I'd like to clarify something about furlough

[malachi]

For people still on it, with the scheme winding down there has to be some serious concern about their jobs.

Thats the thing, if I had been put on furlough. I would have a serious think about my career and what direction I would want to go in life. I be applying for new jobs or spending that extra time getting skilled up. Instead of sitting around waiting to return to work but at the sametime worrying if the P45 will be coming through the post when the scheme ends. Furlough has shown how easily disposable many people are in their jobs and there are plenty of companies right now running the numbers thinking. "Actually, we didn't need this many people working for us, we can make a good saving with the current reduced staff"

I hate to be that person in for a shock to be told they are no longer needed.

 

[Greebo]

Thats the thing, if I had been put on furlough. I would have a serious think about my career and what direction I would want to go in life. I be applying for new jobs or spending that extra time getting skilled up. Instead of sitting around waiting to return to work but at the sametime worrying if the P45 will be coming through the post when the scheme ends. Furlough has shown how easily disposable many people are in their jobs and there are plenty of companies right now running the numbers thinking. "Actually, we didn't need this many people working for us, we can make a good saving with the current reduced staff"

I hate to be that person in for a shock to be told they are no longer needed.

Indeed. Just look at the shortage of HGV drivers. That was obviously going to happen. Some firms round here up North are now having to pay £20 p/h for HGV drivers which means a salary of £60k with the usual overtime. Not bad for something you just need a HGV licence for.

 

[FoxEye]

I was furloughed twice. I didn't handle the first period of furlough at all well, but the second one was great. I treated it as a test run for retirement. I'd like to be furloughed until I can retire. I did enjoy it. Not because I'm lazy but because I found that I like having a life.

I wish we'd move to a 4 day week in this country. We won't, of course, but a man can dream.

 

[FoxEye]

How dare business man run a business like it is a business

That's a silly thing to say in this context.

You're basically saying it's fine for businesses to abuse state hand-outs if its more profitable than not abusing state hand-outs.

Hope you're not one of those people advocating "less government" and "smaller state"

 

[robgmun]

I was furloughed twice. I didn't handle the first period of furlough at all well, but the second one was great. I treated it as a test run for retirement. I'd like to be furloughed until I can retire. I did enjoy it. Not because I'm lazy but because I found that I like having a life.

I was never furloughed but as someone who WFH for the last 15 months i see where you're coming from, i felt semi-retired while doing that and i loved it. Now i'm back at the office i miss it so much!

 

[200sols]

I wish we'd move to a 4 day week in this country. We won't, of course, but a man can dream.

Didn't think you had a job?

 

[Deleted User 298457]

That's a silly thing to say in this context.

You're basically saying it's fine for businesses to abuse state hand-outs if its more profitable than not abusing state hand-outs.

Hope you're not one of those people advocating "less government" and "smaller state"

They are leveraging a government scheme, why is that abuse all of a sudden?

 

[moon man]

It's been over genourous and over used, masses of people at home watching netflix while the non deadwood are working twice as hard, let them lose their houses and live on streets, who cares.
This is all sour grapes of course as I only manged 5 days on furlough

 

[malachi]

It's been over genourous and over used, masses of people at home watching netflix while the non deadwood are working twice as hard, let them lose their houses and live on streets, who cares.
This is all sour grapes of course as I only manged 5 days on furlough

This is why I never complain about people who sit round jobless and non productive. Let them stay there, no matter how you look at it, life NEVER rewards the lazy, only the hard working.

 

[MikeTheNative]

I got annoyed last year at people asking me 'how much time did you have off?' Assuming that everyone did at some point, some of us have worked the entire time.

 

[Captain]

I got annoyed last year at people asking me 'how much time did you have off?' Assuming that everyone did as some point, some of us have worked the entire time.

Me too, everyone else around me were furloughed for over 12 months while 8 of us worked all the way through.

What they should have done is rotate the furlough so everyone at least got the chance to have some time off but they never, they kept the same people of furlough all year even though we were at the same skill level.

 

[LeMson]

My employer couldn't afford furlough, told us to go on universal credit, jolly :/

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

Did you ever have the fear of losing your public sector job through the pandemic or was it nice and secure?

I'll also imagine that some of the people complaining about having to work harder/more we're also raking it in through overtime.

You want to be resentful of some people that were living on a reduced wage with a constant fear (some of which became a reality) of losing their jobs simply because you didn't get time off?

Just to give a ying to this yang.

Private sector worker here.
I worked throughout the early stages of the pandemic, this included coming on site to complete project critical testing. Overtime was no longer paid and pay rises were frozen (and still are from what i've been told) and after being told how important my project was and how i needed to complete testing to avoid any further delays i was made redundant last August, after turning in all my test work and design work to ensure this project didn't need an expensive redesign.

For the record, I don't feel anything towards anyone on furlough, just wanted to make it clear that just because you were working doesn't mean your job was secure during this pandemic.

 

[malachi]

For the record, I don't feel anything towards anyone on furlough, just wanted to make it clear that just because you were working doesn't mean your job was secure during this pandemic.

Clear example of there is no such thing as job for life.

 

[BDEE]

As with anything, there will be a mix of people gagging to get back to work and those happy to continue not working.

Ultimately if there are people who do not want to return to work then that is fine with me - There are plenty of people without a job who will want to take up their jobs, especially among the younger generation. Hopefully there will be a lot of older people able to draw pensions who have jobs just to keep busy who will decide to do this to open up the jobs market to younger people. Just don't expect to claim benefits because of choosing not to return to work............

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

Clear example of there is no such thing as job for life.

Admittedly a bit off topic but to expand on this.

I am young, I only graduated 5 years ago, so I was a bit naive on this whole redundancy and job thing.

This experience taught me that you are better off trying to be a desirable employee to any company (in terms of experince and skills) than being indispensable to your current company, because achievements won't save you when the axe needs to fall.

The caliber of people that left the company and their contribution to the company was shocking. People who started working for the company before i could even wipe my own nose, gone. People who had founded entire departments for the company or set up process that is used throughtout the company on a daily basis (till this day), gone. Teachers went, while students stayed.

I had heard about not being loyal to a company because they won't be loyal to you before this happened, but it is another thing to see it in action playing out in real time before your eyes.

 

[Richie]

Just to give a ying to this yang.

Private sector worker here.
I worked throughout the early stages of the pandemic, this included coming on site to complete project critical testing. Overtime was no longer paid and pay rises were frozen (and still are from what i've been told) and after being told how important my project was and how i needed to complete testing to avoid any further delays i was made redundant last August, after turning in all my test work and design work to ensure this project didn't need an expensive redesign.

For the record, I don't feel anything towards anyone on furlough, just wanted to make it clear that just because you were working doesn't mean your job was secure during this pandemic.

Umm, I was talking about PUBLIC sector jobs and you were private sector. I made the distinction as I know many private sector jobs were lost even after working through the Lockdown.

It was directed to the poster who held resentment over furloughed people while they worked harder than normal. It was to point out the short sightedness as:

1. They likely got paid a lot of overtime through it if they worked extra hours
2. They didn't have to fear losing their jobs.

Happy to be corrected that some public sector jobs were made redundant during this time (whether furloughed or not)

 

[Bear]

Admittedly a bit off topic but to expand on this.

I am young, I only graduated 5 years ago, so I was a bit naive on this whole redundancy and job thing.

This experience taught me that you are better off trying to be a desirable employee to any company (in terms of experince and skills) than being indispensable to your current company, because achievements won't save you when the axe needs to fall.

The caliber of people that left the company and their contribution to the company was shocking. People who started working for the company before i could even wipe my own nose, gone. People who had founded entire departments for the company or set up process that is used throughtout the company on a daily basis (till this day), gone. Teachers went, while mentors stayed.

I had heard about not being loyal to a company because they won't be loyal to you before this happened, but it is another thing to see it in action playing out in real time before your eyes.

Thats why I prefer being a contractor, theres no pretence of loyalty. I do the work for money and Im not interested in your office politics, Im not going to work for free by putting in extra hours in because the boss expects it etc. So long as I deliver what is required, I handle it how I like, nice and simple.

I have worked all through Covid, no furlough for me and I dont resent people that were or are on it

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

Umm, I was talking about PUBLIC sector jobs and you were private sector. I made the distinction as I know many private sector jobs were lost even after working through the Lockdown.

My post wasn't meant to undermine yours in anyway. Your post was a convenient spring board to show life on the other side of the fence.

 

[malachi]

Admittedly a bit off topic but to expand on this.

I am young, I only graduated 5 years ago, so I was a bit naive on this whole redundancy and job thing.

This experience taught me that you are better off trying to be a desirable employee to any company (in terms of experince and skills) than being indispensable to your current company, because achievements won't save you when the axe needs to fall.

The caliber of people that left the company and their contribution to the company was shocking. People who started working for the company before i could even wipe my own nose, gone. People who had founded entire departments for the company or set up process that is used throughtout the company on a daily basis (till this day), gone. Teachers went, while students stayed.

I had heard about not being loyal to a company because they won't be loyal to you before this happened, but it is another thing to see it in action playing out in real time before your eyes.

You are always just a number, you can break your back for a company and they can just bin you off with redundancy.

Hits the Baby boomers the hardest, all they are doing is waiting around for their pension and praying to God they don't get made redundant after furlough ends. Because they have been in the same job for so many years, they dont have the skills to do anything else.

If you can do it, self employed contractor is the best way.