I'd like to clarify something about furlough

[Tuppy_Glossop]

Furlough has saved so many jobs and businesses. Who cares if people enjoyed it?

 

[Malevolence]

Whilst we were furloughed the ***** decided to close down the UK arm of the company and move it to Germany. Yay, no job!

 

[DanTheMan]

It is a shame you don't mean multi-billion dollar corporations here, really.

To be fair, I don't deal with the big multinationals but I agree that they are also part of the problem.

In the case of the job retention scheme, they haven't been as prevalent with their 'interpretation' of the legislation as there's not as much scope for that and too much reputational damage to be done. Not to say that it hasn't happened though.

 

[OpenToSuggestions]

The issue I have with furlough was the abuse by companies using it to stress test their businesses without paying wages

They could drip feed in staff every few weeks to find the optimum staffing levels whilst not worrying about the wage bill and then make lots of redundancies whilst using government money to pay for their little experiment.

If you were a business you'd be daft not to. It is pooh but that is how it is.

 

[Richie]

If you were a business you'd be daft not to. It is pooh but that is how it is.

Although I agree businesses need to remain efficient, using tax payers monies from a scheme designed to retain jobs in order to effectively get rid of jobs is just wrong.

 

[Feek]

Myself and 200 people from the same company were made redundant in May last year simply because the company doesn't have a centralised HR department to manage putting us on furlough. After about eight or nine months, I understand they've employed replacement staff so we really should have been furloughed.

Having said that, although I've taken a huge pay cut in the job I was offered, it's a job I enjoy doing for a nice company. I'm far worse off, money wise but my life is so much better.

 

[platinum87]

I've noticed a lot of resentment about people who've been furloughed and the misconception that peole on furlough're all lazy and enjoy it.
My point is, furlough is NOT a choice or something we can request. I've been furloughed twice and had no choice or say in the matter (the first time I was glad of it becuase of the staffing and shoplifting situation at work and the second time I only found out a few hours after I arrived home from work). It was alright for the fisrt six or seven weeks but after so long, I wanted to go back to work.
So not all people on furlough're lazy sods who want to stay furloughed and ask for it.

Some people might not have even needed to be furloughed.

I would say anger than resentment, which is targeted solely at the government and not any recipients.

I dont blame someone for taking free money. I was also furloughed myself.

My solution in the future is to set up my own business, then avoid and evade tax. Then i will not care what the government does.

 

[dlockers]

I would say anger than resentment, which is targeted solely at the government and not any recipients.

I dont blame someone for taking free money. I was also furloughed myself.

My solution in the future is to set up my own business, then avoid and evade tax. Then i will not care what the government does.

Are you routinely paying tax that you don't have to at the moment?

 

[prj1865]

Public sector worker here, so never any chance of furlough. I worked harder than ever last year.

And yes I have some resentment of people that were furloughed. I’ve been working for over 20 years and never had more than 2 weeks off. Having multiple months of work and being paid 90-100% sounds amazing and is something I’ll never have.

As far as choice goes, some people got furlough, but ultimately all tax payers will foot the bill.

 

[keyser]

I was mostly furloughed since April 2020, back a bit here and there but then off again with second wave, extended until.. made redundant in May 2021. There's a lot of IT jobs right now though it seems. It took 4 days to get an interview and job and had to turn down 2 job interviews. 3 weeks in new job and we're working from home due to covid cases at work. My nephew (14), tested positive, so it seems to be rampant in Birmingham/Solihull right now. I've got my 2 jabs so not as bothered, but some job stability would be nice.

 

[Semple]

I spent most of last year on furlough (and shielding) and coped ok with it (on less pay, but I only work part time anyway)
For people still on it, with the scheme winding down there has to be some serious concern about their jobs.

It's a good point.

Whilst most people will have had a bit of jealousy at those on furlough getting paid 80-100% of their wage and having months off work to do pretty much anything you wished - I know I did.

But at the same time, I think I would have hated being in a position where it was quite possible that your job or even your employer may no longer exist in a few months.

So yes it would have been nice to have had a decent amount of time off, but I think I'd rather have been in my position knowing that I'd still have a secure job at the end of all this.

 

[Tuppy_Glossop]

but ultimately all tax payers will foot the bill.

Ultimately, the question is whether the bill is higher with or without furlough. How is it possible to know?

 

[Zatoichi.uK]

I volunteered for furlough as I was 99% sure I'd be put on it anyway. I had 4 months off in the end and was constantly worried I would never be asked to return. I was in the end but it wasn't a fun time at all. Impossible to relax when your future is up in the air.

 

[Mr Badger]

Whilst we were furloughed the ***** decided to close down the UK arm of the company and move it to Germany. Yay, no job!

Moving an operation from the UK to Germany sounds more likely to have been to do with Brexit than furlough.

 

[Rroff]

Ultimately, the question is whether the bill is higher with or without furlough. How is it possible to know?

I can't imagine it wouldn't have been worst without it - my dads company would have really struggled without the ability to put some works on furlough ultimately putting several 100 people out of work and collapse of an industry which in normal times brings a fair bit of money into the country.

Personally I've worked through all this and been glad of the relative job security, as far as it goes, that goes with it. I don't begrudge anyone who is or has been on furlough.

I kind of hope the experience though will result in more people pushing for a better work/life balance (not a lazy work/life balance though) - the change in some people I've seen has been dramatic, though sadly some that have changed the other way as well trying to cope.

 

[G J]

I've heard a story from a family member about how a few women at her friends work got bitchy about people being on furlough while they still had to work complaining about picking up the slack etc. So they ended up throwing a massive hissy fit and put in complaints when a female manager ended up telling them that it was ok though for eveyone else to pick up the slack for them when they where off for 9+ months while pregnant.

I bet has furlough has caused some crazy drama in some workplaces but then some of the people who had to go on it didnt have much of a choice.

 

[1664kronenbourg]

some of the people who had to go on it didnt have much of a choice.

That's exactly my ;point.

Firsdt time I was furloughed, the boss didn't give me a chance to take my coat off befpre calling me into the office and told me what was goin on I suggested three weeks to see how it went but it was extended to twelve weeks and then four another few weeks. On of the team leaders was telling me I should have gone for the full twelve weeks. The staffing and shoplifting situation made me glad to be furloughed
Second time- I only found out via a phonecall a few hours afyer I came home from work and was told I was being furloughed agaiin

 

[Surveyor]

Has anyone said all people on furlough are lazy and enjoy it?

 

[Zenduri]

Not had a day of furlough myself and do i wish i had some time on furlough.... i kind think yes but at the same time no. When the lockdown most of our staff were furloughed on 100% pay (company topping up to 100%), i was told to turn up to the office 2 days a week for social distanced working on full pay which was actually pretty nice. Then 3 weeks after lockdown i got handed a laptop and told to work from home which suits me even more and I'm at nearly 15 months working from home now.

Work took everyone off furlough in July last year and issued everyone a laptop or NUC to work from home, some people tried to refuse to come back and stay on furlough but work quite rightly told them to get back to work from home or face a disciplinary and unsurprisingly they all started working from home. Work even paid everyone like myself who was working the whole time a one off bonus payment as a thankyou and those on furlough when crying to the unions wanting the bonus as well and again quite rightly got told to sod off.

Have some people taken the **** with furlough... 100% yes, have some people hated it and wanted to work... again 100% yes. Is the whole lazy furlough comment justified... some of the time but we shouldn't generalise everyone on furlough.

 

[Malevolence]

Moving an operation from the UK to Germany sounds more likely to have been to do with Brexit than furlough.

Nothing to do with Brexit at all, in fact that company was doing just as well after Brexit as it was before. Besides, they also closed their offices in France and Italy down and moved those to Germany too so we all suspected that this was on the books for quite a while and they just used the pandemic and the furlough scheme as an excuse to bring it forward and consolidate the R&D/laboratory side of things (where I worked) with the manufacturing (in Germany) and offices in a single location. The Japanese arm of the company is still active though.