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The employees at my work that have been furloughed have the option of using holidays to top up their pay to 100%.
Was the working time directive suspended for all in the emergency legislation? It would fall fowl of that
I had a laugh about the CFO (up there) not understanding the difference between average and median.
It's an easy one when the government announces it will pay the UK median - well just above if the news paper articles are to be believed. It's not the median or average the the figure that governs the amount it's the basic rate band width. It just happens that the basic rate band is close to the average wage. Personal allowance and basic rate are the same for 19/20 and 20/21.
Get my first Furlough pay tomorrow, it'll be part normal pay and part Furlough so no idea of how much it will be, my wife is still working (albeit part-time) so should be ok for this month. I'm a high rate tax payer so will be capped at the £2500 limit. I've a company car so am I interested in the previous poster who managed to get his company car added to the Furlough scheme but can't see how that would be allowed if you are already at the max Furlough amount, can someone help explain this?
I think its more a case of you give up your access to the car while furloughed, thereby its not a benefit so will reduce your tax bill. If you have access to the HMRC via self assessment, see if you can make the change there. It will then update your tax code which feeds into the payroll.
Only snag could be what stance HMRC will take if the cars parked at your home- could be treated as "been mad available" to you.
Construction industry here as well. Furloughed from last night.
Company is being very good as they are giving full pay until the end of May. Not sure how long the cash will last as there will be 4-5000 colleagues on furlough.
From a business point of view Covid 19 couldn’t of happened at a worse time -June year end c. 25% of our annual revenue.
Also worried for all the subcontractors and suppliers.
I think its more a case of you give up your access to the car while furloughed, thereby its not a benefit so will reduce your tax bill.
I would expect you to have to pay for it directly or have the taxable value added to your payslip to reduce the 2500 from the government, or of course, not use it at all.
Furloughed employees where I work are locked out of the building and access to the computer systems (with the exception of email).
This is starting at our company. Anyone got any reports of how much this is expected to cost the government? It seems like a lot of companies are jumping on it and taking advantage. Mine for example is a profitable company that could easily soak up the cost of paying employees for a couple of months with no income, but the money is on offer from the government and they are taking it.
AS above, the construction industry doesn't do recession very well. about 80% of our staff are furloughed now, with a couple of jobs (network critical for some power companies)still working. all managers still working been asked to take a 30% paycut to keep the company viable. tough times, and this will not go away quickly once the virus leaves our shores. I expect another 5-10 years of heartache.
Regarding company cars if you are not using them then the usual best practice is to send them back to company head office or compound etc. so they are not available for private use. There is some flexibility on this due to the need for essential travel only and the fact that many offices are closed. Industry best practice suggests that sending the keys back to the company should be done but this has all sorts of other problems if the car needs to be moved or alarms go off etc. I was able to park mine at the office mid March when I started self isolating.
It would be good to take a dated mileage picture when you surrender the car and another when it is used again although if it is in the pool someone else could potentially use it.
Use HMRC Govt Gateway to declare when the car was not available, they update very quickly. Car tax is calculated by day but it needs to be unavailable for more than 30 consecutive days to affect tax.
You will save tax and the company will save employers NI. The tax man loses.
This is starting at our company. Anyone got any reports of how much this is expected to cost the government? It seems like a lot of companies are jumping on it and taking advantage. Mine for example is a profitable company that could easily soak up the cost of paying employees for a couple of months with no income, but the money is on offer from the government and they are taking it.
I don't think anyone knows the cost yet. But yes, that's certainly happening, never underestimate peoples greed though. I know of 2 employers who sacked, not made redundant, just sacked large parts of their workforce hours after we were first told to social distance 3 weeks ago. Thankfully they reversed it and furloughed them instead. Having enough money in the bank to cover their salary for x months wasn't even a consideration.
Ultimately it's not a 'good' thing, but it's the least worst option at the moment. IF we can 'flatten the curve' enough to loosen regs within the 3 month period then the economy won't collapse, it's *just* a 3 month global pause. Pre-Furlough rules it was expected unemployment would rise by 1.5m in the next few months at least resulting in an 8% unemployment rate which has a terrible knock-on for the economy as a whole.
Now it should be much lower, and there's a chance once lock-down lifts things will return a lot closer to the way they were than they could have been. There will obviously be a huge drop in GDP this quarter and if that bridges two quarters there will as obviously be a recession, probably a record drop, but that's not to say it's a complete disaster, GDP hasn't fallen because of some massive financial scandal, it's fallen because we closed all the shops, factories, offices etc GDP is a measure of Domestic Product, or Output in other words.
The cost will no doubt be staggering, maybe as big as during the credit crunch, but there's probably a lot of people all trying to work out how to make it disappear - money is just a human construct and C19 has affected the world pretty equally. It doesn't have to be the end of days.
If you want to know what the alternative looks like look at the US. Trump gambled stupidly on trying to keep trading through it giving them a huge financial advantage over the rest of the world, he gave them all about 2 weeks wages and told them to fend for themselves. Their unemployment increase is staggering, I mean mindbogglingly staggeringly massive.
Trumps leadership has been as shockingly bad as Boris's shocking ability to suddenly be mostly competent, first he said it was a Hoax, then he spent all his energy on blaming the Chinese for it, to avoid it sticking to him, sadly their economy is going to be battered and hundreds of thousands will die and he's still not really doing enough.
"This is starting at our company. Anyone got any reports of how much this is expected to cost the government? It seems like a lot of companies are jumping on it and taking advantage. Mine for example is a profitable company that could easily soak up the cost of paying employees for a couple of months with no income, but the money is on offer from the government and they are taking it."
Can't say I have an enormous problem with this. Who knows how long this could go on for? The scheme is intended to keep employees on the payroll rather than making them redundant, to enable fast start of the economy when this is possible. I don't believe the majority already furloughed would have been retained, regardless of company profitability.
@RichPenny - I think you’re spot on. Where I work, we’ve got a load of cars on site intended for auction that will need to be shifted as quickly as possible, 500 from Enterprise alone, so we’ll be needed on site as soon as possible. Being furloughed is the best possible answer for the 150-odd people on our site, plus everyone on the other four sites belonging to the company
Can’t say I have an enormous problem with this. Who knows how long this could go on for? The scheme is intended to keep employees on the payroll rather than making them redundant, to enable fast start of the economy when this is possible.
I justified my furlough by saying that I would be off and gone if I was sacked. I can probably earn more with someone else doing a different job but the flexibility is nice where I am even though it's minimum wage for hours plus a small top up for keeping the IT/Vehicle fleet running.
Training new staff is expensive and the saving for most employers is worth the work for furlough.
One cars and furlough - speak to HMRC. It's always better to go to the source. Don't assume the employer will sort it - personal tax - it personal to you. What tells people on the phone / webchat will be what is normally already on the HMRC website. PAYE is very rigid - computer says yes computer says no territory. Problems will arise if what your employer says they are going to do, doesn't tally with what you think / tell HMRC and what they are submitting on the P11D.
As with the post above - get evidence. Photos etc are good but you really want to have something from your employer - in writing. If you have to dispute something evidence is your friend. That said it relies on you telling HMRC.
I think that's me from Thursday, just have to finish off a couple of bits of work then 3 weekly review of need upto the end of the current scheme. At least the I have a good employer and they are making up to full pay.
I am grateful to have a job, already done the chewing through savings because someones a bold take on employment rights life experience bit. Although I expect deferred hardship to when the government starts the recovery process and all public finances are reviewed. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're not.
So with regards to the company car. Our fleet team sent out a handback form I needed to complete. I had to take date stamped photographs of the ODO and I am no longer insured to drive the car. My fuel card is to be returned and my employers will arrange to ‘collect’ my car when we are operational again. They have informed HMRC, but recommended I also make contact, which I did via the excellent gateway system and detailed my change there, it instructed me my change would take place within 48hrs.
Pretty happy with this, car is sat locked up. I won’t use it, I have no need! When my employment starts again then I will have to go through the rigmarole of ‘on-fleeting’ my car again, however the cost saving is significant enough to justify the hassle.
So, what would happen if a furloughed employee had to do, say an hour's work as an emergency on a safety critical system. Asking for a friend.
This sounds more complicated than I thought. I'll need to think about how much the car will cost me as surely I'll only be taxed on my car based on the 20% BIK tax (based on the £2500) as opposed to my usual 40% tax rate.
True I'm only using the car for the once a week trip to the supermarket 'click and collect' but I think my wife would feel less happy losing our only household car.
Jamesoz - they are able to bring you back for periods at a time, though an hour seems pointless. I guess it just gets declared via payroll and the government contribution reduces whilst the companies increases for that period.
We’ve had at least two people un-furlough for a week so far.
Jamesoz – they are able to bring you back for periods at a time, though an hour seems pointless. I guess it just gets declared via payroll and the government contribution reduces whilst the companies increases for that period.
We’ve had at least two people un-furlough for a week so far.
Thanks, that's good to know. Call outs for us are rare but critical (fire suppression) and all non urgent work has been cancelled, hence the furlough.
But the minimum period for furlough is 3 weeks.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/claim-for-wage-costs-through-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme
So I can't attend then without costing 3 weeks wages
Ready for its not fair rant?
Our company gas furloughed staff. They're topping up the twenty percent so no impact financially (great thing to do)
BUT
Those of us who are still working are super busy and have been told to take mandatory holiday...
So basically if you are busy you have your hours squeezed to add pressure. You have to use holiday. Compared to if you have no work... Take three weeks on full pay and come back with all your holidays intact...
Safe to say very little work was done after that meeting 😁
Well I work from home, have work to do still with some customers still ‘working from home’ and was still Furloughed. However the core activity of our business cannot function therefore we are not generating money! Hence I guess why we are all Furloughed.
some customers still ‘working from home’ and was still Furloughed
Strictly speaking they shouldn't be doing anything - think that might be called fraud.
ake three weeks on full pay and come back with all your holidays intact…
I can appreciate your frustration.
Not everyone is having a holiday. One positive is it frees people to volunteer and do things for the community. My first three weeks are going to be spent recuperating and getting my fitness up.
Whilst Furlough-1 seems like a relatively good scheme if you have an employer who makes up the difference. There are still people who are only getting 80% of their wage. Others who are only getting the scheme money and that's it. Furlough-2 may not be the same as 1. The government has now had time to plan a replacement. There is nothing to say it would be as good as one as there has been more time to create a solution. The massive increase in costs above estimate would suggest a rethink may happen. Which may be in part due to the employers above.
Wife has got letter and company is topping up 20% but expecting her to work as normal.
This is illegal isn't it and I'm telling her absolutely not to do it as she is party to fraud.
Yep. Either furloughed or not. If the company choose to top up, that's them being generous, but they get nothing in return. If they have need/work for her, they should not furlough her.
What happens if a furloughed employee is brought under minimum wage when on 80%?
Anyone know about annual leave? As furloughed is not employed, do you lose holiday?
i.e. 3 months furloughed = lose 25% of your holidays?
It is ok to be paid less than minimum wage on furlough. Minimum wage only applies to 'hours worked' and you are not allowed to work on furlough
Holidays still accrue whilst on furlough and you should not be required to take them whilst on furlough. If you are asked to take them then it may be acceptable if you are paid 100% for that period.
The big issue for the company may be too many people trying to take holidays in too few working months. The Government has said unused holidays can carry over in to the next year
Good question. Would it still keep them above job seekers and universal credit?
There are a lot of holes in furlough. It looks like my wife has been dropped in one of them due to planning a change of job this month.
It's a quick system, no one said it was a great system.
All we can do is trust they will keep plugging holes when they find them.
Leave should still accrue as you're still employed, just not physically working. There was a new ruling that allows people to carry over 4 weeks of holiday over the next two years, but your employer has to agree to it.
Strictly speaking they shouldn’t be doing anything – think that might be called fraud.
no you miss-read my post! I’m Furloughed my customers are not! My point was I could still be working (I’m not as I’m Furloughed)
so nothing Fraudulent at all!
There are still people who are only getting 80%
There are people getting less than that! It’s either £2500 or 80% whichever is the least! I am currently receiving less than 50% of my usual salary...like I said before don’t expect sympathy, in fact I’m grateful to even still have any income at all. However it is very difficult to quickly unwind and restructure your finances as quick as this has hit! Luckily we live a fairly conservative life style and are not highly geared with loans or credit.
no you miss-read my post!
Sorry, I had miss read that as you had furloughed customers and they were still working.
50% is a really bummer, sorry to see that.
So as of tomorrow evening I'm furloughed for at least 3 weeks.
Not entirely sure how I feel about it, especially having taken a 15% pay cut last week to 'protect jobs' - I know it's pretty much the government paying for me to have 3 weeks off.
Just had the phone call from the finance director. Most staff are furloughed, but essential staff such as IT (me) HR and Finance are being asked to work a 4 day week for 80% pay. Still trying to work out the reasoning behind this.
Sorry to see that Trailwagger
If this goes long I think the reduction in hours discussion may come to us all.
Sorry to see that Trailwagger
Doesn't quite seem fair when most others in the company are furloughed so getting 80% salary and don't have to work. Whereas I get 80% salary but still have to work four days a week.
Doesn’t quite seem fair when most others in the company are furloughed so getting 80% salary and don’t have to work. Whereas I get 80% salary but still have to work four days a week.
I don't think it's too unreasonable (I'm in exactly the same boat).
From the perspective of the company they're paying 0% for those furloughed, and 80% for 80% of the work.
I don’t think it’s too unreasonable (I’m in exactly the same boat).
From the perspective of the company they’re paying 0% for those furloughed, and 80% for 80% of the work.
Correct, from the businesses perspective. But on a personal level, why should I have to work for 80% when the guy who used to sit next to me in the office is now at home doing nothing and still getting 80%.
And as I said a day or so ago in this thread, the company I work for make £1m + profit a year. They could easily cover all staff salaries and just take a hit on the profit for this year. But they always put profit above all else.
the guy who used to sit next to me in the office is now at home doing nothing
.....doing nothing except worrying about making ends meet?
I was furloughed yesterday along with quite a lot of others, on a group Teams call. We finish this afternoon.
Yes it's great that there's the scheme, but it doesn't take away from the human factors - personally we're OK as we're not highly leveraged as a family in terms of debt etc, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt to effectively be told "you and your family take the hit for the greater good". And I know from talking to many younger colleagues that it's going to put them in tough financial positions as there's very little notice to allow for financial planning.
Are those that have actually had their pay reduced agreed to the reduction, as it does consitutue a change in contract. The rule on Furlough is that it is a capped subsidy to the company you work for and not what that the gv are paying you. The company make up the balance! If they dont/cant make up the blance they have to ask you for a reduction in pay and you have to agree to that in writing. If you don't, then you are not legally/contractually obliged to, however you run the risk of being made redundant legally through lack of funds.
The higher mangement types, are generally being asked to a cut (again this has to be aggred) as the difference on furlough is too great to make it it a worthwhile option, you end up paying a lot of money for someone to sit on their backsides, so ask them to take a cut and keep them working. Again, the employeee can agree to a cut, but it has to be in writing.
As for the profit vs wages argument. It's tricky - is it a private copany or is it a PE affair/share holders. If you remove cash from a company you jeopordise the long term propsects of the company to keep going. Also, Profit does not = liquid cash. On the flip side, if you got £2m of cash sitting their but due a big load repayment in 4-5 months time, why would you not say the banks etc can wait - long term survival of the company is generally the answer..
It’s a mess, but any alternative would have been, so it’s hard to see a better way around that could have been put together so quickly. My team runs the company's pension (and death benefits) scheme, so CV19 does not reduce our workload - we’ve still got 12,000 pensioners to pay, and we’ll probably have a spike in deaths, so actually more work. The business however is running c20% of its usual service (for c15% revenue) so have furloughed 4 of our 6 administrators because of cash flow. I’m our systems, procedures and legal specialist, so it’s a steep learning curve to pick up that slack.
I did mention the problem of justifying full time work for 100% vs do nothing and still get 80%, particularly when they said those not furloughed would lose any untaken holidays.
Management in most companies, I suspect, are trying to implement this reasonably while not losing sight of finding a path to keep the business viable.
is this the thread for contractor furlough info too, or should I start another?
The company I work form have let all contractors go, and our Agency is being as much use as a chocolate teapot about the contractor furlough scheme. They keep saying they don't have the full info to move us onto it... are there any agency's implement it?
If they dont/cant make up the blance they have to ask you for a reduction in pay and you have to agree to that in writing. If you don’t, then you are not legally/contractually obliged to, however you run the risk of being made redundant legally through lack of funds.
I dont see it as optional. There is always the veiled threat of redundancy.
I dont see it as optional. There is always the veiled threat of redundancy.
i don't disagree with you at all, im in exactly the same boat, but it's just a point that everyone should be very aware of.
Sui
MemberAre those that have actually had their pay reduced agreed to the reduction, as it does consitutue a change in contract
Not necessarily if your contract has a short-time working or lay off clause, mine does.
the guy who used to sit next to me in the office is now at home doing nothing
We have put people on furlough and we were going to top salaries up to 100% of annual average (to take account of commissions and bonuses) regardless of salary level but decided to keep it at 90% to allow a difference between those working and those not. Many people will be better off at 90% without commuting but everyone's situation is different. I am flat out which is great but I really would rather have work to do than not. It will not be easy for people on furlough.
Doesn’t quite seem fair when most others in the company are furloughed so getting 80% salary and don’t have to work. Whereas I get 80% salary but still have to work four days a week.
Wait until you find out the people who are furloughed get the bank holidays as additional annual leave as they aren't able to 'take' them when on furlough
And if you're working a 4 day week for that pay cut, your holiday entitlement is likely to be pro-rata'd.
My concern is, where a company furloughs staff and they agree to the 80% of salary in lieu of full pay what happens a few months down the line and the company decides to make them redundant, will they use their original salary or the 80%?
As I understand it, making up the 20% is optional. It seems wide open to abuse though. Paticularly with working for cash and claiming type fraud,
Is anyone else on here on a zero hour contract and furloughed?
Our pay seems to be worked out the same as holiday pay on a rolling 13 week basis. I've had to have time off (unpaid) because of my Dad so my total hours are short. My furlough rate come out to about 70%, can they do that or should it just be a flat 80% of contracted hours?
Edit
Found the answer Martin Lewis
I've had two payrises in the last year so looks like it's on the lower rate, **** sake
It should be based on the higher of monthly pay when you were furloughed, pay for the same month in a previous year or average monthly pay in 2019/20. And it’s on declared gross pay, so might be lower than you expect if you’re in any pay sacrifice arrangement.
Didn't get furloughed how ever some of our guys did with tomorrow being that 45 days to end of furlough I see there being a lot of redundancies flying about ....45 days being the consultation if more than 50 being let go.
We were told this morning letters will arrive over the weekend to those effected.
Marvellous.
Reading between the lines of a few of my acquaintances and one definite example....
There seem to be more than a few companies who are 'furloughing' employees whilst actually getting them to work as normal. I mean, how is anyone going to be able to police this properly during and especially after?
A very common mantra I have been repeating about lots of things lately:
"Everyone plays nice...... until there is money involved".
Asking for a friend, say they get a basic wage, plus shift allowance plus a percentage for attendance records, good sick record, is the 80% based on basic wage or the actual gross wage.
They have been told basic wage, so 80% of basic wage is much less than 80% of normal gross wage? They are due for 1st payment next week.
I’ve just been informed I’m being furloughed from end of next week. Making up to full pay for now so not so bad. I’ve been working at home for the last four weeks and apparently my remote access will be revoked to prove I’m not actually working.
Not furloughed but working a 4 day week from Monday, until the 5th June. Other people doing the same job have been furloughed so there's a good chance it'll come when work dies up even more.
Furloughed today for three weeks.
Well due to the only colleague who wasn't Furloughed in my department being unable to satisfactorally work from home and refusing to come into the office I'm coming off Furlough and back into work on Monday. Not massively happy about going in but it's a big office and there's only about 5 people out of about 50 in so we are well separated.
It is my 4th week on furlough, I’m paid weekly and got 80% of my basic wage on the first week and every week after that.iv taken a fair hit as my basic is pretty poor but I make wages up by extra hours and a productivity bonus. But as I see it we have no cars to run apart from shopping trip we aren’t socialising eating out stuff like that 3 kids not being taken to clubs so on the whole we can batten down the hatches and get on with it.
Son2 is home and furloughed. There are no passengers at Heathrow, so not a lot of security officers required. He's on 80% salary, and home studying and lifting things in the garage. He is in the fortunate position that all his salary is being saved for pilot training.
Heathrow has a cash pile of 18mo turnover, it's not as if they could not have afforded to pay him, regardless. When it reopens, they will need their qualified officers back, so I doubt any redundancies.
There seem to be more than a few companies who are ‘furloughing’ employees whilst actually getting them to work as normal. I mean, how is anyone going to be able to police this properly during and especially after?
The T's & C's suggest that HMRC can ask for it all back on auditing. Power consumption will do for the big boys, you can't hide that and the accounts will show what's been paid for energy use. The inspectors can also ask the supplier for the bill.
We've all just been informed that we are going to have to take an 8% interim pay cut and that in conjunction with shift allowance being cut means that you'll actually been no better off or even financially worse off than those that have been furloughed.
That cant be right,?
I have no idea if I'm being furloughed. Or if I have a job. Or if I have a job, how long for.
Zero communication from work apart from a random phonecall form my boss once every 20 days or so saying they don't know what's going on with the business, if they can pay me, if they can furlough me, if they need me to do any work etc etc Though I did get asked to write up notes on everything I was working on just before lockdown.
Kind of weird since I am the main top-level administrator for our Office 365 set up. But supposedly everything is working OK. I did tell them that the security policies weren't all activated yet, but somehow that's not important?
Payday on Monday, so lets see what happens.
Dumbot.
Surely those furloughed will then be on 80% of wage - 8% - shift allowance.?
I think I'm approaching 4 weeks of being furloughed, the days are just blending together now.
I know some guys were upset when the first batch of us were furloughed, seeing it as they were working for pittance while we got 80% for going home. And where I'm sure we can get by on the 80% it's the not knowing what's going to happen after the payments stop.
We’ve all just been informed that we are going to have to take an 8% interim pay cut and that in conjunction with shift allowance being cut means that you’ll actually been no better off or even financially worse off than those that have been furloughed.
That cant be right,?
Depressingly so. We (pilots) have taken a 50% paycut while the rest of the company stays at home and is paid 80% + per diems. I can understand the 80% (top-up by the company) but I would have thought HMRC would raise an eyebrow at the tax-free allowances when someone isn't actually working.
We're told we're actually in a better situation and that nothing in the law says that the people furloughed are entitled to return to their jobs, but there's a limit to how long you can pay the mortgage on half-pay.
If you are Furloughed, can you go and do freelance work ?
Working for a different employer
If contractually allowed, your employees are permitted to work for another employer whilst you have placed them on furlough.
For any employer that takes on a new employee, the new employer should ensure they complete the starter checklist form correctly. If the employee is furloughed from another employment, they should complete Statement C.
Is the £2,800 upper limit the net or gross amount?
Well I manged to cock up the JRS application (as an employer)
Thought it would do the calculation for me ... Turns out it didn't. Under applied.
Now in HMRC contact hell.
Website actually worked fine to their credit.
May I ask for some advice?
My wife works in the back office of a large global Civil Engineering company and has run out of work. She been asking her manager and his Director for work, who've asked her to find some herself. When she has, she's been told its not appropropriate for her to do - leaving her with nothing. The nature of the job means that when staff are back out into the world, she'll be busy again.
Earlier this week the Director emailed her directly to state that "Senior Management were concerned she wasn't performing her duties, which isn't acceptable". She started to get emotional, on the basis she thinks they'll make her redundant.
This morning an corporate HR email arrived giving the options to raise concerns. She did, talked to HR in a tearful state about the concern of losing her job, and that's she's trying hard to help and feels she isn't supported by her managers. HR have return to say they've advised her manager of his option and he'll be in touch.
As they've furloughed 33% of their workforce already why won't they do this for her instead of dragging her through all this shite? Have we missed something?
Kryton...
1. Is the wife in a union? if not, sign up sharpish.
2. Are there any unions recognised by the company? If yes, pick on of them for question 1.
3. "asked to find some herself" is this in writing/email etc?
4. Does she have evidence of her completing work within her job role and authorisation? If yes, keep copies. How can she be not performing her duties if she can prove the work given to her has been completed on time etc.
5. Does her company have a grievance procedure, if so find it and read it. This may be an option to use later.
She could also speak to ACAS if she believes HR are not doing their job correctly. Make sure all emails are copied/printed and kept to back her up if the Management decide to play silly buggers.
Well, I came off furlough on Monday and back into the office and thought ok at least I'll be on with something and on full pay but oh no.... Got an email today saying that I was to be on a 4 day week and had apparently agreed to this!! First I had bloody heard. Anyway I've accepted this as it's probably better to be in the job as opposed to loads of others who may be made redundant when this lifts, but then I was told of several others who have been asked to go to 3 days a week.... Now this is a bit of a piss take as I would have been better off on furlough if this happens so fingers crossed I keep busy enough to avoid a further drop in hours.
Donks- you want to check what will happen to any holiday entitlement now you've "agreed" to a reduced working week and should it come to the worse, will redundancy be based on prior pay or the 4 day pay?
Thanks crazyjenkins01
1&2 no but she’ll look into it.
3. yes, every thing I posted an alluded to is in email, which is good for any tribunal.
4. Yes, she has to record her hours in a timesheet as her work is billable to their client, so any work she has done is recorded. Yesterday she was asked to record using an item “Waiting to be tasked” for 7.5 hrs after yet again asking for work in the morning.
5. Yes likely, they are a very big corporate. I’ll ask her to look it up.
Good to hear she has plenty of evidence then Kryton!
I'm struggling to see what the company will be able to do then to be honest. If she has been recording her time on a timesheet (which I assume, like me, would need to be authorised?) and if the work she has done can be produced to prove she has done it, then she is fulfilling her duties. If the company aren't giving her any more duties due to CV19 that isn't her fault or problem. They have also given a number to book against for waiting time, so they know she isn't doing a lot, and are recording that for their budget.
She 'should' be safe from redundancy as if she is made redundant, when everything goes back to normal the company cant just fill that position again, and there is nothing to suggest a disciplinary and dismissal would happen either. that doesn't stop furlough being used as an option though.
Union advice is the best bet next, but she'd need to be a member first!
Hope it goes OK.
DONKS, ask for the signed record that you were informed and agreed to this.
Yep indeed. The obvious answer is to put her on furlough for a bit, which she’d prefer as we have our two kids at home, but we can’t work out why they don’t just do it and stop all this messing about. I think it’s because her output forms part of a paid contractual fulfilment to thier client and to remove her from the business is admission they cannot fulfil that.
To cap it off their global MD launch a video last week explaining their first quarter and that at this time they were a company of the three c’s with regard to looking after thier staff - compassion, care and consideration...
Well, my wife's being asked to go on Furlough by her line manager, given until after tomorrow's "big announcement" to think about it. But then also asked to train another member of her team to do her job tomorrow, likely to be her last day.
Obviously she'll accept, but also spend the time looking for another job as it would appear that certain public transport companies that supply her business have huge revenue issues that won't be over by June... or even an extension to September 2021! Suspected outcome is 2 months Furlough follow by redundancy with statuary pay (13yrs / 12 weeks).
Looks like I'm furloughed from Monday.
🤔