furlough and pay cut

[Andreworex]

My company I have been employed with for 13 years has decided to furlough half its work force, staggering it over this month and next month, will eventually lead to half the work force being furloughed.

All senior management, middle management and a few key employees will be still working from home albeit on a 20% pay cut, this pay cut doesn't have an end date and is classed as "temporary".

20% cut for me is substaintial, furloughed employees are being given the goverments 80% (2.5k cap) plus 70% of there standard pay, so in affect, a small difference between my 80% pay and theirs (furlough + 70% top up).

I am the IT Manager and the ONLY member of IT, all of the employees are now working from home and I have spent a CONSIDERABLE amount of time increasing systems capacity, issuing laptops, phones, PBX redesign as well as training all the office staff on how a VPN works and on the video conferencing systems which historically, they had no clue on.

This is still on going and I get called into client technical meetings and sales calls as our business sells IT systems and as the only actual IT person, I do the technical meetings and Q&A on these sales.

I also implement and support the systems for these solutions out of our data centre (which I built) and the cloud azure/aws depending on the solution sold.

I feel I should be getting a bloody pay rise not be asked to take a back dated 20% cut - I made the business a substantial amount of money last week and every month I made big sales in emergency/business critical sales to our clients, these were based on my sole effort and knowledge of our clients.

I am on 6 months notice and I am seriously considering just handing in my notice and getting full pay for the next 6 months on that notice and then trying my luck in the job market in October.

Am I being a knee jerking crazy man, what would you do?

Feeling unappreciated for my efforts in keeping the cash rolling and the systems running in while everyone sits at home doing the garden!

 

[Andreworex]

Cool story, speak to your boss or a lawyer.

Because both of those options are not impartial? cheers for the help...!

 

[Andreworex]

Thanks for the reply PC777, appreciated.

I do think along the same lines as your reply I'm hugely dependable and which is precisely how I ended up in this situation, I will do everything within my power and abilities to delivery what is expected, everyday 365/24/7, ask my missus about holidays!

Just something in the back of my mind about the complete unfairness of the situation, I made 900k last week at 70% margin all based on a change of product that I bought to the table, demo kits from suppliers to prove my point (getting a demo kit during corona just shows the relationships I have with our supply chain!) and then to ship 2 x 18 ton lorries worth of IT stock while lock down was happening, literally hand balling kit onto a lorry after programming and build of the entire solution - feels like the straw that broke the camels back.

Not a single exec has been in the office since the lock down was announced but they expect me to, literally a white box next to my name with EVERYONE else WFH or furlough, they gave me a set of keys and alarm codes and sodded off then sent me a letter asking me to agree to 20% cut as the whole business has! Yes, I bet they have as they aren't paying fuel etc to drive to the office and deploy/build/maintain customer and the businesses infrastructure single handed!

Maybe I'm just ranting but during a war, if everyone else sodded off, I wouldn't continue fighting on my own.

I will give it to the end of the month and see what becomes, with everyone else furlough or WFH I might actually end up doing little now my main projects are delivered, seriously made me sit up and notice the complete not giving a c about IT by the company though and soon as this is over, things are going to change.

 

[Andreworex]

Have you actually spoken to your senior management?

There's not a chance I'd take a pay cut whilst being utilised more than ever. Especially if you can show direct evidence of you generating income for the business during such measures.

Anyone still working during this crisis should be on 100% pay; only those on furlough should be taking pay cuts imo.

Just an update, the 20% cut is in place until November! 7 months at 20% less pay for me, that is SEVERAL thousands of pounds in lost income.

I tried talking to them, they just use the "well xyz company is cutting 20k staff" and I kid you not "you should be lucky you have work at this time" - that was the straw that broke the camels back to be honest.

If they don't see the wrong in cutting someone that has been loyal to the company for 13 years, designed, built and support the ENTIRE IT infrastructure, including some of the countries largest installations for critical communications then I will leave, i'm not paid highly, average at best and if you consider taking a laptop on holiday to reset passwords and reboot servers as a perk, no perks.

With that, I put my CV online, within a day I had several interviews all paying better, closer to home and part of a team! decided on which one to go for and handing my notice in as soon as I pass the conditional offer (security/sensitive job so needs enhanced vetting), it will be 3 months notice which given they cut my pay 20%, I will cut my notice also as I see fit, swings and roundabouts and all that.

Any company that decides to treat its critical staff in such a way deserves the fall out, they will spend on recruitment fees and the 2 members of staff minimum they will need to replace me what they should have just paid me in the first place, business world is a funny thing.

looking forward to having 1 area to focus my attention on rather than scatter gun across the spectrum of IT and IT Management.

 

[Andreworex]

Good luck in the job markets guys .

Luck doesn't come into it, having actual skill and abilities that bring and add value to the company isn't "luck" its years of graft and experience.

The fact you also think "you should be lucky to have a job" towards your employees shows your colours and I would be out the door, just like I have for my employer that thinks I should prop up the annual accounts which they will all draw a contractual bonus out of once the dust settles - the employees are basically subsidising the bonuses of the management teams.

Funny isn't it how "contractual bonuses" aren't cut but the "contractual pay" of the employee's are.

Another great idea my employer has decided is to offer LOANS to the employees that are now struggling to afford to even come to work after having 20% cut...can't make it up!

 

[Andreworex]

Would be nice to get an update on this.

Sorry for the rubbish not updating a post!

I approached my management and explained I wasn't willing to have the 20% cut and should that be the case, I would leave.

I also spoke around my pay in general and after a lot of discussion I was given a £20k payrise and a car allowance...effectively nearly double my pay!

This was a few months ago now and tbh, I still have a bitter taste in my mouth and have been looking at the market and have had 4 interviews with the same company (a massive multinational well known worldwide) with various different teams and done 2 presentations! - is this the standard now? They seem to like my ideas and thoughts on various subjects on IT, networking and security so fingers crossed I get the role - they will let me know in 2 weeks...I applied in October!

its a pay rise on my current role, which shows how much I was underpaid BEFORE the 20k pay rise! and frankly, a better opportunity with more investment in its IT and technology in general.

Nail in the coffin was Christmas, they furloughed everyone (including my boss) on 100% pay, guess who wasn't furloughed...and have customers ringing all over Christmas and maintaining systems for customers...literally not a single other person working! no better than benefit fraudsters.

 

[Andreworex]

£20k payrise!?!

A nice little golden prison!

I was shocked, they asked me how much and I just said a figure and they said fine...I wish I said more!

 

[Andreworex]

Harsh view of it. I hope no one where I work has that view of it. I'm on about 95% pay and work a total of one day a week. Others still work full time some work two days a week.

But there was work to be done, I was working flat out with multiple calls and no one to direct anyone to "sorry, they aren't in today" doesn't wash when a customer on an SLA wants something sorting.

remember - those customers are paying for a service that they weren't getting not because of covid but because the government put a system in place in which businesses can build a war chest over the covid period using furlough.

 

[Andreworex]

Harsh view of it. I hope no one where I work has that view of it. I'm on about 95% pay and work a total of one day a week. Others still work full time some work two days a week.

I might have worded that wrong, not the employees fault at all, the employer on the other hand are the directed comment on benefit fraud.

 

[Andreworex]

Ahhh that's fair enough then. Or place has basically kept everyone there as little as possible while being able to complete the work.
I mostly certify so low volume high value role I suppose Vs people in that do the bulk of the work but lots of it.
I'll build one of specials that others aren't certified on and step into help testing when I finish my stuff but still have time.
We all work really well together to be honest.

sounds lovely, just having a team would be nice to be honesty.

I get quite lonely, which sounds sad I know.

I do think businesses that claim furlough and haven't met that "business severly affected" claim, will get a massive HMRC claw back at some point, HMRC can see if a business is "severely affected" very easily by just looking at VAT over historic periods for that business, VAT Online system will be used in full force to spot those companies that claimed it without being severely impacted. a cash strapped government will roll out its tax tank!

 

[Andreworex]

Just to update on this, I got offered the new job! pay increase, working from home and in an area I am massively interested in and volunteer already in outside of work so it will be nice to get paid for that in my full time employment.

just waiting for the contract and will be handing my notice in, I expect a huge fall out but frankly the way I have been treated during covid highlighted a lot of the weight that was put on me, I will be glad to just focus on 1 role within an organisation for once and work with a team - going on leave without a laptop will be a new world!

Interesting was my mindset to the new role, I would have taken it if they offered me less than I was on originally, I don't require a huge salary at the current time in my life but its nice to be offered my worth without even mentioning money at all.

I won't be offering 6 months notice, I will be offering 3months, seeing as they cut my pay by 20% for best part of a year they more than had their money out of me!

 

[Andreworex]

The one thing thats literally just occurred to me, a 20k pay bump and a car allowance was close to doubling your pay.

So you were on circa 30k, with a 6 month notice... what in the ****?

Yep,

I was on 30k, then 55k +5k car allowance.

They just this week offered me 80k to stay (after it hit them how much I carry on my shoulders) and trying to force me to hold to the 6 months notice, remember they cut my salary by 20% and forced me into the office when everyone else was furlough, mentioned this to them, they just said "don't be like that"...I will be how I like, thanks.

Maybe they should improve their management skills and not make or allow a single employee do the work of 3-4 and become indispensable.

I'm still leaving, they are trying to recruit 3 new employees (1 in London, 2 in the midlands) to replace me and finding the skillset salaries aren't the 15-20k each they thought.

looking at 3 x staff at more than I was earning pre COVID each.

you reap what you sow.

 

[Andreworex]

It's sort of irrelevant really because it's clearly absurd for a non-manager role and it's always a risk to keep someone on for longer than they want to be, especially in IT

The new role I have been hired for starts on 3 months notice also after the 6 month probation, I think 3 months is becoming the standard, nearly done month 1 of the 3 months, still to hire my replacements.

Business has decided to hire 3 new people to do my 1 job...all on more than I was on a year ago so its actually cost them 3 x my salary in year one to hire these 3 people excluding agency recruitment costs, and they say business owners are smart people...!

 

[Andreworex]

What job role are you moving to? I'm curious to see if my experience over notice periods matches up with yours.

Very similar sounding to Beerbaron, IA Leadership role, I was/currently am a jack of all trades "head of IT" previously but vast experience in IA/Security inside and outside of my paid employment so a logical move, will continue to be a leadership role with governance and policy consultancy etc.