Furlough / working backside off

[Mingkong]

Am I the only person who is hacked off seeing people frolicking about whilst on furlough, while my husband works 12 hour days ? Also we have stuck to the rules throughout. I appreciate that he is lucky to have a job but he is worn out , not a break from the screen, has had shingles and eczema over the lockdown months, but still carries on without complaint. Meanwhile others ( some through no fault of their own ) are furloughed and having a jolly old time . And who will have to pay the furlough money ??? Us !! Makes me bloody angry.

It is what it is , what can we do? I work, I'm an SEN teacher I can't work from home and have worked the whole time. That's my job so that's the situation. Do I resent people trying to enjoy themselves whilst theyre on furlough - no, why would I? They have their own personal circumstances - maybe they're worried for their job security, if they work in hospitality, will their job just disappear? Do they miss the social interaction and are bored and struggling at home with no one to see whilst I'm seeing colleagues every day?

Do they have mental health issues that I don't know about, are they struggling with home school? Who knows? And if absolutely nothing is wrong and they're perfectly happy, well great - I would never begrudge anyone being happy / not struggling, why would I, that's pretty unkind?

It's been like this since furlough started, I'm surprised you didn't notice it more over the summer when most people on furlough were really having a great time.

It's a crap situation for loads of us but what can we do?

I appreciate that , I know it's not everyone. I don't mean to sound unkind , just frustrated. I know of several people who are claiming through partners jobs and it pissed me off.

I have had a real jolly old time on furlough....... so jolly they made me fucking redundant and still looking for a job now.

What should people on furlough do? Sit in a darkened room and not talk to anyone for the duration of furlough? What about those on flexi furlough who are working part time. Can they only be jolly on work days, the furlough days they have to be miserable?

It’s rubbish and not fair and your feelings are valid

However, the sooner you can move on from feeling resentful the better. Comparison is the thief of joy.

(Ok, so our joy is being thieved by other things too...)

@Ch3rish

It's been like this since furlough started, I'm surprised you didn't notice it more over the summer when most people on furlough were really having a great time.

It's a crap situation for loads of us but what can we do?

Of course I noticed . It's just dragging on now .

Are you working too, OP?

I've worked throughout and I'm glad to have a job. My husband was furloughed and eventually made redundant because the business collapsed. Fortunately I am the main earner - if it had been the other way round we'd have been fucked.

I can see your frustration, but then everybody is allowed to feel frustrated.

People who have lost jobs feel frustrated by those who are still working and complaining about it.

People who have lost everything can be frustrated by people who haven't lost a damn thing, and have no clue how hard life is for some people right now. They may feel aggrieved by those people 'having a jolly old time'.

Perspective.

No. But then we have staff who are utterly fucking miserable being furloughed, stuck at home with nothing to do, no social contact at all in some cases, wondering if this is the first step on a slippery slope to their job being less needed in a market where finding a new one could be a nightmare. We have staff who have been working flat out throughout and are exhausted with no real respite in sight. Staff who are loving working from home, staff who are hating every minute of it. All of them think the others have it better somehow.

You don’t mention whether you yourself are working I noticed?!

This isn't easy for anyone OP. Honestly, unless maybe you're a billionaire who lives on a yacht and doesn't care about the real world or something..I strongly suspect after a year of this now no one is getting an easy deal. It's just different circumstances for everyone. I know you weren't meaning to be unkind but I think that really, we all just need to realise that this on the whole is just a fucking shit situation

Oh give over. It’s hardly a choice.

Would you prefer to see them out of work?

I’m still working FT and so is DH while having two kids at home to teach - and it is teaching, there are no live lessons and minimal video lessons from the school, our kids are Y4 and YR and need input. So we’re mostly both working to midnight to catch up. It’s shit.

But then I think about DH’s colleagues who were furloughed back last March while he took a pay cut and had to work ridiculously hard to help to keep the company afloat. It was a shitty deal, but half of them were made redundant over the summer, and DH still has a job, so....

It's just one of those things and most people on furlough are probably very worried about their futures if they work in industries which have been shut down by covid (hospitality, retail, events etc)

Yes, I would bloody love a week or two on furlough being paid 80% salary for doing nothing but that's not going to happen in my job (healthcare professional), but would I want the worry of not knowing if my job was ever going to return? Of course not

Those of us working need to count our blessings

Are you actually working OP?

And what would you suggest they do if their workplaces have been closed and they can’t work from home?! It not like they have a choice in the matter.

I notice you say that your husband has been working so hard. What about you? Do you work?

I'm working throughout all this too(not from home). Idhate to be on furlough, what kind of jolly's can you go on. I'm about to have a week off but tbh after the first few days I'll probably be fed up. It'll most likely be too cold or wet to go out much with the kids. I'm not jealous tbh work is my social life atm, as we can't see anyone.

I'm genuinely desperate to know if OP works

What do you suggest?!
The entire industry I work in is shut down, not through my choice. Whilst furloughed I have been homeschooling my child, volunteered at a food bank and a vaccination centre, do you want me to thrash myself with birch twigs and shout "I'm not worthy"
I cannot help being furloughed, it's not my choice.

@HerLadySheep thank you for volunteering

My DH has been working throughout (self employed) although work has been sporadic but even with less work hes feeling stressed because of customers wanting work on normal time scales when suppliers and other associates are not working every day or have changed how they work. I have worked ft for about 2 months and the rest been furlough or flexible furlough. Were just glad that DH has got work to do, and can still earn.
I'm not seeing that many people "having a jolly time" theres not exactly a lot to do!

I’m not sure it’s entirely realistic to expect the government to consider your husband’s eczema when designing their job retention policies.

Yes I do work , I have an online business . Also homeschooling two kids. Thanks for your responses. I can see that I am now perceived as a horrible person . Going to leave this thread as not good for my mental health. Should never have posted !!

Probably not, no.

I do feel a bit puke this, myself and DH have both worked throughout, busted a gut, 16 hour days some days, absolutely knackered and at burn out point...

@marieantoinehairnet

I do feel a bit puke this, myself and DH have both worked throughout, busted a gut, 16 hour days some days, absolutely knackered and at burn out point...

Pack in your jobs then. Unless you need them for the money they bring in? Don’t worry, it’ll click soon.