not the fault of my furloughed colleagues but as a pp said, it’s naive to think there won’t be a divide/bad feelings once everyone returns back to work.

But they may not return

If they find the work can be done by those who are working then there’s no rule so say they have to take them back on

it’s naive to think there won’t be a divide/bad feelings once everyone returns back to work

Well I think that's really wrong sorry.

One of my dc is furloughed, I'm worried for him.
Many businesses won't recover and I'm glad he's having some fun landscaping his garden, spending time with his partner and some time off.
People are worried about their jobs, if you are doing yours and getting paid for it, then you are better off.
My sympathy is with any key worker who doesn't want to be there atm. [thnks]

I'm jealous of them.

I'm shielding but my employer refused furlough as they are still working and not furloughing anyone. My income has gone from a good full time wage to benefits only.

At the moment, I can afford to pay my bills and buy food and I have a mortgage holiday for three months. I won't qualify for state help with my mortgage until I've been off for 39 weeks. The state help is a loan to pay the interest only and I'm on a repayment mortgage.

There's talk of extending the shielding. I don't know how I'm going to pay my mortgage after the holiday if I'm not back at work.

I'm jealous of all the carefree pics of people with drinks in the garden, buying hot tubs and all that jazz, while I'm sitting at home scared in case I lose my home.

Many companies will go under long before furlough runs out

Many hospitality jobs will be gone as bosses can’t manage rent and mortgages etc

Staff wages is just a small part of their outgoing

I’d say furlough staff deserve their rest as it’s likely a huge proportion of these industries will go under and their wages will stop before furlough ends

Furlough only exists if company exists

I don't think it's universal. At our local markses, staff got to first opt for furlough (care duties, health needs, etc) but then others were selected by lottery. Those people wanted to work.

My brother and sister have both been furloughed. My sister was told she would be laid off, but then the furlough scheme was brought in so the company did that instead. She's housekeeping in a hotel. She is on a contract for about 12 hours, so she's getting 80% of that wage, but she usually works closer to 30 hours because of overtime when they're busy or helping out in the restaurant/bar when they're short staffed. She is incredibly glad that she was already on UC to top up her unpredictable wages, which is something she never thought she'd say, but having already been on UC she was already in the system and was able to just update with her current wage and she got more UC the next payment.

My brother has a "better" job, not brilliantly paid, but better paid than my sister. He's been working up until last week, from home so saving the commute costs. He's just been furloughed because the project he was working on is finished, and now there just aren't any new projects. They don't know if the company will survive, so this period of furlough might be the end of his job, or things might pick up again once we come out of lockdown. It's more likely that he'll lose his job. It's the only job he's ever had. He started there when he finished uni and he doesn't have the soft skills required to get another job (he has asd, and is fantastic at the actual job but not good at interview situations). I don't know what will happen with him.

Meanwhile, dh and I are both working from home on full pay. We feel incredibly lucky, and guilty that we can't share it around a bit, but we can't. So I'll happily take the juggling act I'm performing to teach remotely while also supervising primary aged dd and helping her with the school work she's being set. It's far better than the alternatives.

And if you looked at the social media of either of my siblings you'd think they were having a whale of a time. My sister is posting constantly about playing in the garden and the crafts her kids are doing. Nobody other than close family would ever know that she can't afford to feed the kids independently (my parents and I are helping them out). Nobody would know that she's stressing so much about having just moved house and not knowing if she can still afford it, as she based her calculations on having overtime and tips, not 80% and UC.

I do get it there are four people who do my job in our department, three of us are furloughed one was left at work. This was because the income coming through from non essential retail dried up overnight so they could not pay us but are actual roles are a bit quieter but not enough for one person to do four people’s job. Six works quite a bit harder while I sit at home, I am enjoying spending time with my kids (yep including bike rides and bbqs) but I am not sure what the alternative is?!...an hour a day sat brooding in a corner about poor x who is working?...will she do a day brooding in the corner for me should I be made redundant at the end of this when her job will inevitably be safer?!

It makes more sense at the moment to enjoy the time on a day to day basis as much as I can, the future is scary and uncertain and I worry not only about redundancy but the shape of the entire sector when it comes to getting another job! A sector I have worked in for over 14 years. I don’t think a couple of sunny bike rides for the kids even begin to make up for the income security I enjoyed just two months ago if I am honest! So no it isn’t easy being furloughed but yes I know x will be finding it difficult too, as is my free lancer friend with suddenly no work, as is my friend who daily works on a covid ward...it’s just generally shit let’s be honest!

Yep, I’ve noticed it, the”othering” of furloughed staff has been very quick. Makes you realise how quickly people you thought were your friends and colleagues can turn on you when they feel justified. It’s easier for them to punch down than ask their bosses difficult questions. Bit of a lesson from history really

You do know if you are on a low income then 20% less is significant?

As someone who was nearly furloughed I am much happier being in work. Company I work for has taken a fair few staff off furlough last week as they realised those not on furlough where having to work 10-12 hour days. They say the work is starting to pick up again. My old employer has furloughed staff and is enjoying a bonanza as they get paired whatever and have furloughed a majority of staff even though there is no need to. Also furloughed a colleague who refused to drive over a hundred miles to cover a contract which was non essential due to furloughing the staff in that town despite the obvious work they had to do but because they cost more.

No I feel no resentment for my furloughed colleagues and my new company are I think handling it well but even they gave the game away the other day when a furloughed colleague asked if they would be rotating the roles and they were told they had furloughed roles not people... which sounds very like redundancy speak to me.

I can understand it, to be honest. I'm WFH full time as well as "teaching" three kids. It's a nightmare. All of my colleagues are in the same boat re: working from home (although not all have children) but if a colleague was being paid in full with do work expectations - yes, I'd be irritated by that.

You do know if you are on a low income then 20% less is significant?

But the cap means that people on higher incomes are losing more than 20%

I’m torn, on one hand my partner is furloughed and can take care of our son. Meanwhile I’m working on full wages I’m the only one in my team left, and the other manager is furloughed after throwing a fit and he’s on almost double my wages. Yes I’ll resent him when he comes back.

I don’t resent it- at all, but I think the return to work needs to be managed carefully. Our employer has already headed this off quite well by reassuring non-furloughed staff that we will have priority booking for annual leave as we’ll all need a ‘break’ when this is over. They’re right- we’re shattered and overstretched, and will probably need at least a few days off when we go back.

Us in work are also expected to use at least half our holidays before the furloughed ones return to make space for their holidays as no holidays will be carried over.

Luckily neither of us have been furloughed, but for companies that have had to do this, the longer this goes on the more precarious a position I think furloughed staff are in.

In certain professions, if work has dried up, it will take a while for it to pick up once restrictions start being lifted, so naturally the number of staff required will be reduced. Furlough is an easier way to implement a restructuring of a department, as to an extent an organisation has almost done it by the very action of putting people on furlough. You can still be made redundant if on furlough.

I'd be bloody nervous if I had been and if it happens to me, I'll be immediately looking for a new role, which in the current climate will be pointless really.