To think that as I am furloughed, my employer shouldn’t be expecting me to be spending my time doing training courses?

[Anquin]

I’ve been furloughed for 8 weeks and am likely to remain on furlough for another few weeks. My boss wants me to pick online courses to do which will benefit the Company if or when I return to work.
At the same time, the senior management are sending weekly updates that are increasingly negative about the future of the Company.
I find it extremely difficult to self-learn, and I’m becoming more worried about the future as I think I might be made redundant. My immediate boss keeps asking how the training is going (we have meetings weekly to catch up) and I’m getting really upset and anxious about it.
AIBU to think that if I’m on furlough I should be able to spend my day at home doing gardening etc. without worrying about training?

yabu of course,
you have no argument here,
it will keep you occupied and employable

I'd give my right arm to get some paid for training right now...

What should people do who are furloighed because of childcare then?

I see being furloughed has made many people lazy. It's not a holiday so do your training op as soon you will be asked to go back to work and need to get out the bubble your in.

If there is any chance you could lose your job doing extra training packages will enhance your cv and keep your brain active. It also shows a commitment to your current job. If your company downsized who do you think they will look upon favourably? You should see this as an opportunity and run with it, it sounds to me like your manager wants you to do well.

Not sure why self directed study is such an issue for you unless you have any special needs? Assuming you hold down a job it is something that you should be able to manage. I second what other posters have said, this is exactly why the furlough scheme has to end, too many people are getting used to getting paid for doing nothing. I realise not everyone is behaving this way but the few ruin it for the many!

Update your cv, look at which of your skills need improving and set a plan to work on them. If your job really might go then you should be looking at potential roles you would like to consider applying for. You can still do gardening around your work if it is important to you or at the weekends. Your post makes you sound lazy.

What should people do who are furloighed because of childcare then?

Plenty of people are having to work from home and provide childcare.

Part of being furloughed is agreeing to undertake training of your company requires it. It's not just being paid to do nothing at home for weeks on end.

@StealthPolarBear presumably the training would be at home. So the OP would do the training as well as homeschooling/caring for her children (like all other wfh parents have had to do).

In my organisation, I’ve heard that “how did you spend your time during the pandemic/lockdown?” is going to be a regular interview question moving forward.

Yes YABU. Training is allowed under furlough rules. I can appreciate it might be a bit of an 'overload' to do 8 hours of training a day, but surely you could be doing a good few hours a day? Unless there's some massive drip post coming like you have 4 children under 5 or something to look after, then your employer is being completely reasonable.

I think one of the biggest current risks is that people who have been working throughout this crisis are starting to get very resentful of people who have been furloughed and are treating the whole thing like a massive holiday (I'm not saying everyone who has been furloughed is doing this but there's definitely a sizeable amount who are). And then we'll be the ones paying for your furlough period with tax rises and pay freezes (I'm NHS) for the next few years, whilst you go back to your regular salary, and (in some sectors) fat cat bonuses and business lunches on expenses.

I had an amazing job offer which was withdrawn because of covid19.
I would have bitten their arm off for the chance to be furloughed and do some training. It is going to be an employer's market out there.

Do the training of you want to be employable and employed.

I find your attitude a little galling also tbh. I am doing 13 hour days (and am about to go into the office to do scanning I could not do from home) as I did bank holiday monday. I am paid fuck all, and worked out that with all the overtime I am down to about £3 an hour. I have 2 Dcs at home, one with ASD who is struggling badly with things. I'd love to be gardening too.

I sound angryu with you, but I am not really. I am angry at the situation that many of us have found ourselves in- furloughed or not. Senior management this week has started discussing the return to work plan- and although at the beginning of this whole affair they said there would be no redundancies, now they are saying that they have realised how much 'fat' we had with support staff- and that there are a few we have not missed at all and they have now been marked for redundancy. Top of that list is a colleague who we figured out contributed little but complained alot. And who complained when she was told that those of us who had kept working would 'get priority' when it came to booking holidays said she thought this was unafir and she would be going to ACAS about it. .

Do the training. And it never hurts for anyone to look for what is out there in terms of work. Everyone is hurting and businesses are hurting.

If I was recruiting someone who had been furloughed then made redundant I would be wanting to know how they had spent their time.
Choosing sensible courses to upskill, or volunteering or similar would all be good ideas.

Honestly OP, I can’t understand why you wouldn’t do this. Getting on with training ..

Shows enthusiasm and commitment to your employer who’s about to decide who to make redundant

Builds skills to talk about if you have to look for a new job.

It’s a no brainer.

you are sounding more dim by each update. you just want to laze around dont you

If this is real, yab incredibly U. Training is specifically allowed under furlough for a reason. It benefits the economy through an improved workforce, and it improves employability for those workers whose employer doesn't survive this. Even if you don't care about the first thing (you should!) Surely you care about the second, especially as it looks like you might be job hunting soon? Or are you planning on staying long term unemployed if you are made redundant? (Because you can be assured that lots of people in your boat are working their socks off in preparation!)

If you go do your garden whilst on furlough, your garden will look nice.

When employers make redundancies there is often selection criteria. By not doing the training you are making yourself more likely to be made redundant. Improve your skills and knowledge and then even if the worst happens you are more attractive to a new employer.

If you have genuine reasons why you are struggling talk to your employer and come up with an action plan.

@Stuckforthefourthtime

So... You're getting 80% of your salary paid by the tax payer, have an option of training that will improve your employability but think that 60% of your time should be spent gardening?

It's hard for everyone to focus, but since I know a lot of people who are doing the same full time job as usual but with a 20% paycut and no flexibility to manage around childcare etc, I have incredibly little sympathy.

This sums up my feelings as well.

Your title also makes it sound as though you wanted to be told they weren't allowed to ask you to complete training, so I wonder if 40% of your time really has been spent on training.

Is this a joke thread?
Doing some training is perfectly reasonable and permitted. Stop spending time on here and perhaps get it done?

Is this another pisstake thread? Yes, op, you absolutely should be allowed to sit on your arse at home on full pay benefits, or pootle around doing some gardening. It's outrageous that you are expected to do anything on your six month taxpayer funded holiday.

This.

You can do training.

I wouldn't work 100% of my hours for 80% pay but training for equivalent of 80% hours or less is fine.

What the company can't ask you to do is anything that generates them income or is your normal role.

Then they must pay you your normal wage for those hours and you are classed as WFH.

If you're worried about redundancy, then showing a lack of enthusiasm for your job is not wise.

DH is furloughed and has been emailing his company for updates, even though he likes being off. Meanwhile another team member isn't going to their training days so he can go for walks (and giving this as his reason). If they were to make redundancies, I know who I'd be urging to go.

You seem... a bit lazy if I'm honest. You're getting free training to enhance your skills for an uncertain job market. Why wouldn't you do it? Plenty of young graduates struggling to even get a job that will allow them to train. There are fresher brains coming for your job. You better take the training and set yourself up for the completion.

@itswonkylampshade

So unless they are paying you the National Living Wage, they should not be asking you to undertake any training. Furlough is a leave of absence so OP is perfectly entitled to want to do her garden or whatever else she chooses whilst furloughed from her role.

Why are you commenting on something you obviously know nothing about? Posting nonsense doesn't help anyone.

Its a good way to get your name to top of the list of those first out of the door

Thanks for the tip, I’m looking for redundancy