Working while under Furlough.

lrfabs

My Employer has put all staff under Furlough. Office staff were asked to work from home. After reading that employers are not to work for the employer under Furlough I decided that I would not undertake any work. My immediate boss made me feel guilty and said that I should work as others in the company were doing it to help the company out. I still refused. A day later a boss higher up the chain put pressure on me saying that I was the only one in the design office refusing. I said that it was illegal but he said the company had spoken to legal professionals and said that you can work but it has to be voluntarily. Is this correct as I feel like I am being vindicated and am worried I will singled out for not falling into line when I return to work? I feel like I have been bullied into working voluntarily. I had returned to work October last year after a spell of work related stress. I am worried when I return the same thing would happen again.
Could someone please give me advice on this. TIA

neilmcl

You cannot work whilst on furlough full stop. If the company attempts to claim the grant whilst knowingly expecting you to work they are committing fraud.

sharpe106

Yes you are being bullied by them. As the scheme says you can do no work for them.

But like they say you can volunteer to do the work for free as anybody can. I could phone them up and volunteer to work for free for them if I wanted. But why would I? and why would any employee really want to volunteer to work for free.

But as you said you feel you will be singled out when you get back to work, unfortunately from what you said about the company and the fact they are putting pressure on you to do this they probably will. I can see a lot of companies doing similar, yes it is an abuse of the system.                                                                   

We can all sit here and tell you what the scheme says and not to work for them (and so can the government). The reality is we do not live your life and have you bills etc to pay. We will not have to live with the company after this. From a legal point of view they can’t but from a practical point of view it is up to you If you want to fight it or not.

gary83

You can’t do volunteer work for them if it’s making them money or providing them with a service, that seems to cover anything they’d ask you to do

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

discat11

To be fair you're 100% correct. You've also already made yourself a target for an unscrupulous employer now, so you have to weigh up whether volunteering to do unpaid work now will actually have any genuine effect once everything returns to normal.
i.e. you're already the odd one out from what you say, so how much do you want to return to this employer and how much risk do you think you've made by sticking to your guns (absolutely correctly I hasten to add)?

Student30

I would report them to HMRC: What about all the other employers sticking to the rules. Your employer is gaining an unfair advantage. 
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/report-fraud-to-hmrc
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/shortforms/form/TEH_IRF

Thrugelmir

Student30 said:

I would report them to HMRC: What about all the other employers sticking to the rules. Your employer is gaining an unfair advantage. 
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/contact/report-fraud-to-hmrc
https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/shortforms/form/TEH_IRF

Best to find alternative employment first. There's plenty of time yet to put the boot in. Or alternatively use the fact to ones own advantage. 

Dottydoolay

Reporting is simply not an option when you’re the only idiot not lining the companies pockets for free labour, it’s too obvious who has hit the report button.
To the OP I’m so sorry you’re in this position so many of us were/are and there’s just no realistic support out there.
Im not saying it’s easy To find alternative employment but going forward hammer those job sites and get out of there.
Im speaking as someone who was in your exact position coupled with not even receiving furlough payments properly, I didn’t work for free and was treat like sh**.
Thankfully I found another job and have left them to rot! 

LeicesterWorker

Well you are getting paid, so maybe you are grateful for that, and want to volunteer like the others to keep the company going.
Some people are furloughed with no benefits.
If you don't feel that way about the company, you could ignore your bosses calls etc. and if they treat you differently, send them a letter highlighting the discrimination, so they know not to treat you like that.
If you feel you don't like the company, maybe give your work to another company you do like.