"I'm alright Jack" mindset.

[Donnsssfaa]

Shoot me now, but I was just reading an article about furlough on Daily Mail ().

Most of the top comments are people saying

"Get those workshy people back to work!"

"Furlough should be a loan that only those who are furloughed should be paying back"

"I've been working throughout, why should I pay??"

But I doubt these people would be saying this if they didn't have "secure jobs".

Of course you get some who take advantage, like everything.
But I have a waitress friend who rang me crying when restaurants were forced to close and she's now furloughed. She would rather be working but there are lots more applicants for jobs these days so not easy.

But AIBU to think it's wrong to want to punish people who were basically forced out of work because of lockdown by claiming they should be the only ones paying it back? Especially when a lot of these waitors, bar staff, beauticians, hairdressers probably aren't on amazing wages anyway! And to top it all off: recession so harder to find a job.

People need more sympathy and empathy, especially during this time when the virus has been around for almost a year so mental health will be declining.

Most of the time they will hire someone they know won't just leave after 5 weeks.

you do know there's such a thing as a temporary job market don't you?

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer Unemployment is high.
You are goady.
Good luck with your recruitment.

Donnsssfaa
why are you talking about Frankie and Bennie when I was replying to your post about a recruitment agency in your office block? I am glad to know you still go to your office block actually, that means you still have your job, good for you!

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer haha. In fact my work is actually classed as a 'temporary work' and i actually have a recruitment agent. In my industry, the recruitment agents are actually furloughed.
Shocking for you to hear I know.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer I don't work in an office block?

I am exactly the same as @tillyandmilly.

It is depressing applying for jobs that 200 plus other people have applied for 😬

[quote Donnsssfaa]@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer I don't work in an office block?[/quote]
apologies, it was another poster who was talking about their office block. Ignore my previous comment, it wasn't meant to be goady, it was to the wrong person.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer but all in all, you clearly think it's super easy for all these unemployed people to walk into a job and for that I will no longer be responding to you as it clearly is a small-minded and unrealistic concept.

@Crazycatlady83

Furloughed people were told not to work to “keep everyone safe” and “protect the NHS”. Everyone benefits from those things, so everyone pays.

Beautifully put, @Crazycatlady83.

And utterly true.

[quote Donnsssfaa]@daisypond exactly! Maybe i'm actually unreasonable for reading dailymail [/quote]
Don't do it again!

Step away from the mail! It will only leave you angry or at best, bemused.

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer

Donnsssfaa why are you talking about Frankie and Bennie when I was replying to your post about a recruitment agency in your office block? I am glad to know you still go to your office block actually, that means you still have your job, good for you!

I work in the office block. I didn’t say I still go there. I am on furlough because my entire industry has been annihilated by this pandemic. I still have my job BECAUSE I am on furlough. That’s the whole fucking point of the furlough system!

I am extremely sceptical that "many furlough workers" have second jobs

My niece is at college but has 2 p/t jobs, totalling 20 hours pw. She was furloughed from the 12hrs pw/£9.50 ph job, but her other job is "essential". She's picked up loads of extra hours at her second job, covering for colleagues who are sick or isolating, and has had a pay rise because she has taken on extra responsibilities, so has ended up earning more than she would have done had she still been doing both jobs. With her furlough money as well, she's much better off than she would otherwise have been.

She's saving every penny she can because she wants to buy a flat, so she's absolutely delighted.

Sorry, but I think those furloughed SHOULD be the ones to pay most of it back. Not massive amounts, not all of it. But it infuriates me to think of people (cough ex-boyfriend cough) sitting at home, binge watching TV, whilst still getting 80%, while key workers like me are slogging our guts out and putting ourselves at risk of covid.

I don't want to hear 'we're all in this together'. No, I'm sorry, it's been MUCH easier for those sat at home than it has for us still working, still at risk, and doing more than our usual workload.

It's not their fault that they're furloughed. But life's not fair. I have nothing but envy for those sitting at home who work for big chains and are still guaranteed a job when they go back.

Didn't you just sum it up at the end: life's not fair.
Being on furlough is not all sunshine and roses.
Do you also feel envy for those at home worried they're going to be made redundant? Do you also feel envy of those who are struggling to pay their rent etc., as a lot of people on furlough may be living on £800-1000 a month, maybe even less.?

As you said, life's not fair.
I actually was on furlough, then worked for 4 months, now furloughed again.
I can tell you with absolute certainity that I would choose to be in work than on furlough. And my work involved contact with lots of people.

@missbunnyrabbit How do you expect these furloughed workers to pay it back? How does someone getting 80% of minimum wage pay this back when they return to 100% of minimum wage? How do they continue to pay their bills? It’s not their fault they have been furloughed, it’s not their fault they work in an industry that has been closed, it’s not their fault your industry has remained open, yet you want to punish them financially because you’re envious of what you perceive to be a much easier life when their only crime was to work in an industry closed through no fault of their own.

Furloughed people should treat it as a loan and pay it back? What a load of old tripe!

I have nothing but envy for those sitting at home who work for big chains and are still guaranteed a job when they go back

I think very few jobs are guaranteed these days. In the last couple of years I've known several people made redundant from what were traditionally "safe" jobs: local government, civilian staff in the police service, banks, civil service etc. I work for a housing association that also delivers several services related to homelessness and mental health support. Funding for lmany projects has been cut and several staff made redundant.

In my own team, one person's hours are likely to be reduced from April, another has lost half their funded hours and has been helping out on another project paid for from savings because of vacant posts, 5 of my 17 hours pw are now unfunded because a pilot project was closed by commissioners. The shortfall on my salary was covered by income from providing external training, which will run out at the end of March.

None of these are anything to do with Covid or Brexit, they're all due to cuts in health, DWP and local government budgets.

YANBU
We're all in the same storm, but we're not all in the same boat.
We all need to be kind to each other (unlikely to find that in the DM comments section though!) - I know lots of people who are finding this pandemic difficult for lots of different reasons.

Furlough has provided winners and losers, I know some who although furloughed also have a reasonable safe job and paid in full. I know other who have lost everything as furlough was shorthand for redundancy. Those who were furloughed at DPs work mostly found second jobs as they are HGV drivers so in demand but 90% have been made redundant, some are ok and some devastated.

What I would say about the second jobs was at the time of the first lockdown some sectors needed workers immediately especially in supermarkets and deliveries. Whist furlough worker might have had extra money as a country we needed that recruitment, to provide for a temporary new way of life.

@missbunnyrabbit

Sorry, but I think those furloughed SHOULD be the ones to pay most of it back. Not massive amounts, not all of it. But it infuriates me to think of people (cough ex-boyfriend cough) sitting at home, binge watching TV, whilst still getting 80%, while key workers like me are slogging our guts out and putting ourselves at risk of covid.

I don't want to hear 'we're all in this together'. No, I'm sorry, it's been MUCH easier for those sat at home than it has for us still working, still at risk, and doing more than our usual workload.

It's not their fault that they're furloughed. But life's not fair. I have nothing but envy for those sitting at home who work for big chains and are still guaranteed a job when they go back.

The purpose of the furlough scheme is to try and tide people over so that as many jobs can be saved as possible, meaning more people paying taxes and less on UC at the end of this. Would you rather we have millions more unemployed so that your taxes have to go up even more?

@missbunnyrabbit

Sorry, but I think those furloughed SHOULD be the ones to pay most of it back. Not massive amounts, not all of it. But it infuriates me to think of people (cough ex-boyfriend cough) sitting at home, binge watching TV, whilst still getting 80%, while key workers like me are slogging our guts out and putting ourselves at risk of covid.

I don't want to hear 'we're all in this together'. No, I'm sorry, it's been MUCH easier for those sat at home than it has for us still working, still at risk, and doing more than our usual workload.

It's not their fault that they're furloughed. But life's not fair. I have nothing but envy for those sitting at home who work for big chains and are still guaranteed a job when they go back.

I'm working, putting myself at risk of Covid and I disagree with everything you have said. No one is guaranteed a job after furlough and if you think people are then you're naive. And no, it's not easy sitting at home worrying about whether you will have a job to go back to.

There's no balance in the current situation is there? It's stress in all directions, especially for women. I'm a working LP (front line) & I'm so bloody tired. I'm also really concerned that my teens aren't getting as much education as their peers with furloughed parents. I really do feel like I'm doing 3 full time jobs at the moment & something is going to have to give soon. I'm trying to keep off SM because all the posts about home schooling, baking, site surfing to find supermarket delivery slots & all the other things I haven't got time to do make me feel guilty & jealous. I also can't understand why, with so many people out of work, we can be so short staffed in 'critical' sectors. I know it takes time to train people for professions, I've done it, but it doesn't take years to train support staff & more of those would make a massive difference to our workloads. Why weren't these people being employed last March? Beggars belief. This is all being handled so badly & it's turning people against each other.

@mollypuss1 totally agree some people on here in some sectors have seen a massive benefit from lockdown, on here complaining about their huge workload why don't they hire some people. Others have a boost to their income but want the mostly minimum wage workers who have been furloughed to pay more, beggars belief.Jeff Bezos made $74 billion in 2020 while shop workers are in rent arrears. Winners and losers but the losers have to pay!!!