Confused over Furlough

[Biscoffaddict]

I work on supply in schools through an agency and when it was announced that they were closing we were furloughed again. I signed my consent letter last week and received an email from head office confirming it and it stipulated that we aren’t allowed to do any work for them whilst still furloughed.

This morning I’ve had several text messages and a phone call asking me to work at a nursery. I phoned the agency to query this as the email I received had told me I can’t accept work, and the account manager said her branch manager had told her they can still offer work due to flexible furlough but we aren’t flexible furloughed, we are fully furloughed according to the email. She was quite offhand when I asked about it.

I’m now very confused. I don’t trust the agency, they are very grabby and were very aggressive on the run up to Christmas when they were trying to fill work in schools and there were so few people available. I can’t understand why head office has said one thing and the branch is saying something else entirely? I don’t want to get into trouble.

TIA.

Bump

You won't get into trouble. You don't 'trust' the agency, but you are willing to work for them, right? So do the work or tell them that you don't agree and don't want to work for them any more. Both are valid options, but telling them that you want to stay fully furloughed when they are telling you that they need to put you on flexi furlough is not an option.

The whole point of furlough and flexi furlough is to try to keep people's jobs for them by helping their employers keep going so that the job survives.

It is perfectly normal and allowable to have a month where you are furloughed for some of it and flexi furloughed for some of it.

I was just a bit confused as to why the email was telling me one thing and they were telling me another. To be honest the communication from them this time around has been appalling, and it would probably make sense for them to send our some kind of message to tell us what’s actually going on.

Anyone can work flexible forlough. You just can't work for another company if you are furloughed. My brother is furloughed but still gets the odd week of work with the company he is furloughed with so he will receive 3 weeks furlough money and one weeks salary.

Furlough is flexible, they can ask you to work for a few days if that's what they need. You have to be paid 100% for those days though.

You can work for another company while furloughed. I don’t understand it, but lots of people furloughed at my old company are, quite legally. Some people have to to make up their money and pay their bills.

My current employer has pulled us off furlough a couple of time’s to work. Some of my hours that week were furlough pay, some weren’t.

That’s fair enough. I was just a bit bothered that I’d get into trouble if accepted any work. This is the first work they’ve offered me since before Christmas so I’d just assumed the branch office was closed.

Furlough is flexible so you can be asked to work no days one week or full days the week after and so on . I’m currently 2 days a week but I’ve been anything from full time to no days working . It’s just as and when needed . I’m paid full pay for the days I work and 80% for furlough.