Furloughed - Partner in retail - no childcare

yellow1231231

Biscuit49 said:

As people are returning to work, you would hope that employers would be sympathetic to those with children to look after, and people in vulnerable groups. If a business has had to take the drastic measure of furloughing staff then it may be the case that the re-introduction of staff is a gradual measure, and you would hope that they might work with staff to bring back those without those dependencies first.

id hope employees would be sympathetic to the public debt and the other employees who are not less important because they dont have children 

Splatfoot

Fire_Fox said:

ljm2105 said:.

Ok maybe didn’t word that correctly, so childcare wasn’t a reason for introducing the scheme but if you read into it you could be furloughed even if work was available but you couldn’t work because you couldn’t get childcare (I honestly haven’t just made that up) so in that it’s  still saving jobs because without it those with dependants would have had to give up their jobs to care for them.

But, as a keyworker, that does not apply to you.

You are entitled to send your older children to school, probably entitled to send your youngest child to nursery, if not you can drop the youngest off with their grandparents. This is not social contact. Children have always been allowed to go to, say, both parents' homes where they are separated.

If you need to vary your contracted hours to fit around your older children's schooling, put your request to your employer in writing (letter or e-mail).

I'm pretty sure you are not meant to be dropping kids off at grandparents...... although I cannot see how they will be able to enforce this shortly. 

silvercar

Children are not meant to go to grandparents. As an exception to the general rule, children of separated parents are allowed to visit both parents; other than that people are meant to remain in their households. By sending to grandparents you are putting the grandparents at risk. The risk may be small if you have been isolating until this point, the minute those children are in nursery or school and grandparents providing wrap around care, you are increasing the risk dramatically.

diggingdude

silvercar said:

Children are not meant to go to grandparents. As an exception to the general rule, children of separated parents are allowed to visit both parents; other than that people are meant to remain in their households. By sending to grandparents you are putting the grandparents at risk. The risk may be small if you have been isolating until this point, the minute those children are in nursery or school and grandparents providing wrap around care, you are increasing the risk dramatically.

Why is it unacceptable to risk the lives of grandparents looking after their descendants but it seems fine to send childless people to work first?  Those without children have rights too you know

sharpe106

 Not to worry it fine for government advisors ,even when they have symptoms 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-52779356

John_

ljm2105 said:

Grumpy_chap said:

gettingtheresometime said:

ljm2105 said:

I don’t understand why other employees are being resentful in some cases to those who are furloughed, it’s not like it’s through choice, what do they want parents with young children to do under the current circumstances, take them to work with them?!! 

Seriously ? You really don't understand why someone would be upset at being told that they had to go into work, potentially using public transport or paying extortionate car parking fees, when Joanna Bloggs was able to be at home & getting 80% of her pay ?

The only way this could be evened up is if those people who had to go into work had first dibs on Christmas and Summer holidays.

I think the way this will be evened up in many places is those that were keen to work and managed their own affairs so they could work will be the most secure when the eventual round of redundancies come.  Those that found every reason and first call to be at home on 80% because of their 'special circumstances' and every reason not to go back to work will be the first to receive their P45.  This is not a comment to those on furlough and pushing to return, but those objecting to return (which there seem to be many such threads in this forum).

Not objecting to return but UNABLE to return, of course why don’t I just I take my three children to work with me because apparently that seems to be what everyone expects parents to do seem as they have no other option for childcare! 

If your partner is only doing eight hours can they try to do them at times when you are available to cover? If not then why can’t you take some annual leave to cover those days?

yksi

Thrugelmir said:

Matt_73 said:

My Partner works 8hrs in retail for Matalan, 

Could she not work her 8 hours on the days that you are not working. Flexibility is going to be required. 

Retail doesn't work like that. Matalan decides when it needs a shift covered, it isn't up to the employee. And if her contract also says that she has to make herself available for extra hours, it could be five or six days a week when the employer calls the scheduling shots.

yksi

ljm2105 said:

Yes seriously! It’s not through choice we are having to be off ! Next you’re going say well it is because we chose to have children so it’s our problem, but we didn’t choose for there to be a global pandemic did we! Obviously they have to choose those without dependants to continue working if there is only work for so many because THERE IS NO OPTION FOR CHILDCARE AT THE MINUTE!!  What exactly do you expect those of us with young children to do for childcare so we can go into work?? Family can’t come round to look after them, schools and nursery’s are closed so shall I just leave them home alone to fend for themselves, or maybe I should take them to work with me?? 

You've completely missed the point. You keep saying that it isn't your fault, but as cold as it sounds, the employer simply doesn't care. Your childcare issues aren't the employer's problem, it's a business and it's your problem not theirs. Sadly in the business world nobody else cares about your home issues. The entire world actually cares about who gets results and delivers the goods. That's how the world works, unfortunately.

I get that you don't seem able to solve your childcare struggles and that's sad for you, but just because you're blameless doesn't mean it isn't still your responsibility. The absolute bottom line is that employers are still inconvenienced. Then can, and will, favour the staff who turned up to work, and the ones who don't come to work will be the first ones to get shown the door. It isn't personal, it is business. Complaining that it's not your fault is utterly and completely pointless and will only cause you more stress, because there isn't a solution to be found from shouting that Covid-19 isn't fair. It will be far more useful for you to go through your finances with a fine toothed comb to cut costs in case you can take more unpaid leave. There are some great resources in these forums and it will help you to feel like you're doing something constructive.

silvercar

diggingdude said:

silvercar said:

Children are not meant to go to grandparents. As an exception to the general rule, children of separated parents are allowed to visit both parents; other than that people are meant to remain in their households. By sending to grandparents you are putting the grandparents at risk. The risk may be small if you have been isolating until this point, the minute those children are in nursery or school and grandparents providing wrap around care, you are increasing the risk dramatically.

Why is it unacceptable to risk the lives of grandparents looking after their descendants but it seems fine to send childless people to work first?  Those without children have rights too you know

Unbelievable, just unbelievable!
To turn what you wrote on its head, you think it fine to risk the lives of the elderly in order to give those without children "rights". I don't know what rights you are talking about, all you are being asked to do is to go to work and be paid.