Friend said DH is abusing furlough

[amy198820]

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.

With the economy as uncertain as it is at present, this seems extremely sensible. Ultimately we will all benefit if people provide themselves with a financial cushion that means they are less dependent on benefits.

[quote snappyoldfart]@HotSince63 why would anyone want a disloyal grabby employee, is beyond me. [/quote]
He said he would only take the new job until he's back at work. How is that disloyal?

Just grabby then.. I'm not sure what responses you wanted in regards to talking with your friend.

I assume she made you think and good for her, ultimately I don't think you or your DH will change the situation and he will continue to take more work and cash in.

Other people's opinions won't really matter as it's only your friends honest opinion that's made you think.

I guess I'd just say with all the replies you've had looks like overwhelming negative response that maybe you just take a moment to think about others and just keep your mouths shut about how you've managed to prosper and will continue to bend the system to your advantage.

Seems a bit crass during a pandemic that has seen people take their lives to even question why your friend called you out, you can't really be that blinkered to the suffering of others?

It should only be allowed where employers weren't topping up or your salary was above the threshold so the furlough cap was hugely financially detrimental - I was furloughed, I'm the main earner, due to the £2,500 cap my salary was halved overnight - if I could have found a second job at the time I would have took it

You on the other hand OP are being greedy, you are not impacted financially by covid what so ever and are unfair making money off it

OP just ignore the negative comments! Your DH sounds like a hardworking man trying to do the best for his family.

If he's on furlough then his job is obviously not safe so he is doing the sensible thing here.

At the start of all this the government encouraged people on furlough to do other work

I have no idea about the legalities but I bet a lot of the people up in arms about it wouldn't think twice about taking a temp job while on furlough. It isn't illegal to have more than one job?

A lot of furloughed people go on to be made redundant so having the potential to go straight into another job is sensible.

This situation is terrible and frightening and people are not only losing their lives and their health, but many losing businesses, jobs, independence, homes. The list is endless. If you can do something to secure your finances why wouldn't you?

Wind your necks in go and volunteer yourselves if you're that bothered.

He has taken the job to the extent that his friend of a friend hasn't recruited someone because the OP's DH was available. If he'd said "Thanks, but actually my wage is covered by the furlough scheme", he would have recruited elsewhere.

@snappyoldfart you seem to think yourself some kind of spokesperson for employers across the country.

You're not.

Plenty of employers have been encouraging their staff to get some temporary work - two of my DH's staff have taken jobs with Test and Trace and he positively encouraged it whilst still topping their furlough up to 100%.

For someone who claims to know the rules inside out you don't seem to have much of a grasp of them.

There's no need to take a paid job that would be badly needed by someone less well off

Why should a potential employer be prevented from giving the job to the person they think best fitted for it on the offchance that someone less well off might turn up? Take this argument to its logical conclusion and all job applicants will have to be means tested to ensure that the job goes to the person who needs it most rather than the person who could do it best.

@Lougle

Well, yes, but there are people who do need the money, who have been made redundant and who can't pay their mortgage.

Yes and OPs husband is trying to avoid being one of those people

@Lougle

He has taken the job to the extent that his friend of a friend hasn't recruited someone because the OP's DH was available. If he'd said "Thanks, but actually my wage is covered by the furlough scheme", he would have recruited elsewhere.

What? No. He applied for a job and took the job on merit.

How many people do you think would actually have said that? IRL I mean, not on MN.

Do you think that people applying for a new job because they fancy one should check out the details of the other applicants and make sure someone else doesn't need it more?

@DrCindyPops

It doesn't sit right with me either if I'm honest. Ok it's legal, fine. But in my eyes that third job could help someone struggling who isn't on furlough for another two!

I have to agree , I've been furlough on and off since March . I've not taken a 2nd job because flexible furlough is that I can be told to go in the day that I'm meant to be furlough and it's happened a few times . I don't see how realistic another job can be taken on unless you are certain you won't be back for a while . I suspect many are taking on another job if they can but I'm not sure it sits well with me either with so many people loosing jobs I actually do think it's greed as you've said he's getting full pay .

I see now it's a case of we're alright fuck the rest of you.

FWIW I don't think it's cricket either but the blame lies with the system, not DH.

I could get annoyed that many people are working from home whiel I still have to go out and put myself at risk but I don't, because the blame lies with the government and not the people doing it.

OP at the end of this you and your DH will have a nice little stash of taxpayers money, but you will have lost friends. Some will be upfront like the one you mention, others will quietly disappear because they find what you’re doing immoral. But I guess the money will compensate for that.
This is true capitalism - everyone out for themselves.

It’s allowed, as long as current employer is ok with it.
He’s made it clear to new employer that’s it’s temporary. There’s no rules to say he can’t work for another employer whilst on furlough.

I don’t understand why this loophole has been allowed, but it has. However, in the OP’s situation, it would be wise not to rub the fact that her DH is effectively cashing in on the pandemic in friends’ faces. It’s understandable that some people would resent this, when they are either going to work to pay for it or are in need of just one job.

The harsh reality is that the longer people are furloughed the more fragile their job security is. An awful lot of employers are currently only keeping people on at all by virtue of the furlough scheme, and since they are managing without them those people will be first in line for redundancy once the scheme comes to an end. It makes perfect sense for anyone who can build up some savings whilst on furlough to do so.

Ive said for years families should be sent an invoice of what they've cost to keep each year. Education, doctors visits, actual drugs costs rather than prescription, actual dentists costs, etc etc.

Your DH is being very sensible and doing nothing wrong. For those complaining about rinsing the system. DH will be taxed on his furlough pay and also any earned salary so between 20-40 per cent will be going straight back to the treasury.

The point of the furlough scheme was to avoid mass redundancies.

OPs husband’s job must be at risk if he he is on furlough. Sensible to bank money in case one or both jobs disappear.

@HotSince63 no claims of being a spokesperson of any kind, I'm just saying how I feel and how other employers may view this.

That's great of your DH and given the roles they have taken at least it's something that's benefiting the country, zero judgment from me on that.

I assume he plans on thanking them all back on when he can?

On a policy level I don't think those on furlough should be able to take paid work elsewhere. It seems very unfair for lots of reasons.

However, as they ARE allowed to...in your dh's situation I would do exactly the same. If people disagree with this, blame the policies, not the people abiding by them.

As for those bleating on about being selfish whilst so many are suffering and all the rest...get a grip. The op is just trying to do the best for her family, as are the majority of other people at the moment.

I'm very lucky as I have a secure (as secure can be) WFH job with unlimited double time overtime this year because we're so busy due to Covid. I've been taking full advantage of this since March and have doubled my take home salary nearly every month since March.

I could be donating all this extra cash to the local food bank. But although I have much sympathy for those affected, I'm not. I'm saving it to future proof MY family because they are my priority right now and no one knows what's around the corner.

I don't feel a shred of guilt for this.

I find these responses and your friend bizarre!
It’s allowed, nothing wrong! If it was my friend I’d just be happy they was doing ok, it’s not a race to the bottom.
As long as all employers are ok with it then I don’t see the problem

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.