Why such hatred towards people on furlough?

[blvdbrokendreams]

I am on maternity. I was put on Furlogh in march, my place of work reopened in July. I was too far pregnant and stayed on furlough until my maternity started.
I fell pregnant before the pandemic. We have a 4 month old daughter. My husband is a chef. He went back to work in July and worked until November baring 2 weeks of paternity leave. Furloghed in November and then due to tiers has not gone back. He gets 80 percent of his wage. Thats 201 pound a week. I get statutory maternity pay. 151 pound a week. We have a mortgage property and bills to pay.

The hatred towards people on furlough insisting we have a higher tax rate when we go back, saying we are lazy and not hard working. My husband has applied for 60 jobs this past week alone. Unfortunately with most being zero hours he's reluctant to apply in case he ends up with less then his furlough pay. I've applied to go back to work. I too work in hospitality, I would be on part furlough so wouldn't be any better off plus they have no hours for me. We are desperate to work.
Once furlough ends a higher tax rate for 2 adults on minimum wage would cripple us financially.

Why the hatred? Were not rich, we are struggling. Weve missed meals so we can afford formula and pay our mortgage.
I'm just fed up of the assumptions people make about us

I'm one of those who admits to being a bit jealous, especially when I was the only one in my household working throughout the lovely summer. Like a PP where I work we're on our knees, doing extra hours out of necessity, not because we want to. Who'd've thought a year ago, though, that our sector (food retail) would've been so secure? My DH has just been asked to go on furlough again now to help out his company. Only one of his colleagues has been made redundant and they took voluntary redundancy. We now don't know if his job is secure.

So, no, I'm not exactly jealous but I am almost, like many of my colleagues, at the end of my physical tether. We now have other colleagues who are off test and trace and the rest of us just have to pick up the slack. Many colleagues are working and have been since March, 6 days every week so that people can have their food.

No hatred around where I live too....its an airline centric area so many lost their jobs. Furlough is not frowned upon. I am furloughed but also got a job in the care/support industry to help people until the airline industry gets back on its feet. Furlough may have looked great but I can tell you it wasn't. For months I had terrible anxiety as I did not know if I was keeping my job or not. It was one of the worst times of my life. I would have much preferred to work than be on furlough. I still suffer now and again from the after affects of the stressful 6 months. I am working hard now with my other job so I have security. I can still lose my job being on furlough so nothing is guaranteed.

Please don't be jealous, you don't know the situation.
We too are similar, I ended up with £250 pm, and dh with £600.
Hardly a windfall.

It is jealousy, I am jealous of most people on furlough. But obv everyone's situation is different and in the other hand I'm glad to have a job, I used to work in a salon and if I was still there I bet I would feel very different.

For me in my job I just want a break, there is no respite and now that we are back in lockdown the phone lines are even busier as people have more time to call, their calls are not essential and sometimes pointless and it feels like they are always looking for something to moan about.

But like I say I am glad and lucky to have a job.

I think some of it is reading the paper and seeing Bournemouth beach pics with an absolutely ludicrous number of people there. The pictures were taken on working days (not in school holidays or half term) so presumably many of the visitors were furloughed. I remember feeling gutted that my entire household was slaving away in front of screens and people were just frolicking in the sun.

I personally know someone who was very happy being furloughed. He was able to homeschool his kids and 80% of his salary was enough when some costs were removed by not working.

It all depends on the salary and the costs that will not be incurred when not working.

Some people may be furloughed and have a guaranteed job on their return but unless they're company directors there's a fair chance their cards will be marked.

If they can do without you for 7 months do they they need you at all.

Oh plus, many employers abused furlough. Locally an employer had 50 staff and furloughed 49 of them. The one poor sod left was basically just dealing with customers' emails all day, with no option but to just tell them all, can't help. It was disgraceful as this particular employer could easily have just furloughed 30-40 and the remaining employees would have had loads and loads of space, across different sites. AND they would have been able to help the customers, without physical contact.

Where are you getting this 'hatred' from ?

I mean, it has been rather lovely for many people.
It has broken others, I'm sure.
But there are also many, many people who feel they are broken by working throughout, especially those poor folk trying to work with young dc and no childcare.
The grass often looks greener, whatever the situation.

Agree with PPs that it is jealousy. I've worked throughout, whereas pretty much everyone on my team was furloughed. Now they are back and we've all been told we're at risk of redundancy. Seeing as we're all facing the same future I'd have very much liked to have had 7 months off paid.

I also know several friends who were absolutely loving life on furlough. It just didn't feel fair to me when I had to pick up extra work. Although felt grateful & guilt for having a job at the time.

I think everyone has had a shit time of it tbh whatever side of the coin you're on!

Its just jealousy people thinking on furlough its great because you can be paid for nothing. The reality I assume is that you are worried about whether your job will exist afterwards....

I haven't come across hatred towards people on furlough. It's hardly the furloughed person's fault after all.

It must make some people jealous if they are in not particularly rewarding or well paying jobs and they are struggling with this and home schooling ext whilst others are on 80% pay to do nothing.

We booked a couple of sofas just before the March lockdown. When the lockdown finished and we called into the store to finalise delivery I asked the sales man how being furloughed had gone. He replied ...'honestly? the best 3 month paid holiday I've ever had. No travelling expenses or lunches and less tax paid so not really worse off.' My hairdresser said more or less the same about the last 2 lockdowns.

It's different for people on much higher pay who lost quite a lot of pay but for lower paid workers in not very interesting jobs I can't say I blame them if they've found the lockdowns a bit of a bonus. Of course, it's difficult to admit this when others are struggling. It's not the fault of anybody furloughed ...just how the dice has rolled but also understandable that others struggling to do it all might feel a bit jealous.

Mind you it is annoying if people who have been furloughed to keep the virus numbers down do their own thing and ignore the rules. I did hear that as well...'Oh I'm still meeting people. Not staying in'. Eh??? You are getting paid not to work so the virus doesn't spread but ignoring the rules??? Not on.