Furloughed and work wants me back in the office Monday with no childcare

[workingwithoutchildcare]

Im a single parent and was furloughed at the start of lockdown as we were not busy. Business has picked and my work has asked me today to go back into the office Monday 4 days a week. They said now there is work I don't meet criteria for the furloughed, which is rubbish as it can be used if you don't have childcare. I have two children one is in the year group that can go back, but it's only for 3 hours a day and other is in year 2 so can't go back to school yet. My work has given me the option to use holiday instead now. They have asked me if anyone else can help but parents are shielding and there dad is back at work himself and is not seeing the kids. If I quit I assume it would mess up my universal credits. Working from home would be very difficult with my mental health and two children who still need a lot of support and help homeschooling and a job that requires a lot of concentration. I have mental health problems as it is and I feel I am only just managing right now being on my own for weeks with two young children and not even a garden to escape to. I really don't know what I can do and wish they would just make me redundant if I'm honest.

[Uhoh2020]

@ceevee
I've said I will work from home, but I'll be limited what I can do from home as I require certain equipment for my job

[ceeveebee]

How strange, the OPs posts are not highlighted for me (think a name change halfway through?) so I didn’t realise that was the same person....

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

This is why all schools need to open full time to all children in sept. We have to live with this virus.

[GeorgieTheGorgeousGoat]

@ceeveebee

How strange, the OPs posts are not highlighted for me (think a name change halfway through?) so I didn’t realise that was the same person....

Yes they’ve changed the capitalisation of their username, same words though.

[INeedNewShoes]

Find ways of making working at home possible.

Many people have been in this situation since lockdown began, working with children at home. Be grateful for being furloughed for this long and the break you've had from work and do whatever you can to enable yourself to work.

Given that everybody is in a similar boat we have to make it work the best we can. The economy is fucked and the government can't sustain the handouts for as long as schools might not be fully operational.

[dairyfairies]

Find ways of making working at home possible.

that is often easier said than done with employers who insist you go back into the office despite having no access to childcare. What do people do in this situation?

[cansu]

I think you have to offer to wfm. You say this will not be good for you but I think you need to prioritise your job as this pays your bills!

[Uhoh2020]

OP you need to contact your employer today now and discuss what alternative options they can provide for you where it be continue to furlough, wfh, reduced hours, unpaid leave.
Do you know any teenagers that have just left school who you could pay to babysit ? Call all friends and family to see who can help you out? Not mixing households go out the window at this point so you dont lose your job

[Workingwithoutchildcare]

I've been told not to contact work as I'm technically still furloughed and that they would contact me. I'll leave until 3 then I'll have to contact them. I can wfh to a limited capacity but I don't have certain equipment at home and it would need to stay in the office as two other colleagues also use it. I've already said to them if they want to me to wfh then I would, but obviously there are limitations. All my friends either don't have children yet or young children, so no teenagers and as I've said I live on a very tight budget. The kids are staying with me as I have no other solution with schools closed, ex not having them and parents shielding. Work either let me work from home. Take the kids into the office with me, dismiss me or continue to furlough me for childcare reasons. Taking holiday now would mess up anymore half terms and summer holidays that it's already booked in for. My holiday runs until April. Taking unpaid could be a short term solution, but financially I'm going to be screwed.

[CuriousaboutSamphire]

If you are listening now you may hear something that makes more sense to you and your employer!

Good luck

[Uhoh2020]

OP what did you manage to sort out for tomorrow?

[callmeadoctor]

Whats the situation with their dad?? Can he help?

[Musicforsmorks]

Jesus Christ.
This is why so many journalists and mp’s are questioning the government about this.
How hard is it to understand that many people CAN NOT wfh?
If your employer does not allow you to, or your job can not be done from home (wtf do you do if you work in boots, Superdrug, food processing, poss too working class eh?) What does she do, send the fucking boys in?

I’m self employed, luckily not affected by covid issues, but I’m not dense.
Are the,people berating op for not wfh all doing that themselves?

Take a leap of imagination, it isn’t hard.

[twinnywinny14]

Hope you got today sorted OP @workingwithoutchildcare

[Workingwithoutchildcare]

So work finally got back to me on Friday after they chased him. They said I needed to be in the office 3 days a week minimum and everyone is back in the office from today. It's a small office of about 25 people. I had an email Friday to say the school isn't reopening now so my child wouldn't have those three hours at school anymore. My parents are shielding and my mum is working from home 4 days a week as a key worker. Work have reluctantly continued to furlough me. I have asked my ex husband again if he can have kids which he has said no as he is shielding. I contacted childminders again and none with space and I have no way of paying the upfront costs anyway. One friend has offered to have my children in the summer holidays if their father still won't have them and they still can't see people shielding. I feel massively guilty I'm not back at work and feel lazy, but honestly I have no idea what else I can do. I offered to wfh, but like I said it wouldn't be easy with my job due to the nature and not having the correct equipment at work, which I can't take home as it's used for others.

[Uhoh2020]

If they continue to furlough you until the end of the month will your parents or their Dad then have them for you? (Assuming the shielding Is lifted then also)

[Lifeisabeach09]

OP, request a continuation of your furlough for childcare reasons officially (in email or writing). If this is declined, request unpaid parental leave by email or in writing. Keep these as evidence to submit to UC in expectation of your wages becoming zero. Don't hand in your notice--just keep notifying your employer that you will be unable to go into the office based on childcare reasons and let them take it from there.

[firstmentat]

Same here, OP, and my employer does not furlough.
Also a lone parent, Y1 and YR children. ExH not involved. Burned through almost all annual leave and a good deal of parental leave. A childminder would be around £600 / week for two (the going rate is £7.5 / hour here). They won't accept children if they go to school, so it is full time or nothing. Nanny would cost roughly the same, marginally more expensive. Not impossible, but will push me deeper into debt, so I wonder whether it is worth it.
I still have around 3 hours of work to do for today and my head is already feels just woolen.