If you are still furloughed do you want to go back?

[Justaonetimeting]

Friend is desperate to stay off work and she says everyone in non essential retail feels the same as she does. I'm sure they don't, that most want some stability and, you know, 100% of their wages. What do you think?

I expect some people have become very used to not working. I’m sure some people have also coped well enough with 80% income. For some people staying at home while still having a reasonable amount of money must feel very comfortable and the prospect of going back to work for only a bit more money won’t seem attractive.

I know someone who has been furloughed the whole time. Bike rides, walks, watching rugby and having an afternoon nap. They’ve had a nice time.

My acquaintances on furlough with a stable job to go back to have had a very nice easy time over the last year. The ones stressed about losing their jobs, not so much.

I am not, but would happily be furloughed! No work, for 80% of my wages, I'll take that.

However, I'm in the lucky position to not be the main wage earner. If I was concerned about losing my wage entirely then I'd probably be less keen on furlough.

Before I get slated, I'm happy to be at work too. Maybe I'm just a glass half-full kind of a person. 😁

I’m furloughed 2 days out of 5 and have to admit it is very nice despite the slightly lower salary.

I was furloughed last year from March until August and I hated it. Not knowing whether I had a job to go back to was the worst.

@Doje especially as you are allowed to get another job whilst furloughed! I'd be working bank shifts in a care home and bringing home a wage from the other job and saving it all!

Most people in retail are only on minumum wage, so I don't know why they'd want to stay on 80%.

I’m back off furlough and want go back on it , I now hate my job !

How many people on furlough are in stable jobs? If employees are on furlough it either means the business has been forced to close or there isn't enough work, neither of those are the signs of stable employment.

Unless employers are abusing the system using it to save money and I'm sure there are a few.

I'd love to get 80% of my salary for 0% of the work 😆 I think some people have been very comfortable - too comfortable! - with that arrangement. But it's not normal. Those that need the money and/or have a strong work ethic will of course want to get back to it.

@Waxonwaxoff0 I suppose maybe somewhere like Primark where it'll most likely be business as usual when they do reopen or other shops that are making money selling online and can pay their employees 80% whilst the store is shut.

What would they want to go back??? Get paid for doing nothing - amazing.

Dh is on part furlough of an already low salary. He has all the expenses of working still so we are losing money every month. He is looking forward to going back to full time hours.

Their wages prob aren't any different even getting 20% less! They aren't paying out as much petrol/bus fares/train fares/lunches

Retail is hell just now. When my store reopens it'll be nothing but refunds and people complaining they can't get what they want in their size or colour. And people complaining they can't try anything on, as of course its us sales assistants who obviously make the rules. Long queuing system with staff trying to encourage social distancing. Staff jumping back as people constantly come right up to us to ask a question. People wearing masks under their noses. Managers on our backs as store must increase sales to stay open. Monitoring the one way out and in system, people swearing at you as you ask them to please observe the correct way out.

Oh yes, we're all desperate to get back to working in a shop during a pandemic...said no shop worker ever...

I suppose we haven’t had a furlough bashing thread for a while .
Retail is one of the lowest paid jobs and the hardest working . Dd is often spoken to like something at the bottom of the shoe .
So yes I can see why they aren’t jumping with joy going back but those that call them because they have gone on bike rides give your head a wobble will you .

Anyone wanting this any longer are idiots. The money for this will be coming from future cuts in public services.

Protect the NHS? more like cut the services in coming months to pay for all the borrowing we’ve done to make people who are effectively redundant to sit on their arses.

Oh yes, we're all desperate to get back to working in a shop during a pandemic...said no shop worker ever...

Ah well.

All the people I have paid furlough have told me they are totally happy. I'd like a year and a half off on 80% thanks. Very resentful.

Envy is a terrible thing .
I’m sorry I missed that memo that while you are on furlough you should hate every second .
Oh well come the 12th when the the lazy furlough are back to work being shouted at by the great British public ....

Try surviving on furlough wages when you were struggling on full. It's not that fun

My DS has a zero hours job, He is employed by an agency and drives delivery vans. He only gets paid when work is available.Some weeks are better than others when he can 5 days or more work.Some weeks are the opposite when he gets nothing or hardly any hours.
He says there are people on furlough from their main jobs working for this agency as well.
Good luck to them for taking advantage, but what they do not realise it is depriving others like my DS whose only source of income is this zero hours job from getting more hours in.
He does loads of deliveries for the NHS not just delivering essential equipment but collecting covid infected specimens.the only PPE he is issued with is paper mask and disposable gloves.None of the perks that NHS staff are getting, because he is employed by an agency.

I have not enjoyed furlough, of course it sounds nice to be paid for 'doing nothing' but my reality (and I know it is different for everyone) is that I have found it very depressing and I have struggled to remain positive ... I have found two volunteering opportunities which have given me something worthwhile to do but I am genuinely excited and looking forward to returning to work. I work in non essential retail, I manage a charity shop - I love what I do, great bunch of volunteers and lovely customers and feel that I am making a worthwhile contribution to a charity I am passionate about - and I know many of my colleagues feel the same.

My best friend is a manager of a clothing retailer so 80% of wages and then no parking, fuel or walking round on lunch hour buying lunch or other stuff and buying her uniform (heavily discounted tho) and no requirement for wraparound care has saved her an absolute fortune.

She says she not bothered about going back at all and is actually better off.

She is also very worried about a shopping frenzy when non-essential retail opens and her and all her staff, only one lady has had the first vaccine as the rest are all in their early 40's or younger she feels very vulnerable and would feel better if they'd had at least the first vaccine.

She has also had time to do lots of home projects

However

My other friend worked for Laura Ashley who went bust and they closed in March and then re-opened mid June but by mid August she was redundant. She had furlough March-june, wages June to August and hasn't found a job since and her income based job seekers allowance has just stopped after 6 months so it's been very different for some people.