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 have been on furlough on and off during the last year, I went back (for the second time) four weeks ago.
I earn so little that I don't pay tax, so 80% of my wages doesn't cover all of my outgoings, making it a worrying time. Having said that, no, I don't want to go back at all. My job is only to bring money in until I get my pension, I get tired and exhausted working and can't cope with full time any more but have to do something...I am trapped until the pension kicks in. Not a good position to be in.

Must be nice being paid to sit around at home . All good things come to an end. I’ve worked nonstop through the pandemic, not much annual leave and only extended time off was when l had COVID. I now have long COVID. Oh well, l got a pay rise last year, lm currently job hunting and for what l do there are lots of jobs out there. Current employer decided to end the working from home last month and ask us to work from a base that’s a 5 hour round trip to get to

@Jo99996 exactly

DD goes back to work on Tuesday after 46 weeks on furlough she is buzzing with excitement and cannot wait.

My friends husband said the other day “I just don’t don’t know how you could go back after a year of work”. I was like you mean like millions of women do after a year off on maternity leave..? Clueless.

People on furlough had no choice but to be on furlough. My family member was on furlough and now has no job. Have a care all those who think people on furlough have it easy, they don't. My family member is still job hunting months later with no prospect of full time work. Yes, there have been interviews but there are now so many people chasing the same vacancies. So please think before you speak.

I haven't minded being on furlough but to be honest, I only work 11 hours a week and DH has a good job so losing my job wouldn't be a deal breaker. It's been a bonus to have 80% of my wages.

It's meant I have kept safe, have been able to homeschool my DC etc.

I am going back albeit on a part time furlough for now after Easter. I'm also looking forward to getting back to normal but I wouldn't be bothered not to go back just yet either.

Watching I am off to the land of nod now, will expand tomorrow.

I was furloughed April- July last year- on 80% of wages.
On the one hand yes - lie ins / saved money (no commutes, shop lunches etc) long walks with the dog / binge watching Netflix / more time with DH
But.... at the back of my mind was the worry that I would be made redundant (chats with non-furloughed colleagues showed me that the office was doing quite alright without me).
I was made redundant in the end.
I would rather have kept my job!

As a small business owner, furlough has been amazing for my employees while we’ve been closed. It was pretty galling that I was having to work flat out myself, not making enough to break even, but not entitled to any income support, but I reminded myself that life isn’t fair and got over it.
But, when we were back open, my goodness, staff productivity was way down. It’s like they’d all forgotten what work actually entailed. They were stressed by the usual demands of work which were pure routine before. I really hope there isn’t another lockdown as they need time to get back into it properly without another long interruption. If this issue is reflected across all furloughed employees, it’ll have repercussions for the wider economy for sure.

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

Because 80% of minimum wage doesn't cover the bills
Because I walk to work and normally get a staff meal so I haven't saved money, in fact I've had to pay for more food
Because I'm bored senseless, I feel like I have no purpose, nothing to fill my day and it's really affecting my mental health and self worth
Because I like my job, I miss the work, socialising with my colleagues, customer interaction, it's what I'm good at

And now...because I'm sick of all the furlough bashing, being called lazy, people acting like it's the easiest thing in the world, like they're somehow doing me a favour by me being paid furlough despite the fact that my job has been made illegal to protect the nhs, vulnerable and other people. Not me, I'm going to be back In work before I'm vaccinated. I've been banned from working to protect other people and somehow I'm meant to be grateful for the fact that the government hasn't left me absolutely destitute when they made my job and industry illegal.

Unfortunately there are lots of people currently working who haven’t been vaccinated. DH and I are teachers and in our 40s. I was lucky enough to be placed on a spares list and had mine 3 weeks ago. DH has not.

Like Breakingplaid in our area we have 60-80 businesses who all say that now their staff have come back, their work ethic has changed. Badly.

They seem resentful that they have now been called in. And when you look at what they end up with in their pay packet, I too think stuff that, I'd rather be at home laying in the sunny garden, for a lovely 80%, compared to the pittance extra I get for coming in.

This is going to be a major problem, across many industries.

Because 80% of minimum wage doesn't cover the bills
Because I walk to work and normally get a staff meal so I haven't saved money, in fact I've had to pay for more food

This is it though, people on lower wages are likely used to finding ways of making the cost of working cheaper anyway so furlough hasn't saved loads for them in the way it has for others

My DS is on furlough one day a week, but still has to do the same amount of work in the 4 days. He likes having the day off and has found that his pay is only slightly down. There have been a few redundancies and I’m sure there will be more once furlough payments end.

Well some of them may not WANT to go back, however I expect most of them will realise that they NEED to go back and make the most of it.

You do realise that those on furlough haven’t deliberately engineered this situation so as to get out of work for 13 months, don’t you?

Seems obvious, but I thought I would just check..

I've been furloughed on and off all yr.Hospitality.
In the beginning it was a gift.I had been struggling with bad meno symptoms and working 10/12 hr days in a less than idea environment but as a workaholic i just forced myself on.
I got to do all the things I couldn't normally do like eat hot meals with my family and go for walks,stop drinking and get even healthier.
I worked so much I get 80 % of that so does dh.80% of not a lot.luckily the mortgage is paid.if our dc were young we would've been screwed.
I think it has knocked my work ethic a bit and yes I dread going back.Im looking for more of a work life balance now as I previously didn't have one for years.

@whatisforteamum

I've been furloughed on and off all yr.Hospitality. In the beginning it was a gift.I had been struggling with bad meno symptoms and working 10/12 hr days in a less than idea environment but as a workaholic i just forced myself on. I got to do all the things I couldn't normally do like eat hot meals with my family and go for walks,stop drinking and get even healthier. I worked so much I get 80 % of that so does dh.80% of not a lot.luckily the mortgage is paid.if our dc were young we would've been screwed. I think it has knocked my work ethic a bit and yes I dread going back.Im looking for more of a work life balance now as I previously didn't have one for years.

Your last paragraph rings true with me as well.

But I NEED to get back to work as I currently only get 65% of my salary throughout the last year. I'm the main bread winner so it's been difficult. I'm praying that the roadmap goes as planned.

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...

Try being a medical worker or supermarket worker or teacher or... I would love to be returning to work after a year off-instead a lot of us have been working through the whole pandemic in the exact situations that you are moaning about having to return to.

Just to remind everyone this wasn't started as a furlough bashing thread. I had a disagreement with my friend about people not wanting to go back. I was sure that a lot of people wanted to go back, due to uncertainty, partial wages, boredom etc. This thread has showed that yes, some people do feel that way.
I can't help but feel a little envious but hey that's life.

Also family member works in food retail which is also hell right now, they just had their busiest non Christmas week on record.

@longsigh I agree with you. Lots of people working in those roles (supermarket workers, teachers etc) who raised concerns about safety issues on MN were also told to quit if they were unhappy, stop being hysterical, wait their turn for their vaccine etc.

I think what this thread shows is that everyone has been affected by this pandemic in different ways. It has taken a huge toll. We all need to be considerate of others as we don’t know what they’ve been through.

I have been furloughed since the start, but flexi since August doing around 30% of my normal hours. Yes, it has been nice spending more time with DS and DH, who is also flexible furloughed, but also stressful as I am the main earner and the cap means I am actually on around 60%. We are both beyond thankful for the scheme as we had only just moved house in January, with a larger mortgage and used up most of our savings on the deposit and would have got incredibly little help otherwise. We are both very much looking forward to returning to work fully when our companies can start trading again on the 12th.

I am not furloughed but had several months not in work when younger. Returning to work is not easy, and I was not in a customer facing role. With the pandemic and the various levels of anxiety people have, coupled with face to face conversation being less of a skill than even five years ago, we should be considerate of those in retail more than ever and be the pleasant customer.

My job got more mental by virtue of covid so part of me just finds it unbelievable that there are people who havent worked for a year yet still paid.

But, I also couldn't imagine the mental gymnastics that will need to happen for those people to get back into the grind of a daily work life and settle again. As a PP pointed out, it's normal for maternity leave to be off, but we all know the struggle to get back to a routine in work (although baby adds a new hurdle).

My friend has gone back 4 days, but is now having to do 5 days of work for her and a still furloughed employee in those 4 days and she is at breaking point.

There will be some people who are happy to stay off work as 20% will be less than the cost of going to work (travel, childcare, parking etc ) On the other hand I feel for people who have the same costs whether working or on furlough.