Working on furlough - to be pissed off with employer

[treacle456]

I have been on furlough since March. However I have been carried on doing essential parts of my job in a voluntary capacity since then - I was one of only a few people who did this as these tasks were essential and employer is a charity.

I have found out many people are now back at work off furlough, yet I am still working as a volunteer on 80% of my salary. People are giving me more and more work to do too. And they don't want to bring me back until the autumn.

I feel massively insulted but don't know what to do as the company has been making redundancies so if I rock the boat I am an easy target. What shall I do?

I am already updating my cv.

@TARSCOUT

Whilst on furlough you can undertake training for your job but you cannot do any work. You cannot take on an additional job whether voluntary or not without the permission of your employer. This permission will be detailed in your contract of employment.

I am not allowed to do any training either.

If I reported them I would lose my job. If I had refused to volunteer I would probably have lost my job. It isn't that simple

As everyone else said. They're not allowed to do that. Either you dont work on furlough or you work on full pay. Their decision.

The fucking cunts. They're basically stealing from the taxpayer.

You may want to look at whether there is a way of reporting this anonymously, OP.

I would report them anonymously. Are you the only one on this basis ?

@treacle456

If I reported them I would lose my job. If I had refused to volunteer I would probably have lost my job. It isn't that simple

They need to be reported, furlough fraud is going to cost the country £billions.

They won't know who reported them and there's no question that what they've made you do is illegal. I'm not sure how whistleblower legislation works with furlough reporting but it might be worth having a look.

I know you can't say but I want to know which charity it is so I can make sure not to support them in the future

This is the first result if you google furlough and whistleblowing, your situation is the most common fraud

protect-advice.org.uk/whistleblowers-act-to-stop-the-newest-form-of-furlough-fraud-2

How long have you been there? Over 2 years you have more rights; if that's I'd be looking for a new job ASAP, I'd report them and then if you lost your job you could go down the unfair dismissal route. If it's less than 2 years I'd be more worried about doing that. I'm sure some HR MN posters might be able to give you more advice on that front.

It’s fraud. Plain and simple.
HMRC have said they will do spot checks.

id say you've realised you're breaking the rules and would like to go back part time from 1 July.

Report them for fraud. I work for a charity, I’m furloughed, I work in HR so helped with the furloughing - no work can be undertaken for your employer whilst on furlough, even in a voluntary capacity. No organisation should get away with defrauding this system.

@MistakesOwned

It’s fraud. Plain and simple. HMRC have said they will do spot checks.

Yes but checks on employers who they know have committed fraud are going to recover a lot more money more cost effectively. HMRC are actively asking for reports to go alongside any random checks

@Di11y

id say you've realised you're breaking the rules and would like to go back part time from 1 July.

How have you come to that conclusion? It's the employer who breaks the rules not the employee.

Going against the grain here ( and I work for a charity myself), but charities are really struggling and some would argue they have been woefully forgotten for support during this pandemic. So I guess you could argue that the government paying your wages through furlough and then you volunteering ( if that's allowed) is just a way of getting some government help for charities. Obviously it's illegal to work whilst furloughed but if the rules for volunteering are different and you are allowed to do it then I would do it if it meant potentially saving my job. Those who are calling for op to report them for fraud, what is that going to achieve ? The charity potentially crumbling and vulnerable people denied support ??

This makes me so mad these employers would probably be the first to bitch about benefits fraud which would be a fraction of furlough. Bastards I have had great fun reporting employers when people have mentioned it to me, 3 so far.

My local hospice is on the verge of laying off staff which will put more pressure on the already struggling NHS, and the charity I am funded by is potentially going to lose up to 100 million of their 250 million annual revenue from fundraising. The government needs to help.

Either report or tell them you won't do the work. My DH was in the same position as you, he was asked to work on furlough. He told them he wouldn't do it, was threatened with his job but went back recently. All the threats were hot air, they were just chancing their luck to get some free labour! If you carry on, you could be the one they pin it on if they are caught. Protect yourself and report, or say in writing that you won't do the work.

I was furloughed for 3 weeks on April and was told in no uncertain terms that I was not allowed to do any work.

I think doing your work while furloughed and 'volunteering' which is beneficial to your employer is not allowed. Your employer is defrauding the taxpayer

@Babyroobs

Going against the grain here ( and I work for a charity myself), but charities are really struggling and some would argue they have been woefully forgotten for support during this pandemic. So I guess you could argue that the government paying your wages through furlough and then you volunteering ( if that's allowed) is just a way of getting some government help for charities. Obviously it's illegal to work whilst furloughed but if the rules for volunteering are different and you are allowed to do it then I would do it if it meant potentially saving my job. Those who are calling for op to report them for fraud, what is that going to achieve ? The charity potentially crumbling and vulnerable people denied support ??

You're missing the key point that it's illegal to volunteer for your own employer. That's the whole cru of the thread, you aren't going against the grain you have the law wrong

If charities can't function resorting to defruading the tax payers is most definitely not the solution

Ok well it's going to be a huge shame for charities to lose talented staff for the sake of a few months of lost fundraising which is what will happen. If it's illegal to volunteer then fair enough.

The onus should not be on vulnerable employees to report their company and I don’t see how spot checks will solve anything. HMRC should make the directors of companies sign confirming that none of their employees have carried out any work during the furlough period. Directors should also be personally liable for any infringement of the rules.

My 18 year old son is furloughed by the county council as a school cleaner ( he is normally on a zero hours contract ). He was asked to go in last week to help with deep cleaning in preparation for a small number of pupils going back.

@Babyroobs

My 18 year old son is furloughed by the county council as a school cleaner ( he is normally on a zero hours contract ). He was asked to go in last week to help with deep cleaning in preparation for a small number of pupils going back.

Then his furlough has ended and he will be paid for the hours he's worked, he can be re-furloughed

That's very cheeky if not to say downright illegal.

I'd do what "worraliberty* suggests. I'd also start looking for another job. It doesn't inspire confidence.

I work for a charity, you’re not allowed to work at all while furloughed. You’re not allowed to check emails, answer phones or discuss work with colleagues. You can volunteer, but not for the charity you work for. You’re breaching the rules of lockdown by working and your employer should know this