Furlough - but not

[Furlonged]

Help please
Need advice what to do if a company says they will furlough you but want to keep you working.
Fear of job losses if refuse to keep working.
Small firm who are struggling in the climate. Sometimes say they will pay the extra 20% to make full salary. All over phone calls, nothing in writing yet.

This is all completely new. Not even heard of the word furlough a few weeks ago.
Thanks

I suspect many workers will be put in this position!

With respect, if you work for a small company who may not survive this, it is probably better to be furloughed & receive 80%.

This way, your employer can claim their wage costs back from the government & hopefully keep going. Ie give you a job to go back to.

Trying to pay that extra 20% themselves could be what makes the different between survival & going under.

You can't keep working if on Furlough - quote from gov.uk

Once you are on furlough you will not be able to work for your employer, but you can undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, as long as you’re not:
making money for your employer
providing services to your employer

If you are furloughed you aren't allowed to work though.It's a way of companies avoiding redundancies,not to pay salaries while people keep working.
Presumably the company has to tell someone - HMRC? - that staff aren't working...

You’re not allowed to work under furlough otherwise your company will be defrauding HMRC.
I’ve been furloughed with my company paying 20% themselves on top. It mentions in my letter that I’m not allowed to work which includes phone calls and emails.

It seems repeatedly to me that companies want to exploit this so they claim the money but actually keep on working but use it as an excuse to pay less wages. With the threat of sacking?

Is that right or am I reading it wrong?

Yes- all true but there are bound to be companies who take advantage of the furlough scheme to subsidise their salary bill.

They can’t do that - there will be serious repercussions when this is over for firms that have exploited the system.

I’m not sure how they’ll identify those firms. There’s such chaos everywhere I think it’s very unlikely companies will be caught out.

Would they seriously send you ‘the letter’ saying you’re not required anymore etc then ask you still to work?

I know some companies are unscrupulous but that really would be just ridiculous.

Can furloughed staff work for other companies? So take the furlough pay then go and work a few weeks as a delivery driver for Tesco until they can go back to their original job, for example?

No, it states that you cannot work for anyone else.

@gamerchick that's how it's been put across. Keep working but you have been furloughed. Any objections go and find another job.
I'm sure according to Gov.uk a furloughed worker is not to undertake work for that employer. Just not sure what to do next when another job is not so easy to find. Must wait for paperwork to see what will happen now.

That sounds like the company are taking the piss.
They want the government to pay you but you do the work for them. So they're keeping your wages effectively.

Refuse. If they sack you, you could drag them through all manner of mud and tribunals, it's effectively defrauding HMRC.

Your employer is asking you to commit fraud, the furlough scheme is not there to pay employees wages whilst they are still working for the company and making them money, it is to temporary lay you off then take you back on again once things pick up again. The company needs to apply for an emergency business loan which has been put in place for the Corona Virus just like all other company's have to.

You need to report them to HMRC, they’re asking you to commit fraud.

@QueenoftheIceAge you can not work the hours you would usually work for the employer who has furloughed you, so if, for example you had a 9-5 Mon-Fri job and a Weekend job at Tesco, you can be furloughed from your full time position and continue your second job, you could not work full time for Tesco AND be furloughed for those same hours.

I know of a company that has asked their employees to do this. How are the government going to keep an eye on this?

Pisses me off that people are abusing the system.

I have no proof as it's just hearsay but the employee is going to do it with the promise of getting the 20% top up in cash, so no tax on that!!

I would be amazed if this wasn't happening

Obviously totally wrong of employers,but very naïve not to think some (maybe quite a lot ) will be doing this

I would not agree to this.Ask for confirmation in writing of what they are asking you to do

They are asking you to commit fraud.

These kind of twattish businesses don't deserve to survive tbh.

You would be as fraudulent as your emoloyer, so don't do it.

I would be more worried about the repercussions if and when it's all found out - if you carry on working, when the guidance clearly states you must not - where does that leave you ? You're employer is really bad for asking you to do this. I think you should report them.