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.

If you’re request for a further week of furlough is rejected and you don’t want to use up annual leave, you do have a statutory entitlement to parental leave and could use it to take the week off (it is unpaid though). See here for more information: www.gov.uk/parental-leave

I can't work from home unfortunately otherwise I absolutely would do so

Why are you able to theoretically work from home and look after your 3 year old but your DP cant?

I had to laugh at the idea that your partner couldn’t work from home for a week as the 3 year old needed constant supervision.

I’ve had to work from home since end of March with a two year old who requires constant supervision in a job that is customer facing all day long... for a fraction of the pay, because otherwise I lose the job. I’m sure he’d manage for one poxy week like myself and half the country have for the past three months.

Or is it just the women who are supposed to balance work, childcare and everything else?

If you don’t want to take annual leave you could take parental leave but that is unpaid.

Your income is huge. Hire a nanny. Or take annual leave. Or unpaid leave.

Annual leave. Your employer is still (admittedly paid by taxpayers) paying you so they can not be responsible for the fact you haven't got childcare as tough as that is. Furlough is only for those whose job isn't available

@BabyofMine

I had to laugh at the idea that your partner couldn’t work from home for a week as the 3 year old needed constant supervision.

I’ve had to work from home since end of March with a two year old who requires constant supervision in a job that is customer facing all day long... for a fraction of the pay, because otherwise I lose the job. I’m sure he’d manage for one poxy week like myself and half the country have for the past three months.

Or is it just the women who are supposed to balance work, childcare and everything else?

Totally agree. If the roles were reversed I bet there wouldn’t even be a conversation

Where did OP say she was on 15K a month? I read the OP as being £2,500 (which is still a massive amount in my world).

@okiedokieme

Annual leave. Your employer is still (admittedly paid by taxpayers) paying you so they can not be responsible for the fact you haven't got childcare as tough as that is. Furlough is only for those whose job isn't available

No, it's also able to be used for those with childcare issues.

With such a high income I would suppose you'd just hire a nanny and take annual leave.

@thenightsky £2500 pm is the furlough cap which OP mentions in the first post is half her normal income.

She later mentions her DP is on around double what she earns.

You are so much more fortunate than most. Take annual leave or unpaid. Don't push your luck

Annual leave or unpaid leave. Either by you or your husband.

If your husband is classed as a key worker surely you could be using child care facilities to manage this situation?

If your partner earns twice what you earn, I can't see the issue with you taking annual leave now and unpaid leave later. I hate to assume but with an income of 15K per month it doesn't sound like it's something you couldn't afford

@thenightsky
Someone mentioned my salary @ £5k per month V's my DP's job. I'm not sure what they meant but my DP earns twice what I do 5+5×2=15k
@mynamesmrdiggety
I know

@BabyofMine

I had to laugh at the idea that your partner couldn’t work from home for a week as the 3 year old needed constant supervision.

I’ve had to work from home since end of March with a two year old who requires constant supervision in a job that is customer facing all day long... for a fraction of the pay, because otherwise I lose the job. I’m sure he’d manage for one poxy week like myself and half the country have for the past three months.

Or is it just the women who are supposed to balance work, childcare and everything else?

This x a million. What do you think most of the rest of the developed world have been doing for the last three months? Every single week of my work is backed with meetings and appointments and I’ve been managing with a 2 year old hanging from the rafters - tell your husband to suck it up.

@thenightsky

Where did OP say she was on 15K a month? I read the OP as being £2,500 (which is still a massive amount in my world).

She stated she was furloughed on half her income. Furlough is £2500 pm. She then stated her husband earns twice as much as her.

From Monday their household income is £15k per month. Far too much for two people who can’t organise child care at short notice but there you go. Like the rest of the population manage without state aid.

The taxpayer is paying for your furlough. You earn far more than most of those taxpayers. Take annual leave.

This

*@LemonTT@ I'm feeling lightheaded at the thought of 15k a MONTH! Wow.

Why are you able to theoretically work from home and look after your 3 year old but your DP cant?

I have stated that I cannot work from home.

As I've said, with a little more notice DP will be doing most, if not all drop off and pick ups so I can go back to work full time. DP cannot take annual leave with such short notice for next week, but after next week has already discussed with employer and can work flexibly around childcare.

Also we don't take home £15k a month. We pay almost half of that in taxes. As someone pointed out we are both, and always have been tax payers and therefore are part of the funding for the furlough scheme. Neither of us have ever claimed any type of government benefits, which we feel incredibly grateful for. But it's now a scheme available and why shouldn't we use it for exactly the purpose it was designed for?

I have hated being furloughed and can't wait to get back to work. I honestly thought that as the government scheme clearly states a person can be furloughed for childcare reasons, people might be utilising that.

I've taken onboard all the suggestions of how to look at our other options.

Why does DP need so much notice to do what many people have been doing for months now?

Well - telling you Friday to come in on Monday, when they know you have small DC and a FT working partner, is not exactly great management from your employer. So on that basis, I’d ask for some consideration. Only you know how your particular employer might react to that, though, so you’re best placed to know how the request will go down.

But really, between you, your DP and the childcare you do have, it ought to be possible.

But it's now a scheme available and why shouldn't we use it for exactly the purpose it was designed for?

You’re not though. You are wanted back.

You’re trying to use it because you didn’t get childcare sorted and your DP seems to think he can’t be flexible like everyone else has had to be during this crisis.

The government guidance to employers on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (referred to as furlough) is clear:

“Employees who are unable to work because they have caring responsibilities resulting from Coronavirus (covid-19) can be furloughed. For example, employees that need to look after children can be furloughed”.

Employers can only claim in 3 week blocks so they generally manage staff coming back with that in mind