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Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

GB72 said:
But now there are reports of areas such as the hospitality industry now crying out for staff, even on a temporary basis. The damage is certainly recognized as is the hardship but now there are starting to be opportunities at least to keep people ticking over for another month.
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Every pub and restaurant near here are advertising for staff at the moment, same at golf clubs in F&B.
 
GB72 said:
Expect a Monday evening/night press conference. May get one or 2 concessions like being able to order a drink from the bar, that is one I have seen proposed, but can see a 2 week delay with plenty of wiggle room allowed for more time on top. Not the time now to be rash, we have a pretty big slice of normality back and I can happily hold as we are for a while yet.
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I assumed the Monday press conference was a cert as they were always going to give business and the public a week to get their heads round and prepare for the following week. If they don't have an announcement then everyone losses the plot as there's been no information. On the basis that it is going to be bad news I would expect the press to start telling us what the plan is tomorrow and Sunday. In fact I think the Times have already started floating the idea of a 4 week delay.
 
GB72 said:
But now there are reports of areas such as the hospitality industry now crying out for staff, even on a temporary basis. The damage is certainly recognized as is the hardship but now there are starting to be opportunities at least to keep people ticking over for another month.
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And yet BBC were reporting a couple of days ago that between 20 and 25% of hospitality staff were still on furlough. Why is the tax payer still paying for staff to stay at home when their industry is claiming to be so short of staff?
 
ColchesterFC said:
And yet BBC were reporting a couple of days ago that between 20 and 25% of hospitality staff were still on furlough. Why is the tax payer still paying for staff to stay at home when their industry is claiming to be so short of staff?
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Some places will have a low footfall now. Our club only opens Friday to Sunday currently and that’s if we have the staff as most have left. Past two weekends we’ve seen it closed and drove to a near by pub for food.
it’s not viable to keep places open full time for some and might as well rinse the furlough.
 
GB72 said:
But now there are reports of areas such as the hospitality industry now crying out for staff, even on a temporary basis. The damage is certainly recognized as is the hardship but now there are starting to be opportunities at least to keep people ticking over for another month.
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Saw it first hand last weekend. Me and the mrs spent the weekend in Liverpool. The hotel staff were working ridiculous hours. We had a chat with te restaurant manager and he explained they just can't get any staff, most of the eastern europeans who made up a big proportion of the staff have either gone home or gone fruit picking, as thats paying £18 per hour.
My son has had 3 different jobs since the start of the pandemic, which ended his first one (chef). He's now found a job in a totally different sector which he enjoys, but it goes to prove there is work out there for those who want it.
 
ColchesterFC said:
And yet BBC were reporting a couple of days ago that between 20 and 25% of hospitality staff were still on furlough. Why is the tax payer still paying for staff to stay at home when their industry is claiming to be so short of staff?
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This was another problem the manager told us about. People are refusing to come back to work as they're getting it too easy on furlough, and it seems if they try to 'persuade' them to come back they claim they're too scared of covid to come back so the employer is pretty much stuffed either way
 
SaintHacker said:
Saw it first hand last weekend. Me and the mrs spent the weekend in Liverpool. The hotel staff were working ridiculous hours. We had a chat with te restaurant manager and he explained they just can't get any staff, most of the eastern europeans who made up a big proportion of the staff have either gone home or gone fruit picking, as thats paying £18 per hour.
My son has had 3 different jobs since the start of the pandemic, which ended his first one (chef). He's now found a job in a totally different sector which he enjoys, but it goes to prove there is work out there for those who want it.
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Yup. It certainly goes to prove some can get a job. No matter any background, qualifications, experience or expectations of work that may be just about to turn up that you might have had. But hey.

Fortunately the UC folk understand that those who have lost jobs but are in expectation of work returning, are not being forced into taking any old work that is available - there are plenty out there who need the work. And so if you are OK with hanging on waiting for work to resume and you can demonstrate reasonable restart of work then you will generally not be forced off UC.
 
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SwingsitlikeHogan said:
Yup. It certainly goes to prove some can get a job. No matter any background, qualifications, experience or expectations of work that may be just about to turn up that you might have had. But hey.

Fortunately the UC folk understand that those who have lost jobs but are in expectation of work returning, are not being forced into taking any old work that is available - there are plenty out there who need the work. And so if you are OK with hanging on waiting for work to resume and you can demonstrate reasonable restart of work then you will generally not be forced off UC.
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Doesn’t hurt for them to take on a new job while they wait for their field to be relevant again. Assume you’re alluding to your lad who is in the performing arts.
 
SaintHacker said:
Guess it depends on how much a person actually wants to work to support themselves
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That is not the case for all. There are many individual specific variables and considerations that can be taken into account, and it seems that the UC folk recognise the situation of those whose work has been stopped by the pandemic but will restart as soon as government restrictions allow.
 
SaintHacker said:
This was another problem the manager told us about. People are refusing to come back to work as they're getting it too easy on furlough, and it seems if they try to 'persuade' them to come back they claim they're too scared of covid to come back so the employer is pretty much stuffed either way
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Are you sure on this one? Surely it’s the employers decision when they end furlough.

All the people I know on furlough were either given a date or have a date when to return to work.
 
SwingsitlikeHogan said:
That is not the case for all. There are many individual specific variables and considerations that can be taken into account, and it seems that the UC folk recognise the situation of those whose work has been stopped by the pandemic but will restart as soon as government restrictions allow.
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Its absolutely the case for all.
Its about time the 'UC folk', and by that I mean those who can work but refuse to as opposed to those who genuinely cannot, should be made to do some community work to 'earn'their benefits. Maybe after a few days of picking up dog mess, cleaning graffiti and litter picking a few shifts at McDonald's suddenly wouldn't seem so unattractive...
 
SaintHacker said:
This was another problem the manager told us about. People are refusing to come back to work as they're getting it too easy on furlough, and it seems if they try to 'persuade' them to come back they claim they're too scared of covid to come back so the employer is pretty much stuffed either way
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I've heard same. Many in hospitality and especially chefs discovering there is life that doesn't require working evenings and weekends - and many EU27 chefs and hospitality workers going home and choosing to not return. The answer I have heard is for that sector to start paying a lot more than it currently does - and that will of course mean that we have to pay more for the services the sector provides.
 
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SaintHacker said:
Its absolutely the case for all.
Its about time the 'UC folk', and by that I mean those who can work but refuse to as opposed to those who genuinely cannot, should be made to do some community work to 'earn'their benefits. Maybe after a few days of picking up dog mess, cleaning graffiti and litter picking a few shifts at McDonald's suddenly wouldn't seem so unattractive...
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Yup - that's just the way to make those whose life is very hard suffer even more and feel even worse about their circumstances. But it's an idea.. Tell you what though - life on UC is not a bed of roses...in fact it's already really difficult - as you'd expect it to be.
 
SaintHacker said:
Its absolutely the case for all.
Its about time the 'UC folk', and by that I mean those who can work but refuse to as opposed to those who genuinely cannot, should be made to do some community work to 'earn'their benefits. Maybe after a few days of picking up dog mess, cleaning graffiti and litter picking a few shifts at McDonald's suddenly wouldn't seem so unattractive...
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Jobs available is much fewer than those unemployed.
 
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