To ask for another week of furlough?

[Fasttrack321]

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.

I'm really not interested in the OP's childcare arrangements. I managed to resolve mine without asking the Internet.

But.... I am hugely curious as to what form of employment pays 60k to someone who appears to be a bit daft...

I would ask. They can only say yes or no.

Wow you have a good salary

Not your employers fault you have kids.
You are needed back in the job you are paid to do.
Some people would love to have a job to go back to

I doubt for one minute a couple earning 15k a month between them couldn't manage to sort out emergency childcare.

@CaffeineInfusion

I'm really not interested in the OP's childcare arrangements. I managed to resolve mine without asking the Internet.

But.... I am hugely curious as to what form of employment pays 60k to someone who appears to be a bit daft...

CV’s at the ready ladies...

I’ve only skimmed through the responses so don’t know if it’s already been told to you OP (as I mostly just see people telling you to take annual leave or call you a CF), but you are allowed to explain the situation to your employer and ask for an extra week furlough (I think they are allowed to refuse though). The government have made it clear that one of the reasons for a person to be remain furloughed is lack of childcare, which you seem to have for next week at least.

My employer actually called me as soon as the government gave the go ahead for our business to open up, and he offered to keep me furloughed until September because he knows my DS would usually be in after school and school holiday club, which isn’t currently running. As it happens I’ve been able to make arrangements with DS’s dad to alternate weeks during summer holidays, but currently there’s nothing I can do about childcare for after school, so I’m remaining furloughed until end of term, and then will be going on flexi-furlough during the 6 weeks.

OMG.

Want your cake and eat it,YABU, in my opinion you should have been picking up litter for you money, or some other work, which was way too much anyway, many people have been working full time and looking after their children without a well paid partner. People like you make me sick. You should pay back all that money when you are working. It's nothing more than a paid holiday, money should have been equal for all at about £300 a week. Then paid back like a student loan.

@PETRONELLAS

Stop this being so emotional people. The govt scheme is there to support these situations. Explain to your employer you need more notice so can the furlough continue. It’s not going to come out of their piggy bank.

You're right, it's going to come out of ALL our piggy banks!

And we all have to pay because you (with your salary) don’t want to pay for childcare? Some people are just away with the fairies.

@genius1308 so all those people WFH for months whose children haven't been allowed in school so they're juggling both work and childcare - should they start asking for furlough? Is it just people who don't have children who should be working?

Beyond preposterous. You need to take leave, paid or otherwise.

The govt scheme is there to support these situations

No it's not, it's to keep people's jobs open while their employers either have no work for them, or can't operate and be COVID safe at the same time, as in the job retention scheme.

Has the OP said what's so unique about the partner's job that means that they can't work from home while looking after their children?

Because it can't be due to needing to concentrate or have online meetings, because that will apply to just about everyone else who has been working from home in the presence of their DC for months. And it won't be confidentiality because who are a 1 YO and a 3 YO going to blab state secrets to?

@BarbaraofSeville Exactly! It’s a job retention scheme not a child care scheme. I think some people have forgotten that they actually have to work for their pay...

Pay for childcare or ask for a week unpaid leave

Or you might be entitled to key worker childcare use that!!!!

I don’t think you are being unreasonable in such short notice at all but as others have said I don’t think that they can undo the decision to take you off furlough. I have been surprised at how many employers have not consulted with staff regarding the furlough process and very little thought given to people with children to care for especially now with holidays coming up and people have been on reduced pay for months. I think that you should have a chat with your employer and see if something can be arranged to give you the extra week either as paid leave if that will not leave you short of leave for the rest of the year or as discretionary absence.

Your post has actually made me quite angry OP. How bloody entitled do you sound?
You've just had 3 months off work being paid £2500 and you think you're entitled to more?! FFS.

You have a partner who can WFH and some childcare/school in place. They need to start doing what the rest of us have been doing.....but without any school or childcare.

My job is incredibly hard to do with young children in the house but I've had no choice - plus I get paid slightly less than what you got for not even working. It's been stressful and I'm exhausted but it's just what lots of us have had to deal with. You/your partner has to do it for a week and you're complaining??

The job retention scheme is there to help companies firstly get through the Covid 19 crisis and secondly to ensure as many companies as possible will bounce back afterwards and pay Corporation Tax. Key to this "bouncing back" is having the right resources in place. At that salary, I'd imagine the OP fulfils a pretty key role in her organisation, might have lots of knowledge and experience, and all of that secures the jobs of others.

As I said earlier, there is a real danger that a lot of women leave the workforce because of childcare issues. That is in no-one's interest. In my case, it's better for me to keep the people on the payroll as long as I can - and it's a pain because others have to take up the slack- because that is what is best for the business. If it hadn't been for the furlough scheme I would not have been able to offer these employees the choice.

YANBU
It's worth explaining your situation and asking the question.
I can't believe they really expect you back on such short notice.

Yes my dear, take another week off. We'll pay for it with our taxes, it's alright.

Annoying, I have a neighbour who refuses to go back to work on "safety" grounds - yet has had loads of visitors at his house during the lockdown period. Poor guy probably doesn't realise that, when furlough ends, so does his job.

I was offered furlough (2 out of 5 in the team) and refused for the reason that I want to help my company stay solvent and push myself to the back of the queue for any redundancies if they happen.

The furlough scheme was needed, but is being abused. A few people will be hard pushed to call those on benefits "scroungers" if we get back to normal times.

By the way, my wife had to self isolate whilst working in a care home, and guess what. She was paid £95 for the week. So, seeing people wanting to take extra furlough wages from the Government for reasons that, frankly, are none of our concern, is irritating to say the least.

The OP has a husband, the kids have grandparents, and both have annual leave entitlements. Selfishly, they are holding those back so that they can take leave for a holiday. We had one person returning this week, and he put in a request for 3 weeks off in August. My manager just point blank refused, and offered 1 week.

Totally agree BadShirt

and push myself to the back of the queue for any redundancies if they happen.
That’s not how redundancy works.

The OP has a husband How do you know this?

She said so.

In the OP even.