Furloughed Worker - alternative employment

kellea

Hi there, wondering if anyone can help with a couple of questions I have? My son’s work closed last week, and he was told he would get 40% pay until they reopened, based on his length of service. Others with lower length of service were made redundant but told they’d be welcome back once the business was fully running again. This was before the furloughed worked scheme was announced. So my 2 questions are would my son be entitled to the furloughed worker scheme as he hadn’t been laid off? Or is it exclusively for those that were about to be made redundant? Also he started applying for temp work in supermarkets and is due to find out if he was successful. But if he took a small temporary 2nd job would this affect the furloughed employee payment if he got it? 

Thanks to anyone that can help with this, appreciate maybe the answers aren’t yet available but thought it was worth asking :-) 

Jeremy535897

Your questions in order:
No. Yes. We don't know yet.

neilmcl

By answer would be this. If you are allowed to sit at home with your feet up and still get paid is it morally right that you should then want to potentially take a paid job of someone who may be in more need? If your son simply wants something to do then he could always volunteer.

kellea

neilmcl said:

By answer would be this. If you are allowed to sit at home with your feet up and still get paid is it morally right that you should then want to potentially take a paid job of someone who may be in more need? If your son simply wants something to do then he could always volunteer.

Yes totally agree, but the reverse of that is he doesn’t want to turn down a job if he isn’t going to get the furloughed payment and currently that’s unclear 

Luvoj

kellea said:

Hi there, wondering if anyone can help with a couple of questions I have? My son’s work closed last week, and he was told he would get 40% pay until they reopened, based on his length of service. Others with lower length of service were made redundant but told they’d be welcome back once the business was fully running again. This was before the furloughed worked scheme was announced. So my 2 questions are would my son be entitled to the furloughed worker scheme as he hadn’t been laid off? Or is it exclusively for those that were about to be made redundant? Also he started applying for temp work in supermarkets and is due to find out if he was successful. But if he took a small temporary 2nd job would this affect the furloughed employee payment if he got it? 

Thanks to anyone that can help with this, appreciate maybe the answers aren’t yet available but thought it was worth asking :-) 

Your son is not entitled to anything, save for the terms and conditions of the contract of employment he has agreed to.

The employer holds all the cards, and has to do what is right for the business. (but I wonder what is in an agreed contract of employment that allows an employer to send your son home and only pay 40%)

The options are:
1. Employer continues to pay the employee in line with the contract of employment
2. Employer decides they cannot keep on some or all their employees and so initiates redundancy.
3. Any other agreement mutually agreed between employer and employee during this crisis.

Any responsible employer will be aware of what actions the government is putting in place in an attempt to prevent widespread redundancies during this difficult time