Furlough

Scrabble22

I've been placed on Furloughed although been sent home with a laptop and expected to work. I'm the only 1 out of 3 colleagues in our group who is expected to work yet all on furloughed. We were all placed on Furloughed yesterday with the promise to pay us full basic pay until the 17th April. I have plenty of work to carry me through and happy to do this as I am the only one helping customers. My query is should my position be on Furloughed. After the 17th if I'm not getting full pay can I refuse to work from home. Others in my company in other dept are working from home and not on furloughed so I assume full pay. I think my position as fell through a gap as my manager doesn't understand and I want to take this to HR but don't want no fall outs. I want to understand my rights. 

Galloglass

I've been placed on Furloughed

You've been offered "furlough" as an alternative to redundancy. That option may not have been mentioned to you. 

Furlough is a change in contractual terms which you will either have been asked to agree to, or you have accepted by tacit agreement. You can agree or refuse to anything you want. The employer still has the option of paying you 100% or any variation that you both agree to. If there is a disagreement, you sort it out with HR but the problem with refusing a reasonable request is effectively sacking yourself without compensation.

Hermann

You can not do any work for the company whilst on furlough...

Employees you can claim for

Furloughed employees must have been on your PAYE payroll on 28 February 2020, and can be on any type of contract, including:

• full-time employees
• part-time employees
• employees on agency contracts
• employees on flexible or zero-hour contracts

The scheme also covers employees who were made redundant since 28 February 2020, if they are rehired by their employer.

To be eligible for the subsidy, when on furlough, an employee can not undertake work for or on behalf of the organisation. This includes providing services or generating revenue. While on furlough, the employee’s wage will be subject to usual income tax and other deductions.

This scheme is only for employees on agency contracts who are not working.

If an employee is working, but on reduced hours, or for reduced pay, they will not be eligible for this scheme and you will have to continue paying the employee through your payroll and pay their salary subject to the terms of the employment contract you agreed.

Employers should discuss with their staff and make any changes to the employment contract by agreement. When employers are making decisions in relation to the process, including deciding who to offer furlough to, equality and discrimination laws will apply in the usual way.

To be eligible for the subsidy employers should write to their employee confirming that they have been furloughed and keep a record of this communication.

Employees hired after 28 February 2020 cannot be furloughed or claimed for in accordance with this scheme.

You do not need to place all your employees on furlough. However, those employees who you do place on furlough cannot undertake work for you.