Angry at my work basically forcing us to work.

[Jennywren2978]

I am absolutely livid at the moment, so angry. I am a key worker (nursery nurse) with a child myself. I want to keep my family safe and therefore not work. I have been told that as they are getting help to pay wages (governments 80% pledge) I am to attend or not get paid. I'm sure this is not what the government was intending the money to be used like. I will try to get hold of my MP though to clarify.

I have found this thread heartening. It's been very challenging dealing with the few staff in your position op, and I've struggled to word responses because I've felt i was being cold. But this has helped me. You probably do need to resign, your anxiety is understandable, but it's too much to cope with people in your position given everything else the rest of us have to get on with right now. I hope you can understand this and resign..

Ok fair enough OP that's a hell of a lot more honest. Of course you are scared, we all are. Rather than making excuses it's way for more helpful for your own sanity to admit that.

Look this whole thing is terrifying, 2 years ago I had a stroke and I've never experienced fear like it. Any sign of stumbling anything , any fuzzy eyesight (although I know damn well I wouldn't get warning ) I panic. I really do.

However, unfortunately there are no real get outs in this, I'm sorry but there aren't. We could all isolate left right and centre....whilst of course it will slow it, ultimately there is absolutely no iron clad protection.

Only you can deal with this, and make it right in your head. Ultimately you have to decide whether to step up , do you think every doctor or nurse or paramedic is not scare when they go out to work at the moment ? Of course they are. But they know that the only option here is for everyone to work together and do their bit. Does that suck? Yes , does it feel unfair that some have to do it more than others ? Yes. However none saw this coming, noone is staying home to upset you , and no key worker is sending their child in to put you at risk. Everyone is trying to do their bit, basically you now need to decide of you will do yours.

Your employer is not calling you in for no reason. They cant claim the 80% if you are there, for the first time I honestly believe mostly everyone just wants to slow the damn thing and protect people. (Yes if course there are profiteers but ultimately it doesnt sound like there is reason yet to believe your employer is , you've misunderstood the 80 percent thing).

Well the saying no key worker is sending children in put people at risk is only a half truth. Due to people not adhering properly to social distancing and the many people that seem to be wanting to put children in schools and nurseries even if they have someone at home avaliable is quite shocking to be honest. If someone really absolutely needs to work and have no other option but use childcare then fair enough, but I worry too many not doing this thereby more children mixing than there needs to be. Any how I have told my work I would prefer to stay at home and if that means no pay then so be it as a few less people mingling the better. Have also said though that if absolutely necessary then I will make myself available if possible.

I have had a chance to sit back and have a think. My initial reaction was due to fear as originally was given the option to work or not by my employer so choose not to as I thought priority for work should go to full time key workers to keep a wage coming in rather than part-time like myself who can survive without the money for a few weeks. Knowing that the number of staff needed would be reduced I think that giving others the opportunity to use the hours is better especially as it would mean my staying home means I do my part, maybe not in help other key workers but in helping to slow the spread of this virus.

Please.

You don't want to do it; you want your co-workers to accept the risk for themselves and their families while you don't.

At least be honest about it.

You are basically putting yourself ahead of others. You want others to do your job. My DH is a GP but now working in A&E. I would much rather he was at home but he can’t.

What do people not understand. The government even advise if you can stay at home do. I dont believe my work will need everyone in so therefore if people would rather keep getting their wages and have the hours available I will step back and let them have those hours rather than take them for myself when I can afford to stay home and socially isolate. Obviously if work absolutely need me in because someone is ill and it effects ratios then I will but as its not just me being affected by this but also my child if he goes to school then where possible I should stay at home to minimise risk to myself, my family and others. If it's not necessary that all keyworkers work then they shouldn't. It is a case of the government want minimum people mixing so therefore minimum staff necessary and most staying at home if possible. Well we'll have complete lock down soon as very few seem to get this.

Fair enough OP but that wasn’t your original post. Your last post bears little resemblance to your first. Some people will still be responding to that.

Don’t get cross because you don’t like the responses.

I will not have the luxury to stop work because I am a key worker and we don’t have many people ‘spare’.

I’m sorry you are scared and anxious. I think we all are really though as I said before.

We are getting the situation just fine.

In other words, you are too honourable to take up the hours available so that others can continue to express themselves to CV

Might need a tissue for this one.

No my op is different to my present stance. It was written in haste in response to feeling overwhelmed and scared that I had no choice over doing what I feel is best for all, ie letting those that want to work take the hours available rather than myself who'd prefer to stay home and could just about afford to.

*expose, even

But you can't stay at home op. You must do your fair share, as must I. Don't expect your job to be open for you when you deign to agree to do it, if you think you're doing them a favour by not pulling your weight now.

No-one wants to put themselves at risk by working at the moment. No-one.

My mistake. I thought your first post was you feeling aggrieved because you thought that you should Be getting the 80% payment and you were fuming you were not.

However if you can afford to stop work and feel it is safer then do so.

And don’t dress it up as doing folk a favour unless they’ve asked for your hours.

Op
You can try and pretend that you're reasons are altruistic but it's clear that they're not. You're worried about your health and are choosing to stay at home rather than risk that. Pretending you care about your colleagues pay packet is totally disingenuous . Own your decision at least.

OP do you live with very elderly people? Because if you dint then you and your young children will be very VERY unlikely to suffer. You and your family are at greater risk every single day of road accidents, bacterial infections, accidents etc than anything this virus will do to you. Get a grip.

People shouldn’t call you selfish unless in your specific situation. No point comparing you to a Nurse or a doctor because you are not one.
I’m in the same boat. I’m not going to work. Quite frankly my own family is more important. Work do not need me. There’s 20 staff, several of whom are childless and able and willing to go in. They want to. I’m not burdening the school when they’ve basically begged us not to, by sending my child in so I can work random shifts at work when I’m not really needed. Technically, there’s not enough work so I’m hoping my manager will claim the 80% for me. But also, she could look at is as I’m refusing the little work that is available so not pay me at all. I’ll take it on the chin but probably look for a new job when this is over.

It makes no sense to me to send my children to school for other people to look after, whilst i go and look after others. In terms of numbers and ratios I’m not needed so it makes more sense for mine to be at
Home and it sort of cancels each other out iyswim

On top of that, I’m a single parent with nobody to look after my kids if I get ill.
If 3-5 staff are needed out of 20. It makes sense to use the ones that are willing rather than rotating all 20 bar those with health conditions.

I'm glad that some can see my point of view. Why put my child in care to watch someone else's if someone without children could do it thereby making it one less child in school meaning less burden on schools to use more staff. What I've been trying to say all alone is if they can cope without me and others with children then they should to minimise the children needing care. Though it gets better with my work. They want everyone in working there usual hours even with hardly any children in. Will probably be making jobs for us to do.

Of course. People without children are expendable.

Fuck the fact that we have families who live us.

We haven't used our uteruses and are therefore less valuable.

I really hope every single one you who has written something along those lines goes away and thinks about what they have written. It's horrible. It's selfish and it is ducking typical of this me-me-me society we live in.

I'm flouncing from the site after this.

You have seriously coloured my judgement about human nature

This thread ya going to haunt me over the next few weeks when I will inevitably be having to make difficult decisions about ho gets admitted to ICU.

My so called peers have deemed me a lesser being and expendable because I have infertility.

Fuck me.

johnstonfont
Of course. People without children are expendable.

Fuck the fact that we have families who live us.

We haven't used our uteruses and are therefore less valuable.

I really hope every single one you who has written something along those lines goes away and thinks about what they have written. It's horrible. It's selfish and it is ducking typical of this me-me-me society we live in.

You are completely misinterpreting this johnstonfont. OP is saying that if she goes to work then her child has to go to school, even though the school have said that children should stay at home if at all possible (as has the government). It's not about people without children being less valuable, it's about one person being at work meaning another person has to look after their child.

The 80 percent wage pledge is for workers who have been laid off. ie sent home because there is no work but still kept on payroll. If a company claimed this while still asking the employees to work then the company would be committing fraud. I believe this is would result in prison sentence.

All I can say is Thank god for people like this:

*On a more personal level, my son turned three years old last week and is six weeks into a three year chemotherapy program for lymphoma. This virus is a big threat to his life and as I am going to be exposed this week doing my job, I can no longer live at home.

I have had to make the difficult choice: to do my job and save lives of people I don’t know, or to be with my son whilst he battles cancer. Alfie hopefully will survive his cancer and chemo, but many people will die from flu. My heart is broken making this decision, but I choose to save the lives of strangers and leave him in the care of my beautiful wife and family.

Later this week I’ll be moving into a motor home and will not be able to take any further part in his care for the next 6 months.*