To ask for another week of furlough?

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I was furloughed at the start of lockdown and have not been working since end of March. I have been looking after my 2 young children full time as my DP has been working full time. Luckily DP's job is secure and their employer is flexible with WFH.

My furlough pay is capped at the limit of £2,500 and has not been topped up so my income has been about half of my normal pay. I am very grateful to have been furloughed rather than lose my job.

My employer wrote to me on Friday and informed me my furlough was ending and I was expected back to work on Monday. I discussed this with my DP (who is classed as a key worker, not front line) as the kids are only in part time childcare. DS is 5 and in Reception, DD is 3 and in nursery 3 days per week.

My DP is working full time 9-5 and cannot change working hours this week at such short notice. So cannot do drop off and pick up for the children (nursery and school are about 15 minutes drive apart). DP also cannot WFH and look after DD who is 3 and needs constant supervision.

This week will be impossible to juggle, but from the following week we can manage with flexible working hours and the help of a grandparent.

AIBU in asking my employer to extend my furlough by one more week? I checked the government guidance and there is a specific provision for this which allows furlough for those with caring responsibilities. I would only want this for 1 additional week.

I am incredibly grateful my employer has asked me to return and I do want to return. I have been there years and have a good reputation for being one of their top employers and managers.

My only other option would be to use a weeks annual leave, but then I'd have none left for the rest of the year and summer holidays when I would need to take leave to cover childcare again.

Most of the company were furloughed and now being brought back bit by bit.

YABU - get back to work immediately.
YANBU - take an extra week furlough to sort your childcare out.

Ask for unpaid parental leave.

YABU - Either take annual leave or one week unpaid! Anything else is greedy! If you speak to your boss and offers something better - great, if not it is CF on your behalf!

How did you cover your childcare 5 days per week before Covid? Is it the nursery child that's on reduced days or the reception child?

What did you do before furlough.....

Take annual leave or unpaid leave and DP can cover a later week of school holiday. Or DP accommodate drop offs and WFH/reschedule work with flexible employer. You are not on your own without any options and YABVU to ask for an extra week of paid leave.

I’ve worked full time with a 5 year old and a 2.5 year old. I have no sympathy for your predicament. Your husband is going to have to just do what the rest of us have been doing - get the iPad charged and be prepared for some early mornings and late nights.

OP: we have a combined household pre-tax income of £180k. WIBU to ask for another week off work, to be funded by taxes?

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Classic MN goading right there. Nicely played. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Can’t work
Out if op is a
Cheeky fucker
Or a lazy fucker
Or an entitled fucker
Or a goady fucker

I would kill for months of paid absence and then a job at the end

Some are just
lucky fuckers
And don’t even realise it

@RebeccaPearson 👍🏻 My sentiments exactly

Sorry but another one for annual leave.

Many employees who have continued working through the crisis from home have been compelled to use up annual leave so that businesses are not faced with crippling levels of holiday in the last 6 months of the year. Furlough was primarily introduced to preserve jobs.

Many lost jobs, many lost business's you've had £2500 for 3 months for doing nothing and you want another week? If you earn £5000 a month you can afford to take a weeks unpaid leave, think your moral compass has flipped over, very entitled, your children your responsibility, very glad you don't work for me!

With the amount of disposable income you have between you, it makes sense to hire a nanny on a temporary contract.
Failing that take a combination of paid/unpaid leave.
Other than remind DP of his fatherly responsibilities, you aren't left with many more options.
Good luck.

Hire a nanny! You earn a bomb - and there are loads of last minute reputable nanny companies online.
On another note, I had no idea you could ask for furlough if your kids are at home. What are we on, week 16?! Of a working at home with a 2 and 5 year old....I’m well and truly fried!!!

OP what did you do in the end as you were due back today?

I would suggest you get an account at childcare.co.uk and get yourself a Mothers Help ASAP. If your wage was capped at £2500 and you normally earn more, you can afford this solution to nobodys detriment

You can thank me later x

If I was back at work and found out my manager had ASKED for more furlough... I think it would take me a long time to get past that.

Just explain your situation and present the alternatives making it clear you are entirely grateful and are very much looking to return but you just require more notice to arrange your childcare again.

It's all you can do.

Christ!
I got my 1yo son back into nursery on my 3 working days a week the minute they suggested they were opening as I expected that I would be called back to work soon after.

My 3yo I had decided would be workable with anyone who could possibly take her on any days necessary and had primed my partner to tell his work he will likely need to take annual leave at very short notice, which he did and under the circumstances his employers did so well out of my being furloughed.

So my son started nursery at the beginning of June and we paid the £800 to have him in for that month in preparation of work going back because I value my job so much and didn’t want to be looked badly at for needing to delay my return due to child care.

Then I was made redundant.

You should thank your lucky stars you have a job.

Surely any employer who has a request for more time off due to bad planning if not going to take kindly on the situation at all.

@CottonSock ditto what you said! Some people were lucky to have time to focus on their kids since March.

What do you think the rest of us have been doing? We've both been working full-time in highly stressful roles with 2 young children, until midnight most nights trying to balance everything for the past 3 months. It's been bloody awful. YABU for not getting prepared for an inevitable return. Take annual leave or unpaid leave.

I’d say go back to work and juggle. Some of us have been juggling a full time WFH job plus 2 small kids (and a key worker partner working full time) since March. It’s doable, but not easy. Sometimes life just isn’t easy.
If I was your boss I would think you were trying it on/taking the piss a bit.

Not RTFT as got bored of OP protesting how reasonable they are when the rest of the people say otherwise, but since when was it up to the employee about whether or not they are furloughed?

That paragraph OP has quoted numerous times is irrelevant surely? The employee doesn't get to decide to be furloughed do they? Happy to be corrected

The employee doesn't get to decide to be furloughed do they?

Someone I work with asked to be furloughed for a bit longer due to childcare issues and our employer agreed so it’s possible. I suppose our employer could have refused.

Wow! Talk about taking liberties. You clearly have no idea how hard it’s been and still is, for the rest of us who have had to continue working all this time and juggle family and home life. I had to take 20% pay cut as well and still work and look after 2 DC aged 2 & 5! You need to wake up op! You’ve had 3 months to work out childcare. Actually sickens me you ask this tbh 😔

I’ve been working 10-12hour days since March with the NHS. My husband has been working full time at home while looking after my 5 year old....but hey yes, you grab another week of funded furlough rather than use your leave or take it unpaid. CF