to ask how you’d feel about these scenarios at work?

[Merryoldgoat]

I’m lucky. My job has largely been unaffected by Covid in a material way and this is the same for our entire workforce. No redundancies, no pay cuts or unmanageable workloads etc.

Our board want to give some bonuses in recognition of the extra work people have done plus a 1% bonus to everyone.

I think this is nice, will be well received and will give people a boost

They’re arguing about how it will be viewed if someone who was on furlough gets the same as someone who worked throughout.

I say I don’t think it matters - it’s a nice gesture, a small amount and everyone is getting something but am I being naive?

Obviously money matters but I’m frankly just glad I’ve got a safe job, decent salary and flexible employers.

How would you receive this news if your employer did this?

[quote Merryoldgoat]@OlaEliza

A) people talk and B) the letter would say all staff getting x percent[/quote]
The letter shouldn't say that. It should be tailored as an individual thing.

It's nobody else's business what bonus someone gets.

I am really stunned at how much people resent those who have been furloughed. Unless they asked to be furloughed for childcare or shielding reasons, it was forced on them.

I'm not. That attitude towards those who have been furloughed on here is awful.

@BikeRunSki

I’d be pissed off too. I’ve done my full hours around homeschooling and havn’t missed a beat. I’m delivering critical national infrastructure works and walk told very early in that these were not to stop. The furloughed may not have chosen to be furloughed, but I didn’t chose to homeschool. I’m working 12-15 hours a day and I’m on my knees. Hell yes I’d be annoyed if my efforts were recognised the same as those in furlough.

This is sad

Wow, just wow.

A bonus for doing the job your employed to do and still arguing. They'll be moaning about paying the tax on it next.

I work for the NHS. The last two months I've been horrendously busy, staff in my team sent away to self isolate, no extra help. The next two months will be super busy again as the new normal is executed.

We will get precisely zero extra in our wage packet in recognition of what we have unquestionably taken on.

If I were your employer and I heard the attitude coming back I'd gift all the money to a worthy charity instead. Be grateful, there are a lot of companies shutting down because of the economic crisis this has created. At least you all still have a monthly pay cheque coming in.

I agree with the everyone getting a fixed amount suggestion, but feel that whilst the company has been kind and adaptive there is absolutely no understanding of how utterly hellish it is trying to work from home and care for children at the same time whether workload is reduced or not.

@StealthPolarBear

We also got £50 added on to our divi cards (so, in essence, £50 to spend in the Co Op) and an extra day's holiday this year.

Co Op is a pretty decent place to work.

Just onthe record I don't think people with childcare should get any extra bonus, just that the blase we've been flexible and allowed wfh might grate.

A bonus for doing the job your employed to do

That's usually what a bonus is. It's often regarded as part of remuneration in the private sector - you have to weigh that up against, for example, pensions often being a lot less generous than they are in the public sector, lower job security than public sector and many jobs having no defined promotion path. If you want the chance of a bonus, move into the private sector - but I am guessing you have good reasons for working where you do.

If both working and furloughed have been paid @ 100% of their wages as you state it would be taking the mick out of those who have worked these past 4 months for the furloughed to be given the same bonus.

Op, i think the plan sounds fine

1% to all staff (although I would probably fix this at a set amount)

Xxx extra to those who worked.

It acknowledges the extra effort some have made whilst thanking everyone.

Sounds like you have a decent company - flexible, commited to paying early etc - and I would be grateful for that and take rhis as it is being meant.

Depends what the furloughed people are on. At my work they are
On 100% of their wage. I’m working still and would be pissed right off if people not working on the same, or more, money than me got the same bonus. Yes it’s tough for everyone, but less tough if you’re not working full time and home schooling at the same time.

Zaphodsotherhead right well I'm off to add to their profits! Sure my £6.92 will make all the difference

I would expect only those who continued to work to qualify for the bonus

I would suggest a bonus of a couple of days' annual leave for the people who weren't furloughed, in recognition of their hard work over the last few months.

@StealthPolarBear

Every little helps! (As the competition say...)

I thought this thread was done!

I’ll try to address a few points:

I’m not asking because I mind either way to be honest - I’m asking because I’m on the committee who has to help decide and they want my viewpoint.

My personal viewpoint is that everyone gets SOMEthing and those who have gone above and beyond get additional.

I have worked throughout, I have child caring which has made it hard (one of my children has ASD and another is being assessed) but my manager kept a temp on to assist me and upped my pt assistant’s hours so as a team we could deliver and I could concentrate on strategic stuff.

They are a very good and understanding employer. Latitude has been given to everyone who needs it, no one is expected to flog themselves to death and our safety has always been paramount - I sit on the committee who has been responding to the crisis - not one board member or senior manager has extreme expectations of the staff.

The annual leave isn’t possible. We all get over and above the minimum already and operationally this just isn’t practical.

We did think about vouchers - say, £200 of JL vouchers to everyone instead but decided against it.

I am very grateful to work here. I have been here 6 years and rarely stay anywhere that long.

There is an absolute recognition that caring and schooling responsibilities are massively impactful.

We have been asked to contact senior management to confidentiality advise if there are issues preventing us working so they can made adjustments.

We have been told that any CV related illness will be paid at full pay and not been looked at for disciplinary or taken off our sick pay. We already have paid sick leave.

In the 6 years I’ve been there no one has ever been disciplined for being unwell.

A colleague’s husband suffered a sudden heart attack and she was given 7 weeks off in full pay and flexible hours on her return.

This is not an employee who are trying to shaft people or piss people off. I appreciate some of you clearly work places like that but I don’t.

With that in mind I’m going to assume that people where I work aren’t resentful and wouldn’t begrudge furloughed staff a small bonus.

Thank you everyone - much appreciated.

With that in mind I’m going to assume that people where I work aren’t resentful and wouldn’t begrudge furloughed staff a small bonus.

What was the point of asking for peoples opinions then?

I asked because I wasn’t sure what it’s like ‘out there’. Pretty much everyone who has been resentful has identified a scenario where they’ve been overworked because of furlough. Not resentful just because of the fact.

I’d be pissed off if my employer excluded furloughed people from the scheme. Fair enough that those who’ve gone above and beyond get more, but it isn’t my colleagues’ fault that their job can’t be done from home. It’s be a good way for the employer to say “we haven’t forgotten about you and we still value you in our company” if they include the furloughed people.

I agree @oceanorchid and there is no question of that happening

I think if coming out of the CV crisi a firm that has used furlough is in such a strong position that they can pay bonuses, they should be looking at whether taking the furlough money was ethical and look to pay it back! Surely if they were doing so well and only furloughed a few peope they should just kept paying them? Basically the tax payer is paying this bonus

As a non furloughed employee I'd be happy to get a bonus and wouldn't care if furloughed staff got it too. Why all the comparison?

As this has been mentioned a few times, we have only claimed furlough for 1 month and my first job Monday is finding out how to repay it.

We claimed as a knee jerk (I was against it) ‘just in case’ - as soon as the full picture emerged furlough was ended for all and they asked me to pay the grant back.