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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Anyone else getting tired of the furlough bashing?

245 replies

NEVERQUIT3331 · 05/04/2021 16:45

First, it was immigrants stealing the jobs. Then it was bashing people on benefits. Now it is furlough bashing.

People need to understand that a lot of people are struggling on 100 percent of their current salaries. Living on 80 percent will not be easy either for anyone (especially for groups like single parents.) I am someone who was lucky to work the majority of the months since March 2020. I am lucky I still have a job. Some people that were furloughed were not that lucky they were made redundant. Most people would rather work than be redundant and worry about how to pay their next bill or mortgage.

Yes you might see people go to parks/beaches during furlough and others had to work without a holiday. But for most people it was a constant worry whether they would have a job. Also, if someone is on furlough what do you want them to do? Just spend all day at home twiddling their thumbs and isolated. That is not good for anyone's mental health. Others also have worked second jobs to ensure they could pay their bill.

Are there people who abuse the system? Of course. You get that with every system: taxation, benefit, furlough etc.. But punishing the vast majority of people on benefits, furlough who are there through no fault of their own is never the answer. We need to learn to be more compassionate as a nation and realize life is not as rosy as some may perceive. I wish everyone on furlough good luck and hope they keep their jobs and for anyone being currently unemployed/redundant I hope they find work. and leave you with this quote:

"Do not trust everything you see even salt tastes like sugar."

OP posts:
LawnFever · 05/04/2021 20:41

@Literallynoidea

YABU.

I am sick of people saying how they're loving being furloughed and don't want to go back to work.

DH has had his pay cut by 20pc but is still working full time, and he's supposed to consider himself lucky as he wasn't made redundant.

We are all paying for the furloughed skivers through our taxes, so it's time they stopped taking the State's shilling and got back to work.

Your user name is incredibly apt since nobody can choose to decide not to be on furlough anymore and just rock up to work at a business that’s currently closed, maybe try understanding how it actually works before spouting off such utter nonsense
sarahc336 · 05/04/2021 20:41

Sorry I'm sick of working my arse off at home, often with periods of home schooling whilst trying to still do my job to then witnessing a friend posting on Facebook again about going for another run or having another bbq or doing more diy, often staying "making the most of it before I have to return to wok" it's infuriating. Last summer as I'm nhs I worked my arse off with my children at home and had to listen to neighbours just sitting in their gardens eating and drinking and basically having a holiday in the sun whilst I felt like inwas having sone kind of breakdown silently at home. There's just no fairness as sone of us are actually working harder now than ever x

llm24 · 05/04/2021 20:44

I have been on furlough since last March , didn’t ask to be , don’t want to be but I work in the Travel Industry do not much I can do to go back just now
I can tell you it been a long year worrying if I will have a job to go back to
I have saw people in my office already made redundant and still struggling to get a job

I think the majority of people who are on furlough want to be back at work
Until you have been on furlough do not judge others and think we are all
living the high life and enjoying it

SardineJam · 05/04/2021 20:48

I have become quite resentful of my friend, she was furloughed for the whole of the first lockdown, went abroad for two weeks in the summer, got paid a bonus at the end of the year and then took furlough to cover the Christmas holidays so she didn't have to use her holiday...I have worked 60 hours a week non stop, kids at home, no holidays. It isn't furlough bashing but how her company are taking advantage of the system

Millymomooo · 05/04/2021 20:51

sarahc336
Weren’t you entitled to put your children into school, if your a keyworker?
I was furloughed and I spent the entire time homeschooling my two children, it wasn’t a bed of roses either. I would have been happy to go into work but I’m not a keyworker. So never got a place for my kids. I am in a min wage job and lost quite a lot of my wages. I never want to go through that again.

Theelderscrolls · 05/04/2021 20:53

I'm pretty sure furlough bashing is just a Mumsnet thing. I don't know anyone in real life who says that stuff.

Im a nurse, one of my best mates is on furlough. We respect the difficulties each other have had over the last year, because we aren't dicks.

Tumbleweed101 · 05/04/2021 20:58

I've worked all the way through and I've been glad to. I couldn't have managed on 80% pay and I would have been lonely without my colleagues. I am sometimes envious of the free time my furloughed colleagues got but still prefer my situation of the two.

JeanClaudeVanDammit · 05/04/2021 20:59

Weren’t you entitled to put your children into school, if your a keyworker?

Not everyone who worked all the way through was a key worker, loads of people have had to struggle through in jobs they couldn’t be furloughed from without access to school or (in lockdown 1) childcare.

Millymomooo · 05/04/2021 21:05

JeanClaudeVanDammit
Yes I understand that but the op states she works for the nhs so I thought nhs workers were entitled to school places? I’m in Scotland so might be different. Correct me if I’m wrong

ouchmyfeet · 05/04/2021 21:06

@Bluntness100

I must live on a different planet, I never hear anyone furlough bashing.
Me neither. Literally never heard anyone complain about those on furlough.
SpnBaby1967 · 05/04/2021 21:06

I'm glad I wasnt furloughed, but I'm fucking exhausted working harder than ever before! So I can understand where the jealousy comes from. Because whilst my best friend was off baking banana bread I was dealing with a huge increase in domestic violence/child abuse cases & my mental health was shot to pieces.

Completelyfrozen · 05/04/2021 21:09

@GintyMcGinty

Would the badgers prefer that businesses failed and these people were paid unemployment benefits?

Would you be willing to accept the end of the cinema, hospitality, soft play, museum, theatre etc sectors? Would you sacrifice many charities?

That's what furlough is saving - jobs, businesses, charities.

But it's not going to save all of those jobs! The only people I hear bashing furloughed people are those who have lost their jobs, are trying to survive on universal credit and are sick of hearing furloughed people moaning that it's only 80%, not enough money yet in all honesty, their jobs quite possibly wont be there at the end of furlough, and so being furloughed has merely kicked the can further down the road and cost the tax payer more in the long run. Me? I'd rather be on 80% of my salary than the pittance you get on UC.
Lucaslucas1612 · 05/04/2021 21:12

What annoys me is the large companies, the rich and famous and aristocracy (I read an article about this only this morning) taking advantage and furloughing people when they could easily cover wages out of their own money. Apparently Victoria beckham tried to furlong people at her company. There should be a peak on how much furlong is per month. Apparently some of these people were claiming 10k a month! There should have been more of an investigation into personal wealth and company profits as a criteria before allowing claims.

I also know a very wealthy school mum
Who has a pocket money job she has been furlong from since the first lockdown. It's minimum wage but she also has her own business so she has been working all the through this. This shouldn't be allowed- but I guess how would they govern it? I personally find that pretty immoral of her though

Brighton2019 · 05/04/2021 21:19

@Literallynoidea

YABU.

I am sick of people saying how they're loving being furloughed and don't want to go back to work.

DH has had his pay cut by 20pc but is still working full time, and he's supposed to consider himself lucky as he wasn't made redundant.

We are all paying for the furloughed skivers through our taxes, so it's time they stopped taking the State's shilling and got back to work.

You do know that you pay tax and NI whilst on furlough don't you? I am so sick of hearing about all the tax payers money going to the skivers... we all bloody pay tax! I was furloughed last April and went back in August... it was awful and worrying. But it was also hard and worrying on the people that were still left working in the office. It's been a shit time for everyone... why are we turning g against each other instead of holding those in power accountable for the shit show the past year has even?
Jumpers268 · 05/04/2021 21:19

It's 100% envy. Although I can't say I've seen or heard any furlough bashing. I've worked throughout but I have to check myself when I think oh how I'd enjoy the summer off 😉. Everyone has stress; those that have worked, those on furlough and those who have lost their jobs. I'm very grateful for my job but yeah the last year has been hell.

Flowers24 · 05/04/2021 21:21

I've heard a lot of people say how lucky those on furlough are getting to do bigger all on nearly all of their pay. I know a few still on furlough after a year and desperate to go back to their jobs.
Disagree with accruing holiday though!

Oblomov21 · 05/04/2021 21:25

Don't get me started on this. Envy? Yes, too right.
Now staff coming back say they wish they were back and home and the 80% was fine!

Huge corporations and huge companies claiming it. It'll take us a lifetime as tax payers to pay off.

Sittingonabench · 05/04/2021 21:25

but that’s not true either- many people have been on and come off furlough. Most who are still on it work in sectors where the government has closed their place of work and will reopen with people in their jobs. There will be some who will lose their jobs/business but most will return to their trade (chef, hairdressers, hospitality generally). Many of these trades require skill sets which take years to develope if they all left and got an office job (assuming they could find one) society would struggle a lot more and it would cost a lot more. If the argument put forward was UC is not enough to live on that would be different and quite probably get a lot of support but attacking people on the precipice of losing their jobs/careers doesn’t seem like the right way to go to get that across.

Jangle33 · 05/04/2021 21:28

It’s the government’s fault for not making clearer furlough rules on who can claim. There’s no magic money tree to repay this all!

llm24 · 05/04/2021 21:29

My work have made us take our holidays during furlough
It means they only have to pay the 20% difference in wages
So not all people on furlough are accruing holidays

Brighton2019 · 05/04/2021 21:31

So what do you expect people to do if they have been forced on furlough? I was devastated when I put onto furlough- I'd only been in my job for 6 months (after being a SAHM and then on a zero hour contract) and I was extremely nervous that I wouldn't have a job to go back to.
I went back to work as soon as I was asked and have stayed ever since.
But yes, I did use the time I had to spend time with my kids and get some small jobs done. I also spent time in the garden getting a tan! However my MH was on the floor and it still hasn't recovered (like a lot of people) and I don't understand how it is my fault that to protect the charity I work for, my boss put me on furlough with no discussion at all - I was petrified I would never be going back!
Why oh why can't we just accept that this year has been fucking hard and support each other to get life going again so we can all enjoy it? The be kind movement didn't last long did it???

Spidey66 · 05/04/2021 21:40

Wrt furloughed people accruing holiday pay, I don't think that's fair. I understand they haven't been able to go anywhere, but neither have us who have been working, and we still have had to use our leave!

I admit to sometimes being a little jealous but I know it's irrational and a "grass is greener" scenario. The rational side says it must be boring, and I'm aware a) their employers were forced to shut and b) they are at risk of losing their jobs longer term.so I'm not a basher.

SuperCaliFragalistic · 05/04/2021 21:44

I don't know anyone who has had a hard time due to being furloughed. I know, contrary to some posts here, that some people DID ask to be furloughed and were pretty pleased with themselves, at least initially. There were lots of smug social media posts from people being paid to sunbathe last year. I appreciate that no one expected it to go on this long and the last few months have been a bit grim but the "furlough bashing" is largely to do with the way those on furlough swanned about getting a tan and redecorating their houses on government money last year. I know of some people who happily accepted their furlough money for months on end and then handed in their notices when they were asked to go back to work. So although I have sympathy it has its limits.

Ginuwine · 05/04/2021 21:47

@SuperCaliFragalistic

I don't know anyone who has had a hard time due to being furloughed. I know, contrary to some posts here, that some people DID ask to be furloughed and were pretty pleased with themselves, at least initially. There were lots of smug social media posts from people being paid to sunbathe last year. I appreciate that no one expected it to go on this long and the last few months have been a bit grim but the "furlough bashing" is largely to do with the way those on furlough swanned about getting a tan and redecorating their houses on government money last year. I know of some people who happily accepted their furlough money for months on end and then handed in their notices when they were asked to go back to work. So although I have sympathy it has its limits.

You say "swanned around" - can I ask - what is a worthy activity for someone to do if they're on furlough?

Should they seek extra work? Sounds fine to me. Yet I've heard plenty on here and iRL who criticise anyone who is getting 80% of their old job AND getting more money (perish the thought Grin) from a new job.

Should they hide in their house and not enjoy the sun? Sounds like a plan if you want to wear the hair shirt some hand out on here and keep a low profile. But would you do the same if someone had turfed you out of your work on a percentage of your wage and the sun was shining?

So, what should a furloughed person do while furloughed?? What's the approved list of activities?

BungleandGeorge · 05/04/2021 21:48

@Millymomooo

JeanClaudeVanDammit Yes I understand that but the op states she works for the nhs so I thought nhs workers were entitled to school places? I’m in Scotland so might be different. Correct me if I’m wrong
No, not if you work from home whatever your role. 9 til 3 with no wraparound care is also not an awful lot of good for most peoples’ hours!

I don’t agree with many things about the furlough scheme and think quite a lot of companies have taken advantage for financial gain. No bad feelings towards the workers who had no choice. I think the financial implications vary widely depending on your basic wage, whether you get benefit top ups, whether you could find another job on top of furlough, whether you could do cash in hand jobs. I imagine those on high incomes unable to work must have been severely hit because of the cap?