To report my employer for furlough fraud

[djeorh]

Furloughed for over 3 months but carried on working - at first I was told I didn't have to but then more and more work was sent my way including big projects that needed to be done ASAP.

These projects are now 80% of the way done as I've been doing them on furlough. However I now find out they are considering making me redundant or offering me a part time contract in September once projects are done.

I feel they have taken advantage of me and pressured me to do the projects on furlough and then hit me with this bombshell. I'm so angry I want to report them, but doing so would probably make the company go under and make innocent colleagues lose their jobs.

Report them. It’s fraud and lm sure they know this. They have basically used you and us taxpayers for their own ends

They have committed fraud. You have been exploited. Call the acas helpline for advice? You would not be unreasonable to report.

So... They have had you doing work. And paying you with tax payer cash!?

Errrm.

Report them asap

I think so many companies are taking the absolute piss with furlough and there'll be no end of fraud

DH's work are keeping almost all the staff off "Cos it's quiet" ...despite everyone in his industry returning to work may / June . Afaik being "quiet" is not a reason to keep claiming furlough. plus his company are multi multi millionaires so I actually think it's a bit iffy they're even using furlough

Anyway I think you've been treated awful and imo you'll be one of many. I'd be tempted to report tbh but as you say it could affect other people that work there

Yes report them and find a new job! You’re working for an arsehole

My SIL has been furloughed and has also been going into the office as she wants a job to go back to. It’s disgusting that companies put pressure on employees like this and commit fraud whilst doing so. I would report them. It’s not your fault if other colleagues loose their jobs, it’s your shitty employer for breaking the law.

This makes me boil with rage. There's businesses out there that have genuinely lost out and may not recover, there are employees that would not have managed financially without furlough, and then there's cunts like your employer taking the absolute piss. They've shat on you from a great height. I'd absolutely report them. They deserve all they get.

Definitely reporr them, this is fraud and they know it.

The more companies that do things like this will extend any recession we have.

Report

I would report them.
I work for a tiny company, a lot of our work is events and congresses so obviously that all stopped and isn’t restarting until at least next year. We have been furloughed apart from the owners who are desperately trying to win new work and do the small bits that we do have. Without furlough they would have had to make us all redundant and there wouldn’t be a company to go back to. Hopefully furlough will have been the lifeline they needed and we can all go back to work at some point. They have unfurloughed a couple of staff for an odd week for help wit tenders / projects but it’s been above board and through the books etc.

@Somanysocks

Definitely reporr them, this is fraud and they know it.

The more companies that do things like this will extend any recession we have.

^ this with bells on

In my mind companies who abuse furlough are the same as benefit frauds. They are looked down on and we are encouraged to report benefit fraud, just because they are businesses doesn’t make it any better. In fact it’s worse! The companies doing it aren’t desperate to feed thier kids they are desperate to keep thier profits!!

As soon as you were on furlough you should have stopped checking your work email and refused to do any work. That was made absolutely crystal clear in the regulations. And yes, definitely report your employer for fraud. It's disgusting.

Absolutely report them.

YANBU

Absolutely report.

Yes, report. Anyone who commits fraud should face the consequences directly, otherwise the rest of us have to indirectly pay for it.

You could act very self interestedly and threaten to report them if they fire you. I guess it a question of whether you want to report them because it’s the right thing or just because you feel pissed off.

Yup, report them - if you have any hesitation, remember it's basically all our money that has been paying your wages for your company to benefit. We're going to hit a massive issue with government overspend going forwards whatever happens, and companies exploiting and playing the system to maximise profits really is morally repugnant.

Absolutely disgusting.

Many employers need to be held accountable for abuse of furlough. Your employer is essentially having the government pay you for working for the employer.

Other employers have furloughed too many people and forced remaining employees to do several jobs. So they are basically abusing the remaining workforce. I don't mean due to lack of social distancing being possible, it's straight up abuse of the furlough system and seeing an opportunity to pay fewer people for the same work.

There has to be some accountability for this. Employers have abused the system and it's wicked.

Oh, and obviously you can do this anonymously

Just to let you know OP, nothing will fall back on you because you worked during furlough. It's the employers issue as you never personally made a claim, they did on your behalf so the burden of it falls on them. If they knew employee's were still working, which they did as they essentially made you do the work, they should have taken them off furlough as they had work for them to do.

Many employers have abused the system and their staff and have taken this whole pandemic as a way to excel their business by making their employee's work but have the government pay their wages. There was grants given out, super low interest rate loans etc to keep employers a float that needed staff to work and weren't eligible for furlough so there's no excuse for this. There was also options to rotate staff on furlough and only furlough some but not others so the system was pretty fair

Report. That’s our tax payers money they are stealing! Ikea didn’t use furlough scheme and is paying it back in countries where it did as it turns out it’s faired ok financially. That’s the correct position to take during a global crisis. Your employers are stealing money used to provide NHS and Social Care for us all when we need it. Not to mention the various other services we all rely on. Am so angry to hear this.

Absolutely report them, they’re piss taking bastards. Stealing tax payers cash and making you work on a reduced salary, I hope they have to pay it all back.

Even those companies who aren't committing fraud are taking the piss. I'm furloughed but was on a conference call when it was made absolutely clear to all managers that they need to maximise the monthly furlough claim by furloughing as many people as possible and getting their colleagues to pick up the workload. This is not technically fraud, but is not what the furlough scheme was designed for but who can blame the savvy employer for trying to make as much as they can?

OPs situation is defo fraud though and if they are going to make you redundant anyway, I'd report them ,