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.

YABU, and I'd think you were taking the piss if I was your employer. Especially if you quoted the bit about "special provision for those with caring responsibilities".
Perhaps it might be reasonable for a single parent in difficult circumstances but clearly doesn't apply to you.

If you both can't figure this out by yourself and be grown up adults enough to, you know, talk to your bosses about this situation to resolve it after coming up with some options, then you are both shockingly overpaid. Can't believe people who earn so much need help from strangers on deciding if they take annual leave or not, or how to rearrange their workload.

I don't think 3 days notice, over a weekend is a fair amount of notice for someone with young children. I'm currently furloughed and would definitely require more notice than this to sort childcare. I think asking for another week is reasonable in your circumstances but would probably ask to take it as annual leave if that was an option.

Ask, take leave if its not allowed.

I'd absolutely be doing everything I could to get back to work. I'd be grateful there was still a position for me.

Mind you, despite working throughout I've found out I'm being made redundant.

I hate it when HR start looking behind the curtain at people's personal circumstances as it leads to all sorts of unfairnesses. Good employers try not to do it.

In normal circs sure. However I do think furlough needs to be treated more sensitively. It’s tax payers money, for a totally unprecedented event. OP has done very well out of it and has been spared the juggling many others have had to deal with as a result.

I absolutely do not think it’s appropriate to ask for more when she’s needed back.

YABU, and I'd think you were taking the piss if I was your employer.

Are you an employer? I am and I wouldn't think this at all. We recognise that people's circumstances are difficult atm. I would just work out whether I could do without OP for another week in exchange for the furlough money. We'd probably think about it for 30 seconds and decide yes or no.

I've wfh & juggled dc for the last 3 months (luckily only p/t). Employer started discussing return to work about 3/4 wks ago & I'm going in for one long day tmw. I do think your lack of notice is unreasonable & your employers don't seem very flexible (no unpaid leave) however they probably think they have compromised already.

Normally gps help my family however they are shielding. I'm starting early than usual so DH is doing both drop offs & DH will also collect the eldest from school & put her in front of the tv for a couple of hours whilst he works.

It's becoming pretty clear that this thread is just a furlough-bashing exercise (the new benefits!)

I'll leave you to it.

I would ask for a few extra days or the week to arrange childcare. I agree with you that furlough can be used for those requiring childcare. I can't see anything wrong with asking the question keeping in mind the short notice you were given.

I would however explore emergency childcare solutions in case that wasn't an option. Although the self employed nanny I use isn't working at the moment as she mixes between too many different households so it may not be as easy as some on here suggest.

You stated you were capped at 2.5K which is half your income- I guess you meant half your income before tax? But I thought the 2.5K furlough amount was actually what you get in your account and not subject to tax- I may be wrong

@BadSmellsHelp101

You stated you were capped at 2.5K which is half your income- I guess you meant half your income before tax? But I thought the 2.5K furlough amount was actually what you get in your account and not subject to tax- I may be wrong

The £2,500 is subject to tax and NI.

For those of you finding it hard to believe all of my points, I don’t know what to say really. If your employer would give you unpaid leave doesn’t mean that mine will. If you can do you job from home and look after the children, doesn’t mean that we can. If your employer gave you three weeks notice, it doesn’t mean that mine did.

Summer holidays are already sorted - we have made arrangements in advance for both children. So even if I had still been furloughed all summer we have already paid for the childcare. I thought that was good planning! Obviously not good enough.

We don’t have grandparents who can help at the moment. I didn’t think we could ask babysitters to watch the kids due to Social distancing. We’ve never used a nanny.

You should have a written furlough agreement with your employer and this should have set out how much notice you need to give to br given to return.

There is no minimum length of notice required to be given.

As the employer wants you back in work, annual or parental leave are unlikely to be approved.

Ok so your income is around 180k, what did you do for childcare before?

@YouJustDoYou

"My partner is able to wfh/my partner simply cannot wfh and look after our 3 yr old" HOW ELSE DO YOU THINK THE REST OF US HAVE BEEN MANAGING?

This. Gender doesn't come into it. The home worker unfortunately needs to suck it up.

@derta

Ok so your income is around 180k, what did you do for childcare before?

Breakfast club and after school club. Normal nursery hours. Currently no wrap around care at school and nursery is open shorter hours than normal.

If you can do you job from home and look after the children, doesn’t mean that we can.

Do you not see how that sounds OP?

We can’t do for a week what the rest of you managed for months, therefore we need more of tax payers cash

What makes your circs so special that you uniquely can’t do it? No one found it easy or comfortable by the way. But needs must.

Actually work priorities can be moved around in an emergency situation. I'd ask your DP to take emergency parental leave for at least 2 days so you can get back into work, and see how the land lies.

Between DH and I, we've been working from home since 17 March while looking after DS3 and DD2 (who also has SEN). We earn a similar amount to you and your DP, neither of us a key workers, so no childcare was available, and grandparents were isolating themselves.

It's not appropriate for you to ask to extend furlough, given your employer has work for you to do. Giving you notice of effectively 1 day was a bit mean, although technically not illegal. Were there no verbal discussions at all leading up to receiving the formal letter that you would be expected back in?

*neither of us are key workers

If you can do you job from home and look after the children, doesn’t mean that we can.

We haven't had the choice. Furlough has not been an option, neither has school or childcare. Welcome to reality for thousands of people

Annual leave I’m afraid. Some haven’t had been furloughed rather than have to do this juggle throughout. One week is manageable.

I'd ask for another week.
I think it is unreasonable to give such little notice to you to sort child care.
My DD has been given 4 weeks notice of when she is due back in.

@Fasttrack321 yes that's the same for my dc in school but the childminder is doing normal hours.

Why don't you just take annual leave next week?