Furlough question

[rudebhoy]

My daughter has a part time job in a branch of a local bakery chain. She got a letter yesterday saying she has been placed on furlough until the end of May.

However the manager of her branch has phoned her this morning and said she needs to come into work as usual as he is short staffed.

Is that allowed if you are on furlough, or is he in the wrong?

 

[2blue]

As I understand it, furlough means being temporarily 'laid-off'. So no employment there, but could go work/volunteer elsewhere. I wouldn't have thought you could 'jump in & out' of it.

 

[Deleted member 1740]

My daughter has a part time job in a branch of a local bakery chain. She got a letter yesterday saying she has been placed on furlough until the end of May.

However the manager of her branch has phoned her this morning and said she needs to come into work as usual as he is short staffed.

Is that allowed if you are on furlough, or is he in the wrong?

No she‘s not allowed to.

 

[GB72]

Read quite a bit about this. Furlough means no work at all for the current company. If you could still work for them, everyone would put all staff on furlough and let the government pay their wages. You can work or volunteer elsewhere for the furlough period but you cannot work for your current employer

 

[rudebhoy]

She has just spoken to her boss, and he said the company will be taking her back off furlough. I've told her to get that in writing from the company, tbh I'm not sure they can do that?

 

[chellie]

She has just spoken to her boss, and he said the company will be taking her back off furlough. I've told her to get that in writing from the company, tbh I'm not sure they can do that?

They can. HID is currently furloughed along with two other colleagues. Should the remainder of the team have to isolate HID would come off furlough and go in.

 

[GB72]

She has just spoken to her boss, and he said the company will be taking her back off furlough. I've told her to get that in writing from the company, tbh I'm not sure they can do that?

Thought once you were on furlough it was for a minimum of 3 weeks

 

[fundy]

Thought once you were on furlough it was for a minimum of 3 weeks

it is 3 weeks

 

[fundy]

They can. HID is currently furloughed along with two other colleagues. Should the remainder of the team have to isolate HID would come off furlough and go in.

theyre not supposed to, HIDs firm are wrong, they are not supposed to rotate furloughed workers

 

[Deleted member 21258]

Fairly simple, she had been put on furlough, but now is not and is getting 100% of wages. Perfectly okay.

The employer can not claim anything, as she was not furloughed for 3 weeks plus.

Detail is here :-

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme

Hope that helps.

 

[Beezerk]

it is 3 weeks

Yes, my gaffer said the same last week, oddly he also said if a customer needed us for an urgent job we may be asked to work for a day or so. Not quite sure what the implications of that would be or if it is even allowed.

 

[chellie]

theyre not supposed to, HIDs firm are wrong, they are not supposed to rotate furloughed workers

Oh, will have to tell him. They don't intend going back in regularly its only if the others still working come down with Covid.

 

[road2ruin]

From the Government's website...

If your employer chooses to place you on furlough, you will need to remain on furlough for a minimum of 3 weeks. However, your employer can place you on furlough more than once, and one period can follow straight after an existing furlough period, while the scheme is open. The scheme will be open for at least 3 months.

Once you are on furlough you will not be able to work for your employer, but you can undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, as long as you’re not:

• making money for your employer
• providing services to your employer

 

[Papas1982]

Just had this chat with work.
They can only claim your wages back if you are furloughed for 3 weeks minimum. So if they call you back, then they are liable for the wages at 100% fro the time you were previously off as well as whilst at work.

 

[AmandaJR]

Just gone from working from home to being furloughed as of today. Sounds like my employers on the ball as minimum of 3 weeks and potentially until the end of May depending on the overall situation. All offices and plants closed down apart from a few skeleton staff so makes sense as a huge cost of wages otherwise.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Good luck to the civil servants who are going to be dealing with this. The details are well laid out on the govt website but how many bosses have not read them correctly, only get up to sentence 2 or 3 and then just assume the rest incorrectly?

I guess the issue here is how does the govt find out that person A worked for 2 days when they were supposed to be on Furlough? Perhaps if the employee is only receiving 80% of their wages on the scheme, the company not topping up the rest, then they may make the call themselves very quietly?

 

[rudebhoy]

Good luck to the civil servants who are going to be dealing with this. The details are well laid out on the govt website but how many bosses have not read them correctly, only get up to sentence 2 or 3 and then just assume the rest incorrectly?

I guess the issue here is how does the govt find out that person A worked for 2 days when they were supposed to be on Furlough? Perhaps if the employee is only receiving 80% of their wages on the scheme, the company not topping up the rest, then they may make the call themselves very quietly?

The letter my daughter got yesterday (it was undated), said she is on furlough leave from 21/03 to the end of May. She is supposed to get 2 days notice of going back to work, but the reality was a phone call at 11.00 saying they needed her in by 2pm.

She's happy enough to go in as she is bored to tears at home, and I guess it's good news for her as they will now have to pay her 100% for the shifts she has missed.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

The letter my daughter got yesterday (it was undated), said she is on furlough leave from 21/03 to the end of May. She is supposed to get 2 days notice of going back to work, but the reality was a phone call at 11.00 saying they needed her in by 2pm.

She's happy enough to go in as she is bored to tears at home, and I guess it's good news for her as they will now have to pay her 100% for the shifts she has missed.

It will be interesting to hear if her bosses are aware of the rules or whether it is a surprise. As you say, good news for her though ?

 

[Bunkermagnet]

You do have to agree to being furloughed, they cant just put you on it. However the obvious thing if you don't is possibly unemployment straight away.

 

[GG26]

I've been following the rules closely as I was due to start a new job on 1st April and got a call last week to say that this is going to be postponed until at least 1st July. I cannot be furloughed by the new employer as I was not employed by them on 28th February and the old employer, who wants to help, could not either as I was not made redundant. Therefore, I am left without any income for at least three months.

There has been a fair bit of lobbying on this point, ie what happens to those who changed jobs after 28th February, and I see that Martin Lewis has also campaigned on this and, according to his website this morning, he has got government to agree that the old employer could use the furlough option even where I had resigned. Just need HMRC to publish official confirmation of this now.