AIBU to not do training whilst on furlough

[GreyShadow]

I'm in the middle of furlough, my boss has phoned me and told me that I have to do training tomorrow, by video.

I have already planned to take my LO to opticians at the time of the training. This training is not important to the company and can be done easily on my return.

There is a bit of a back story in that this boss is a complete control freak and passive aggressive bully.

AIBU not to cancel my appointment and tell my boss I can't make the training. I'm already in the bad books as don't make the daily team conf call, which is illegal in my eyes. My boss says it's just "catching up" and it's ok to do that on furlough.

Our team are all in their early 20's and I feel he is bullying control freak.

I have googled about furlough and yes we are allowed to train but can we be forced?

You sound workshy. If they need to make redundancies you will be their first choice I would imagine.

I feel he is bullying control freak

Or perhaps just someone who expects input from those still being paid?

I'd like to think the post is a wind-up, but having seen these attitudes so often I'm afraid it's not ... either way, good luck when the redundancies start to be decided

Totally unreasonable. You’re not on holiday.
My dd is doing training regularly whilst on furlough and takes it very seriously.
Conference calls are a different matter although if they are to discuss returning to work that is probably acceptable.

Agree with pp you are still technically an employee so with furlough you can do work as long as it does not generate revenue.

Also surely you still need to hear the communications about what is happening with your team/company and this I assume will be provided during the catch up calls.

YABVU and when the criteria comes along to choose who stays and who is made redundant you are putting yourself in a very bad position

@SoupDragon

Your boss isn't a "bullying control freak". I think you're being unnecessarily difficult and will be head of the queue in any redundancies.

The boss could well be a control freak, we have no way to know, but that's not mutually exclusive with it being reasonable to ask for the training to be done.

Saying you can do it when you get back is missing the point, when you get back you should be doing your normal job to contribute to keeping the business going not spending time on things you could have done and should have done on furlough.

Redundancies are well underway now all over, best prepare yourself.

What an awful attitude. I'd be doing everything I could to support my place of work and promote myself positively at the moment! An awful lot of people are going to lose their jobs OP. I'd be watching my step if I was you. As others have said you aren't on holiday 🤨

you have 2 reasonable options (and if I were your employer I'd find it concerning that you haven't worked these out for yourself)

1. Explain you have an appointment booked for your child, and ask if it's possible to do the training at an alternative time.

1. Re-schedule your child's appointment and attend the training.

Maybe if you'd attended the daily team calls, you would have got more notice about the training?

You sound lazy. Unless the opticians appointment is because you have serious concerns about your child's eyesight the appointment can be re-booked. You should be dialling in to team meetings just like everyone else. Unfortunately your behaviour just puts people your age in a bad light and also those that are furloughed. If redundancies happen in your sector you are making yourself a prime candidate.

Your boss doesn't sound controlling at least using the example you have stated but rather like a normal manager.

Wow, not often you see an overwhelming response, so I can concur, I am absolutely being unreasonable. So I will take that onboard and rearrange the appointment.

Luckily I haven't been on furlough since March, just 2 weeks. There is a back story to my bullying boss which has obviously clouded my judgement.

Thanks Mnet for making me see reason. I'll step away from the thread now as there will be 20 million people who won't have read the whole thread and will continue to tell me what a terrible employee I am. Thanks again for setting me straight :)

I appreciate you might not like your boss much, but you sound like you are completely and utterly taking the piss. Hope you don’t plan on keeping your job in the future because you’re doing yourself no favours.

The rules said you should not work for your employer whilst on furlough, the argument being that if you are required to work, then there is no need for your job to be furloughed and the employer is basically taking the proverbial.

There is a helpful section here on training - what is an isn't allowed: www.lewissilkin.com/en/insights/furloughing-employefaqs-for-employers-on-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

So a training session on how to be safe in work with new ways of working would be ok. Training on a new sales system for example would not.

Agree with other posters. It is a PITA, you've made arrangements and its tough juggling childcare when you get last minute requests from your employer. But those who are seen to be boat rockers, unhelpful/unco-operative (however valid your reasons) will be remembered by employers in not a favourable light.

Poster admits to being unreasonable.

Well done op, glad you’ve made the right decision.

the employer can’t expect her to be on standby while she’s furloughed in case there’s something they need her to do

That is exactly what furlough is for - to allow staff to be on standby in case there is something they need her to do. Instead of training they could have asked her to return to work tomorrow on her normal hours.

Fair play OP it's not often someone takes on board the responses on MN. You put your hands up entirely fair enough.

Good luck with it all @GreyShadow

@GreyShadow

Wow, not often you see an overwhelming response, so I can concur, I am absolutely being unreasonable. So I will take that onboard and rearrange the appointment.

Luckily I haven't been on furlough since March, just 2 weeks. There is a back story to my bullying boss which has obviously clouded my judgement.

Thanks Mnet for making me see reason. I'll step away from the thread now as there will be 20 million people who won't have read the whole thread and will continue to tell me what a terrible employee I am. Thanks again for setting me straight :)

Your employer has obviously furloughed you at the latest possible date, firstly you would have got completely different answers if you put that critical fact in any of your other posts and secondly I'd now be aware that this could be a bad sign, they've got all the work they can out of you and now might be getting the government to pay for your redundancy period.

Hopefully not but it has happened to a friend on of DB's

Team Conference Call probably illegal but training isn't. You're not on holiday, this isn't your own time. If you don't want your job back, do whatever you want. I was on furlough for 5 weeks & I stayed in touch with my boss & my team.

@luckylavender I'm not sure the team call is illegal. I've been furloughed since April and we have daily calls. They are 99% social plus an update on what is happening to the company around the world. It's also a morale and well being thing, making sure we're all coping.

I work for a major global company and they tend to watch the law very carefully.

I can’t understand why you’re not taking part in the daily check ins/training. It is allowed on furlough, and you’re just marking yourself out as difficult. YABU.

I'm sure somebody wants your job.
There's going to be a lot of redundancies.

YABU - you're not on holiday, and if they need to get rid of staff, you'll be front of the queue

@luckylavender

Team Conference Call probably illegal but training isn't. You're not on holiday, this isn't your own time. If you don't want your job back, do whatever you want. I was on furlough for 5 weeks & I stayed in touch with my boss & my team.

Please don't give the wrong information, it's fine to have team catch up calls on furlough, why do you think it's illegal?

Nice update op - hope the training goes well.

I think you need to be a bit flexible here.

You're on furlough but you could be asked back to work at any time and it is totally reasonable to be asked to do training. I appreciate it is short notice but an opticians appt can be rearranged and so that's what you should do. I would be wary of coming across as obstructive or unwilling.