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?

Well being furlough means you are not allowed to do any work for that company. Training is normally done during work hours and is considered work so I would assume is included in the ‘not to do’ list of furlough either??

Is the training organised and paid by your employers @Anquin?

If anyone offered me free training while being paid I'd bite their hand off.

I wish people who haven't looked at the furlough rules would just go and do that. For the avoidance of doubt - the rules allow for training to be done. If an employee is doing training they must be paid at least national minimum wage.
Op - you need to stop going on about why you don't want to do this, how difficult you find it, and just get on with it. Jobs will be going in many companies, take every chance you can to improve your skills. It might help you to stay in your current job, it might help you to get a new one. Just do it. You're in quite a fortunate position compared to many.

And even if I wasn't being paid.

Gravityfalls - if the answer is that they had young children to care for then that's fine and understandable (though even then it doesn't hurt to show willing and do some training here and there) but it seems like a fair enough question tbh. I'm not too sure whats the relevance of the health problems unless it would be aggravated by covid 19. People shielding can still look for online training etc. Nobody is expecting them to go out and volunteer.
I'm saying that even tho my answer wouldn't be particularly exciting: trying to keep up with my normal job along with aving 3 children at home and being heavily pregnant. So just about coping really :)

In the unlikely event that this is genuine ....... Of course you should take training courses. You’re not being paid to garden!

Questionmark - don't assume and look up the rules. Training is specifically allowed. No need to pay on top unless furlough wages wouldn't cover training hours x NMW for that pay period.

What training are people expected to be doing, that is taking up full time hours every week? Surely there comes a point where it is training for the sake of it.

I agree that it makes sense to take advantage of a free course (if usually costly) but if all the remaining training is vital for the role why hasn't it been offered before?

Wow. I'm having to work from home and supervise my daughter's school work. Do your gardening in the evening or weekend like the rest of us !

I'm currently working from home but my work load is less than it normally is, so I've been happy to do any online courses & training that work have chucked my way!

I haven't been asked to do training, but I have chosen to do so. it's very boring I have also done some other things which can be used by the company online (we were nicely asked to) I've done them because when the job cuts come my boss isn't going to care how nice my kitchen and dining room look now they've been repainted.

Speaking as someone who has lost her job as a direct result of lockdown, OP, I suggest that you are bloody lucky, and either 80% or 100% of your furloughed time should be spent training (depending on whether you are on 80% or 100% pay).

In fact, even if you're on 80% pay, I'd still put in 100% just in case you are on the list of possible redundancies.

I would kill to be paid to make myself more employable ATM.

Training is perfectly reasonable request and is specifically allowed as part of the furlough scheme. You are being paid while on furlough so you are being a bit unreasonable to expect not to have to do anything at all

Besides you should think about it as a benefit to you, as the training may help if you do get made redundant

That’s disgusting and discriminatory against those with children, health problems or caring responsibilities, by the way.

Mmm, that's a question that could lead to a world of trouble if recruiters aren't incredibly careful. Personally I wouldn't be asking that question.

@QuestionMarkNow, no, training is specifically allowed - as has been pointed out many many many times upthread.

Sounds lovely but I think if you have responsibilities caring for children and relatives then it’s not really appropriate. I know 1 colleague who did training on furlough but she has no children and is stuck in a houseshare so is glad of something to do. I am in the (shit) sandwich generation of caring for young and old relatives so lock down has made little difference to how busy I am.

Sounds lovely but I think if you have responsibilities caring for children and relatives then it’s not really appropriate

So what do you think those of us who haven't been furloughed are doing? Training has the added advantage of being far more flexible around other duties.

I was on furlough and did a few courses not lots (as home schooling, sharing computer) but some plus it not only benefits the company but also benefits myself. You are right they cannot make you do them but it will not look good on you if you don't make any effort and could definitely put you at the top of the list for redundancy should they have to get rid of employees.

Training benefits you as much as the company. You need to focus on improving the outcome for the whole business when you do get back to work. Nothing is set in stone - every company is struggling at the moment and it will take huge effort from every member of staff to ride the coming storm. Do your bit.

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.

Furloughed staff (furloughed through no fault of their own) will be paying for this scheme alongside you. Lots of the unfortunate ones won’t have jobs to go back to - 4 shops, possibly 5 shops in my local hight street aren’t reopening at all. The NHS has had rubbish below-inflation pay ‘rises’ for years, thank the Conservative government for that.

Im furloughed and I think YABU.
A few companies in my industry have offered courses they normally charge for for free, and I've done a couple of those, pointed in the right direction by work, and had a few pop into my personal email or on Facebook and I've done/doing those too.

People have worked all the way through, but I don't think this is a reason to do the training tbh, you should be thinking about your future and your own employability rather than feeling guilted into doing a course because someone else worked through the time you can't. There's not really been an element of choice on either side here. I don't agree with having a go at people on furlough because they're on furlough and someone else isn't, they've not just packed in work and stuck 2 fingers up at everyone else. They've been told there is no work to do, or their employer told to close to try and slow the spread of the virus.

I agree with most of what's said here, except this whole sainted tax payers paying my wages thing.
By definition I am employed and have been paying tax to qualify for furlough, the furlough scheme is designed to protect my job (it may or may not work, no one has a crystal ball) so that I can return to that job and continue paying taxes, quite likely higher taxes too like everyone else. I am also paying tax on furlough, though that does come from the government, so out one hand and in the other where the tax is concerned for them.
If I am able to go back as scheduled, then I'll have had 3 months on furlough, compared to 23/4 years paying tax of some level (sometimes I haven't paid a lot because I haven't earned a lot) and the further 28 years of paying tax.
People on furlough have already contributed, and shall do so in the future again.
I don't think it's fair to slate people who will also contribute to paying all this back, when they had no choice (except destitution because most people can't just not get paid and still survive) in their job not being there to do.
I'm grateful for furlough, I'll be very grateful if I still have a job this time next year too.
I'm sympathetic towards the pressure people have been put under working so many hours, or being exposed to the virus because their job is a key one. I've tried to do my bit to not make things worse by behaving like a reasonable person /make them better by volunteering where it's been needed.
But on balance, I'd rather this never happened and I'd not been forced to take 3 months off work.

@Anquin - There is a lot of good advice here, and also some people missing the point of your question.

It sounds like you are doing a feasible amount of training each day, to sit in front of a screen for 8 hours all day Monday to Friday wouldn’t be effective as the information wouldn’t be properly absorbed. A reasonable amount would be up to 6 hours with breaks in-between.

Feedback to your manager/s, but view this as a great opportunity as others have said. The training will be valuable.

I was under the impression that some employees had been furloighed because they couldn't work due to childcare commitments. Is it reasonable to ask them to do full time training?

Yes. Because those whose work could be done from home have had to work from home with their children around, so why should OP not do her training?

Another point to consider is that if you find it difficult to be motivated to do some training, how self motivated will you be to work from home?

Where I work all the people who need to be micro managed have been furloughed, and all the self motivated people haven't.