£1000 per employee to keep people on after furlough

[AKissAndASmile]

This government seriously concerns me. There is no common sense at all. A company who has decided to get rid of someone to save the £20k a year salary is not going to be tempted by a one-off payment of a grand. And companies that were going to keep furloughed staff on anyway will also get this bonus £1k per employee. If you furloughed 100 staff that's £100k Sounds pretty hare-brained to me. Why don't they use the money for something useful like scrapping the parking fees for NHS staff instead?

@Uhoh2020

How about those who have worked throughout get £1000!! Have a few months off at home safe with your family and be paid at worst 80% wages then get £1000 bonus for going back to work! And before anyone says those who were furloughed didn't get a choice neither did those who never stopped working many leaving the safety of their homes to serve the public in 1 way or another and keep the economy going

This! My workload has gone up I'd say by 30% during lockdown. It's been awful. I'm classed as a key worker. No annual leave allowed. Would love some furlough.

Part time on a low wage will barely cost a company more that £1000 for 3 months salary, so it might save some jobs. Fingers crossed.

My employer has no intention of making redundancies, they are not in financial trouble. They have furloughed lots of us simply because they could and it saves them lots of money. Now they will receive a tidy bonus for unfurloughing us - which they were going to do anyway. They are laughing all the way to the bank.

@Uhoh2020 it's a bonus for employers not employees so they keep staff on .
@Hinckers it's been awful for everyone it's not a competition who's had not most awful time ,the point is to try and stop mass unemployment . The chances of finding another job in this current climate are low so yes you are actually lucky to have plenty of work .

There’s a £40,000 limit on this initiative so although it’s still a lot no business with be receiving millions and staff members have to be paid a certain amount per month for the business to qualify so they can’t keep staff on with 0 hours and still get the bonus. I think it’s a good idea in theory to stop amass unemployment in the next few months but is it just delaying it until January?

It is totally ridiculous! On top of all the good points already made surely some companies will get rid of the poor sods who have worked throughout and bring the furloughed ones back to get the bonus?

Someone I know works for a high street brand. They have taken back 40% of staff and kept others on furlough. She says its ridiculously busy and they're under pressure when someone is on lunch as there arent enough staff (but their overall takings have only fallen v slightly due to online sales)

On top of all the good points already made surely some companies will get rid of the poor sods who have worked throughout and bring the furloughed ones back to get the bonus?

Gosh, you're right! If it's a toss up between two employees you'd get rid of the one who hadn't been furloughed for the £1k

I cannot see how this is really going to help stop rising unemployment, they are just delaying the inevitable.

People were furloughed for different reasons. Child care or caring responsibilities. The schools were closed for a start, and grandparents, other households couldn’t look after children. This made going to work impossible for some people.
Including parents of special needs kids.
Also, many didn’t chose to be furloughed anyway. And people losing 20% of their pay is a big hit to many people.
Sorry, this was for the poster knocking those people on furlough.

**Have a few months off at home safe with your family and be paid at worst 80% wages then get £1000 bonus for going back to work!

Really? Some people were told to shield and some people were furloughed because they lived with high risk people. Maybe they wanted to protect themselves or loved ones from possible death?

As an employer are you prepared to pay 5% of furloughed workers in August, 15% in September and 24% in October plus 1560 pounds from November to get a £1000 bonus in January?

Its a crap incentive

I’ve no idea how this furlough scheme will pan out.Nothing is certain. I don’t know what to think of any of it anymore.
We’re told that restrictions can be lifted but now we’re also being encouraged in some places to wear masks out in public, possibly for a very long time. This may be compulsory in the coming weeks or months.
I’m drained from it all tbh.

£3.6 million not £36million

@Hearwego

People were furloughed for different reasons. Child care or caring responsibilities. The schools were closed for a start, and grandparents, other households couldn’t look after children. This made going to work impossible for some people. Including parents of special needs kids. Also, many didn’t chose to be furloughed anyway. And people losing 20% of their pay is a big hit to many people. Sorry, this was for the poster knocking those people on furlough.

Furlough has been an absolute god send to those of us in hospitality. We weren't allowed to open and so we couldn't work. We could have got no money and had to rely on benefits, mass unemployment and more recruitment for companies when they were allowed to open which would have been unaffordable.

I don't know what this £1000 is but if it helps prevent job losses I'm all for it. Same with the eat out to help out thing, anything that brings customers in through our doors means we have more chance at keeping staff.

I know hospitality workers are seen as the lowest of the low but without us there wouldn't be restaurants for people to eat it.

The leisure and fitness industry is the same, without help to bring people in and keep staff there will be nobody to to teach your spin class, aqua class, no lifeguards for the pool.

Furloughed people can't win, they get paid to stay in employment and it's resented, they resign and go on benefits and they should be out working. Most people I know need some form of income to be able to live, supermarkets tend not to give food out for free.

Labour are saying this bonus should have been targeted at particular sectors/ industries instead of being across the board. I think they may have a point.

There are lots of flaws and disparities in these incentives. Some employers will be lining their own pockets claiming loans, grants and furlough where it wasn't necessary for their business. Some had employees working while on furlough and we have the crazy situation where people who are on furlough are permitted to have a second job so are being paid 2 salaries while some self employed people have missed out and are not entitled to anything. SIL and DB both furloughed in April and have taken second jobs so are now earning 4 salaries between them. How can this be fair?

It isn’t fair but I’m not sure what could ever be fair given the extraordinary circumstances we are living in. Sunak is just trying to be pragmatic and looking for things that work rather than be tied down to a particular ideology

SIL and DB both furloughed in April and have taken second jobs so are now earning 4 salaries between them.
They're working hard and paying tax, that's great! They'll probably go and spend their earnings too, even better! If everyone furloughed had been able to do this the economy would be booming.

The £1000 will just be seen as a reduction in Nov/Dec wage bill, it's a little extra to just try and get people working again, particularly in SMEs (that's why there are caps). Businesses aren't all either bankrupt or wealthy, most are in between, where just a little help can make a difference. Hopefully it'll work, though I suspect more targeted money will be needed as well.

@Stressing

Tax payers are the magic money tree. Me and DH were beginning to think we're the only couple in Britain who won't have had any government money during Covid. I know we're not! Just feels like it.

I'm with you - obviously thankful to have been working throughout and not affected by covid (except holidays cancelled and working from home, those kinds of minimal types of things)

But yes there has been a twinge of i could do with a break (furlough) balanced with 'well i still have a job'

Me and DH were beginning to think we're the only couple in Britain who won't have had any government money during Covid.
No, there's also me But yes, it does feel that no matter who I speak to, everyone is claiming a self-employed grant (despite "self employment" existing solely for the 30 free nursery hours, they are SAHM), is on furlough, or furloughed their nanny (she is just looking after the children as a hobby, she's live in anyway and has nothing better to do). Probably not fraud, but it definitely wasn't a lifeline to desperate people.

I could kind of understand it if companies were getting it now.
My dm is under consultation for redundancy and at 58 will struggle to find another job.
Her company have possible contracts in the pipeline but can't hold on long enough to see if they come in.
£1000 might allow them to keep staff on long enough to see if it does. January will be too late and 30% of this small business's employees will already have been let go.

@MrsFogi

It is totally ridiculous! On top of all the good points already made surely some companies will get rid of the poor sods who have worked throughout and bring the furloughed ones back to get the bonus?

We said exactly the same in our house. It’d be great to know that this doesn’t make the people not furloughed more vulnerable.

@MRex Agreed they are working and paying tax but they can only do these second jobs because they are off work and also being paid by the taxpayer. They cannot believe their luck. How can it be right that some people are actually be better off than they were when working and others are in danger of loosing everything because they are not entitled to any help at all.

@Rockingthestocking

£3.6 million not £36million

Isn't it £36000 if there are 36000 employees @ £1000 per employee?