Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

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:
nicky7654 · 28/12/2020 17:28

Good for your Husband. Need more like him.

FuckOffDailyFailure · 28/12/2020 17:29

It's legal, I think. She is entitled to her opinion though.

Shaniac · 28/12/2020 17:29

Whats unusual about it. My dp has a full time job and a part time job. Lots of people have to work more than one job, usually to earn a decent living confused.

Its unusual in the sense i dont imagine too many people working a full time job then going to another job to work. Unusual doesn't mean wrong, just not as common as i would imagine. I work 2 jobs because they are both zero hours and i cant trust one of them to not sack me at the end of furlough. The job situation in the uk is shocking.

Ginqueen456 · 28/12/2020 17:29

You may want to check with your husbands employers if he's allowed to work for another company whilst he's on furlough. It was part of my contract when I went onto furlough that I wasn't allowed to work for anyone else.

Flowerpot345 · 28/12/2020 17:30

"Yeah, I'm with her. He's getting 100% of his usual salary and he wants to get another job on top of that, a job that he doesnt need but some other poor sucker probably desperately does?

Yeah, that's really shitty IMO."

This^^

wowfudge · 28/12/2020 17:30

What a load of crap some people have come out with. One of his jobs is one evening a week. If his earnings are higher, he'll be paying more tax.

People are giving those who are furloughed so much unwarranted shit. Chances are that a lot of those jobs will go when this all comes out in the wash and there is a major readjustment in the economy. I'm a tax payer and I've been working from home since mid March. I'm grateful to have a job and hopeful it will last. Those people who cannot go to work due to their workplaces being shut by law, etc. are being helped as they should be.

If someone has the get up and go to get another job to keep themselves occupied then good on them.

SameToo · 28/12/2020 17:30

It’s only allowed if employer agrees it. Has his main job agreed this with him @amy198820

anniegun · 28/12/2020 17:30

Amazing the comments about it being fraud from people who cant even be bothered to google the rules. That probably says a lot about their work ethic

snappyoldfart · 28/12/2020 17:31

It's selfish people like this who are really shafting others, in his defence no he's not breaking any rules as such as the rules are so bloody stupid.

What he is doing is taking from all angles, and everyone else all the other tax payers are paying for him to have furlough.

There are over 3 million tax payers who have received absolute fuck all due to the way the schemes are set up and are seriously struggling.

So yeh I'd be a bit pissed off if I was your friend but I can't see him or you changing the situation to suit anyone other than yourselves, it's the governments fault for allowing people on furlough to take on extra jobs.

Original poster
amy198820 · 28/12/2020 17:31

@Ginqueen456

You may want to check with your husbands employers if he's allowed to work for another company whilst he's on furlough. It was part of my contract when I went onto furlough that I wasn't allowed to work for anyone else.
His full time employer actively encouraged other source of work but said that their employment must take priority.
OP posts:
Bourbonbiccy · 28/12/2020 17:31

Furlough is supposed to make you whole for the loss of earning, it isn't supposed to be profited from.

I don't like people rinsing the system for anything though as i always think they are contributing to making it tougher on the genuine case when they act fraudulently.

Idontgiveagriffindamn · 28/12/2020 17:31

I believe it is not against the rules so your husband is doing nothing wrong but to me it does leave a nasty taste in my mouth. I’d perhaps not have said anything but would view you and your husband in a negative light.

wasthataburp · 28/12/2020 17:32

@Cakeandcustard123

She's right thought isn't she 🤷🏻‍♀️
No she is not right. You are allowed to take other jobs while on furlough and everybody's jobs are unstable at the moment so he would be an idiot not to try and make as much money as he can for his family.

The friend is an idiot

Moondust001 · 28/12/2020 17:32

What do you suggest my DH do instead? Just sit at home?

How about doing something socially useful and altruistic?

It's a stupid flaw in the furlough scheme that should have been closed by now. But no, he isn't breaking the law so he can be a money grabbing b**d as much as he likes. I'm with your friend on this one, and can only hope that karma exists. When people are losing their jobs across the country, its just unbelievable that someone would be so selfish as to have their entire income protected and then take a job that someone who actually needs it could have.

Omeara · 28/12/2020 17:34

It’s not against the rules but doesn’t sit quite right either.

I doubt your friends feelings will change, as this thread shows people are usually imminent camp or the other. I wouldn’t bother trying to change her mind, it’s only you that needs to be comfort with it.

Nomaigai · 28/12/2020 17:34

Unless you're higher rate taxpayers or have no children it's unlikely you've paid in more than you've received.

What he's doing isn't illegal but I can see why people might not like it.

TragedyHands · 28/12/2020 17:34

Your friend is right, you shouldn't have a wage and furlough pay.
That's really greedy, and should be illegal.
Some people have lost so much, he should be ashamed.

PlanDeRaccordement · 28/12/2020 17:34

Sorry but it is “doing” someone out of a job. The U.K. has an extra million people unemployed due to Covid. It’s not fair that they have to compete against everyone who is furloughed on 100% pay as well as other unemployed people.

It may be legal, but it’s immoral.

Heavymetaldetector · 28/12/2020 17:34

I'm a little bit surprised it's allowed to be honest. When claiming my self employed grant we have to declare that our income has been significantly reduced as a direct result of covid and be able to prove so if asked. We are not allowed to claim it if we have lost work one way but managed to earn money another way eg a musician losing all their gigs but turning to teaching instead. There are so many caveats to the seiss yet furlough pays you 80 per cent no questions asked and you're allowed to get another job? If it is allowed I don't think it is particularly fair, but that's not your fault its the system. Also as you say in such a difficult time it's hard to turn down any opportunity to earn extra money.

Hardbackwriter · 28/12/2020 17:34

It's perfectly legal, but - as you've now discovered OP - I'd keep really quiet about it because very few people will like it. In general, anyone who has benefited financially from coronavirus (which includes us, since we only paid 25% of our childcare costs while nursery and our childminder were closed from March to June) should probably be pretty careful about who they say that to, as it's potentially horribly insensitive. I don't think anyone else needs to know.

The one thing that would worry me is the employers topping up to 100%, which is presumably their own gesture to try and stop their employees experiencing hardship. I don't think they'd have any legal recourse to get that money back if they found out he'd also been getting a salary elsewhere, but it certainly might sour their view of him.

Bourbonbiccy · 28/12/2020 17:35

Wow, I'm sorry I was wrong, this is actually allowed !!??

Surely this should be linked to earning and if you are earning as well as your salary, you get furlough reduced respectively.

But I'm still with your friend, it's not really a great moral move.

Original poster
amy198820 · 28/12/2020 17:35

@snappyoldfart

It's selfish people like this who are really shafting others, in his defence no he's not breaking any rules as such as the rules are so bloody stupid.

What he is doing is taking from all angles, and everyone else all the other tax payers are paying for him to have furlough.

There are over 3 million tax payers who have received absolute fuck all due to the way the schemes are set up and are seriously struggling.

So yeh I'd be a bit pissed off if I was your friend but I can't see him or you changing the situation to suit anyone other than yourselves, it's the governments fault for allowing people on furlough to take on extra jobs.

I have sympathy for those who fall between the cracks. However, we do not know what lies ahead in 2021 and DH thinking is that we need to earn money whilst we can. We can never be sure we both won't be made redundant in the future. Then who would pay our mortgage then?
OP posts:
Waxonwaxoff0 · 28/12/2020 17:36

Nothing wrong with it in my opinion.

If he's on furlough his job probably isn't secure, better that he gets another one while he can.

slipperywhensparticus · 28/12/2020 17:36

What volunteer roles are out there? Charity shops closed charity events stopped charity work has primarily ground to a halt in my tier 2 area even the covid volunteer has stopped working because its not needed anymore

YouBoughtMeAWall · 28/12/2020 17:36

Whilst I can see this is totally legal, it feels wrong to me. There are people in his position (Unable to work in their usual job) and through no fault of their own their employer couldn’t furlough them but had to make them redundant. These people will be having to claim jobseekers or universal credit and if they get another job they lose the benefits. They don’t get to keep both. How is that different for your DH? It’s all tax payer money. Why should your Dh still get to claim his state welfare and an additional wage when others can’t? I am self employed and was forced to claim UC in March when the world shut down. I have been trying to restart my business for the past couple of months with no success, as well as applying for other jobs. I have to speak to a job coach every month asking me to explain why I have no income, what I have done to try and find work so I can justify claiming UC. And yet here is your DH with 3 salaries (two of which are tax payer funded and I guarantee you are worth more than my universal credit-on which I support two Dc by myself, whereas you also have your salary) and no-one is making him explain himself. It’s sticks in the throat tbh.