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Original poster

Friend said DH is abusing furlough

662 replies

amy198820 · 28/12/2020 17:09

DH been on furlough from 2 jobs since March (one full time job and one part time job he does one evening a week). He has been back to work on and off since the summer and is now on the flexi furlough scheme and both jobs have topped his pay to 100%. Since the tier 4 announcement he has been put back on furlough completely.

As tier 4 is looking like it will continue through Jan/Feb, and so unlikely he will be going back anytime soon DH had applied for another job to keep him busy rather than sit at home. DH found out before Christmas he has got the job and he has made this new employer aware that this job will just be a fill in whilst he is on furlough and the employer has accepted this and are happy to take him on. (its a friend of a friend type thing)

Spoke with my friend and earlier and told her about DH's new temporary position explaining that its better than him sitting at home all day /gives him something to do until all this passes etc. My friend took umbrage with this and said that we are abusing the system and that this isnt what the scheme was designed for. I didn't really know what to say and so said sorry she was offended and would speak to her later on.

For background before anyone says anything, I was not being insensitive, my friend has not suffered financially due to COVID as she has been working from home continuously throughout.

I want to call my friend back soon as to not let the bad feeling grow. How would you suggest I approach this? I do not think we are doing anything wrong, just trying to get through this pandemic and doing the best for our family as would anyone else.

OP posts:
worriedandannoyed · 28/12/2020 18:39

@NiceTwin

I am at polar opposites to most people on here. I am an employer. As soon as the furlough was announced, I told my employee the date ahe would be furloughed from, I also told her if she wanted to find alternative employment in the meantime, then feel free.

She didn't get another job but it has been suggested her furlough should be stopped if she had.
That means, I would have been responsible for paying her. What with?! The business income was £0 from March - July.
Yes, the furlough goes to the employee but it has been set up to protect businesses. There can't be many companies who have enough money in the bank to pay out wages indefinitely, hence the furlough!

No you just wouldn't have paid her at all. You would have saved on NI and pension contributions
catgirl1976 · 28/12/2020 18:39

It's perfectly legal, people may be made redundant when furlough ends and he'll be paying extra tax on the second job so I really can't see your "friends" issue

80sColourfulChristmas · 28/12/2020 18:42

@wowfudge I never said anything at all about being complicit in the downfall of anyone?!?! Hmm

OnceUponAMidnightBeery · 28/12/2020 18:42

Well you are legally able to.

However taking a job from someone who actually needs it RIGHT NOW and not in some hypothetical maybe/maybe not future makes you incredibly selfish from my point of view.

But you’re alright Jack, so crack on. Good to see human nature at its finest 🤦🏻‍♀️

KindnessCrusader · 28/12/2020 18:42

@upsidedownwavylegs nope, it's in writing-not allowed 🤷‍♀️

SpaceRaiders · 28/12/2020 18:43

And then people on that other thread have the audacity to imply that the near 3 million self employed, who have had feck all since March are fiddling their tax and therefore don’t deserve assistance.

Wheresmykimchi · 28/12/2020 18:43

@OnceUponAMidnightBeery

Well you are legally able to.

However taking a job from someone who actually needs it RIGHT NOW and not in some hypothetical maybe/maybe not future makes you incredibly selfish from my point of view.

But you’re alright Jack, so crack on. Good to see human nature at its finest 🤦🏻‍♀️

But they aren't taking a job. DH applied for the job and got it on merit. As PP said, any other system would be this weird interview of "who needs the job more".
Ideasplease322 · 28/12/2020 18:44

@KindnessCrusader

My Husband has been furloughed since March and is absolutely not allowed to take any other paid work. I'm sorry but your friend is absolutely right-you shouldn't be receiving furlough money and wages from another job-even if he is somehow 'allowed' it is morally not cool.
This must be written into his contract of employment. It has nothing to do with the furlough scheme. It is his employer who has said this (if it is true).
Wheresmykimchi · 28/12/2020 18:45

@KindnessCrusader , it's up to the employer.

PiggyPokkyFool · 28/12/2020 18:45

Gosh OP I think you are getting a very hard time on here.
I work part time and do some online surveys in my spare time.
In the summer I was furloughed at 80% of salary and I was about £400 a month worse off - I didn't know how long it would be for or if it might be forever so I just put the spare time I had into my survey work and I actually ended up better off by just over £800.
My employers know I do this 'job' and they knew I was stepping it up to cover the shortfall - I stopped the extra effort once I was back into work again.
Loads of people have second earning streams which makes us feel a bit more secure and take chunks out of our mortgage in these difficult times - I admit a third one is impressive but there are lots of casual jobs out there and I do not think the OP's DH is doing much wrong and certainly nothing against the furlough rules.

jessstan1 · 28/12/2020 18:45

Lesson to us all, never confide anything potentially controversial to anyone. If asked, be vague.

If I had known about this, op, I would have thought nothing of it because I am not au fait with the ins and outs of 'furlough'. I think I'd have agreed with you that he is better doing something than nothing. I also don't blame anyone for getting money where they can because we do not know what tomorrow will bring.

Your friend is being a bit mean spirited, maybe she is adhering to the letter of the law, I do not know. However you owe her no explanation for what is your and your husband's private business.

Pity you told her!

LaceyBetty · 28/12/2020 18:46

@Fieldofyellowflowers

I always thought that if you were furloughed you were not allowed to do paid work in any other capacity without being taken off furlough. Happy to be told that I am wrong on that though.
You can do work for another employer (unless your contact disallows this), just not for the one that put you on furlough.
Wheresmykimchi · 28/12/2020 18:46

I think it's overwhelmingly sad how this pandemic is causing friends and families to fall out over semantics of who is and isn't doing what, in this weird competition to be the most noble. People need to survive.

stairway · 28/12/2020 18:46

I can’t believe this us allowed, this is terrible and we will all be paying for this for years to come and most likely those in lower wages. Furlough was to stop people falling into poverty not to line their pockets surely. There is nothing fair with this system.

PerhapsOverlyWorried · 28/12/2020 18:46

Morally you and your DH are in the wrong. I don’t understand why you’d come to MN and essentially brag about how your DH now has 3 sources of income when so many here have been hit hard by the current circumstances. It reeks of self absorbed selfishness, and the fact that you don’t seem to understand why it is morally wrong just highlights the type of people you are. You’ll lose your friend over this, rightly so, and be judged by many others that know you in real life. You can’t repair that now.

MorganKitten · 28/12/2020 18:47

Your not allowed to do paid work for that employer whilst on furlough, but are allowed to find other paid work

Not totally correct - it depends on your contract and company you work for. I wasn’t allowed to have a second job while on furlough.

suggestionsplease1 · 28/12/2020 18:47

It's an interesting one.

I guess we don't generally ask people to consider others financial and personal circumstances when they apply for jobs, otherwise a whole load of people would have to stand back and say 'Well I really would like this job but I imagine some of the other applicants would probably benefit from getting it more so I'm going to do the morally right thing and I'm not going to apply".

Do people on this thread take that into account when they apply for jobs? Maybe if you already have a job you should wait until you're unemployed before applying for another one, because there would be loads of unemployed people who would benefit from it more than you and that could be considered selfish. If you apply for another job whilst being in a job already is that immoral of you?

megletthesecond · 28/12/2020 18:47

If he can't officially volunteer why not buy a litter picker and get some fresh air while tidying up the area? I love litterpicking Grin.

RaininSummer · 28/12/2020 18:47

It does seem unethical but if he has genuinely tried to get voluntary work it's OK I guess as he obviously wouldn't want to resign his main jobs as he is expecting them to resume.

KindnessCrusader · 28/12/2020 18:47

@Wheresmykimchi that's interesting, thank you.

LaceyBetty · 28/12/2020 18:48

@suggestionsplease1

It's an interesting one.

I guess we don't generally ask people to consider others financial and personal circumstances when they apply for jobs, otherwise a whole load of people would have to stand back and say 'Well I really would like this job but I imagine some of the other applicants would probably benefit from getting it more so I'm going to do the morally right thing and I'm not going to apply".

Do people on this thread take that into account when they apply for jobs? Maybe if you already have a job you should wait until you're unemployed before applying for another one, because there would be loads of unemployed people who would benefit from it more than you and that could be considered selfish. If you apply for another job whilst being in a job already is that immoral of you?

I think the issue here is that the money is coming from "taxpayers".
Lazypuppy · 28/12/2020 18:49

May be legal but it is a bit shitty and grabby in the current circumstances. OP you should just accept it isn't great what he is doing instesd of trying to defend the situation.

Basically he is working the system, again legal, but don't be suprised that your friend doesn't like it. If you were my friend it would annoy me and i'd probably keep my distance until this was over.

ivfbeenbusy · 28/12/2020 18:49

Clearly when you told your friend it came across as smug so I'm not surprised she took umbrage. Whilst legal it's morally wrong and since it's not going to give you sleepless nights you should just have kept quiet about it rather than bragging/showing off to your friend and expecting a congratulatory slap on the back in return

knackersknockersknickers · 28/12/2020 18:49

You obviously have no issue with what you're doing, so just ignore it? She's not going to change her mind, your not going to change yours.

This pandemic has been massively decisive for loads of people.

stanski · 28/12/2020 18:49

Its perfectly legal. I don't see the issue at all