Furlough madness

[Katykitten2]

Surely I'm not the only one who thinks this furlough scheme, whilst deserving of some merit, is far too generous? At 80% there is little to encourage people to return to work since this other 20% is accounted for by the savings in petrol, coffees and other work related daily expenditure.
This has all got to be paid for remember.

Really OP. I'm guessing you either are 1) still working so getting your full pay, 2) You don't work but live with somebody who has a well paid job that they are still doing, 3) have a lot of savings to fall back on or 4) on benefits so your income hasn't changed at all.
I, personally, cannot wait to go back to my job, if I have a job to go back to at all. The thought of being unemployed after furlough scares me more than catching covid, if I'm honest.

"If you are on furlough you can’t return to work, it’s not an alternative"

Although this is meant to be the way all you have to do is take a look on MN and see that people have been furloughed for a host of reasons. Some for childcare, despite there still being work to do. Some businesses have furloughed half the staff and merely ramped up the workload of the rest. I completely get it's a needed scheme for some and they are deserving of it but there's definitely a few taking the piss as well.

I agree with @mrsm43s

I'm furloughed. I just about break even by not having to pay commuting costs or childcare. My DH is SE and barely earned anything. Technically my workplace could stay open.....but we havent had any new orders for 9 weeks so I'm not sure what I'm meant to be doing!

My personal view is thank god for furlough! I'm not furloughed, and am working full time from home.

Its hint of hope, that when something resembling normality returns, vaccine or other, that there will still be jobs for people. For me its one in a very small list of what our gvnt has done right

Of course there will be piss takers, and yeah, its hard to see the social media posts of 'i have so much time i have redecorated my whole house' - and people talking about topping up their tans, but they're only posting what they want you to see. While some probably are having a whale of a time, there are many more scared about if they will even have a job after this

This furlough scheme I find mildly annoying as well, but then remind myself it is there for people in need, although there are companies that will always take the piss. My company has furloughed people to save money, but ramped up the work load of us remaining on. AND they've cut our salary to 85% of what is was even whilst still working full time, so to see the people on furlough at 80% is incredibly annoying! OH AND we're going through redundancies, so it's not like these paycuts and furloughing will even save our jobs.......

Nobody is going to 'starve' because when this furlough scheme eventually ends, as it must to preserve an semblance of an economy, those without work can claim universal credit. Whilst the scheme has it's merits it is also masking the reality which is that millions will be made redundant anyway.

I'm on furlough. I can't wait for my call back

I can't see how it is the individual person that is taking the piss or in the wrong. The decision to go on furlough was made by head office ... the same as they will decide if/ when I go back to work.

See99 "business owner client told me today that people who he has furloughed are digging in and don’t want to go back"

No that never happened because it's not up to the employee.

OP you really don’t understand any of it.

Katykitten2 The government (which only exists to serve the people in the UK) gives people money if they can't work through no fault of their own.

Why not explain what you would like to happen to them? I'm sure we'd all be fascinated.

@Katykitten2 the furlough scheme is there to stop the economy nosediving it's keeping cash moving through it. The economy is a like an ecosystem. If that many people are unemployed and can't find another job people will stop spending and putting into it and even more businesses will suffer as a result. Businesses that currently are affected will be impacted sooner or later. The housing market will grind to a halt with the exception of the 3Ds (death, divorce and debt) and if prices fall It won't make it easier for people to get on the ladder as people won't move they'll probably wait it out.

We're not all getting 80%.
I work in a restaurant and tips make up 25 to 30% of my earnings, they're not included even though we pay tax on them.
Im getting 60% of my usual pay.
I would go back to work tomorrow if i could.

OP you obviously have never applied for UC, you can starve on it, it gives you the bare minimum, if you don’t have children the amount you get is not even enough to pay your rent.

Op you still haven't answered any questions directed to you. As for UC, I doubt that would even cover our mortgage nevermined put food on the table. Children would be thrown into poverty overnight but that's OK with you because your clearly fine.

Businesses that currently *are not affected will be eventually.

I know someone furlough who is having a lovely time. No work no dependents, enough money to cover the bills. They'll have to be crowbarred back into the office.

@Katykitten2 it's damage limitation, OP. They've done the maths and it makes more sense to pump money in now to salvage the economy and stop millions ending up on benefits without money in their pockets to spend. I don't know what you do but with everyone will be impacted eventually if we go into a bad recession it may just take some longer than others to feel the pinch. Even the essentials like supermarkets which are doing well at the moment will suffer if people can't afford to buy as many groceries. It's so simple to understand this I don't know why you are struggling with it.

@GuiltyBark so what is your point? How individuals feels about returning to what and what they're doing during furlough is not what this is about. They'll have to go back when they are able to regardless of how they feel or they'll loose their job.

*returning to work

You sound lovely. Fuck everyone who is furloughed through no fault of their own, just put them on Universal Credit.

I'm going to presume you've never been on UC and are under the impression that it's generous. It's not, and it doesn't even cover the cost of most private rentals.

I'm not sure why people think it's up to the employee that they are furloughed or not it's the employer . 
Also @Katykitten2 honestly do think 8 million people will be made redundant after all this ?
So that's all bar staff /restaurants/ hairdressers/ beauticians/ gym leisure staff / people that work in hotels / non essential shop staff/ all holiday park staff / cinema staff . I'm sure I've missed others off .
And not to mention all the jobs that impact on these types of places opening.
You really haven't read any of these comments on here have you .?
Yes there will be companies that are abusing it and yes some people are very happy furloughed and yes it's unfair for those that work in a place that has furloughed and un furloughed staff but that is down to the employer not employee.
And yes there will be redundancy but not everyone as that is the point or the economy will become so much worse if they just paid everyone UC .
Many can't live on UC so would have ignored lockdown and carried on working and the deaths to covid would be a lot higher than it is .

@Katykitten2

I’m absolutely sick of people like you bashing the furlough system

As many people have said they can’t work because their business is shut and not allowed at the moment to return

What on earth should have happened to us all be made redundant ?

I intrigued to know what your circumstances are at the moment that prevent you from having any remote sign of sympathy for furloughed workers and their situations

I can only assume you are working and wish you were furloughed so you can sit about tipping up your tan/ redecorating the house which I think you all think we are doing and enjoying our free time

Kitty is worried about her DH paying extra tax 😞 just wondering how much tax you paid last year kitty? 🤔 I’m
Guessing none.

Lawyers are often contacted to 3 mths notice, and long term people could be 3mths redundancy or longer. That sort of money could easily pull companies down making it harder for the economy to pull back after this is done.

Exactly. I've seen a lot of complaining about law firms using the furlough schemes as though it's inherently dodgy, but it's a fact that for some departments, their work has massively reduced or dried up due to lockdown. True of some other professional roles too, Just because you can do the work from home, doesn't mean the work currently exists to be done.

I get that some people object to the furlough scheme altogether, presumably those who are anti-lockdown too. But if you accept the principle that the aim is to preserve jobs where there's no work now so people would otherwise be made redundant, hopefully allowing them to restart once things pick up, that by definition can include legal professionals.

which is that millions will be made redundant anyway

Who will no doubt be called lazy, workshy, scroungers by people such as yourself OP.