Using volunteers while staff on furlough

Beck70

My employer(a charity) has continued to pay my full salary despite there being less work for me to do during the crisis. This may become unsustainable for them the longer time goes on, as their income has greatly reduced directly as a result of lockdown. To qualify for the fexible furlough scheme (which would allow them to just pay me for the hours I am doing) I need to be furloughed fully for 3 weeks first. During this 3 weeks, is another volunteer permitted to cover my reduced workload?

suki1964

Yes

Its only those that are furloughed who cant work for their employer

sharpe106

I would not suggest that to them though, as they may decide to replace you with volunteers if there is enough volunteers to do the job anyway.

silvercar

I am in that situation as a volunteer. Normally I help out a few hours a week. Now income has dropped and they need to furlough a couple of admin staff so I will take up the slack. 
It only works because I know a lot of the systems and am generally clued up in the support area. I will only be doing about 2 days a week, spread out across the week and won't touch non urgent stuff or anything too awkward. It happens that I am available over the next few weeks. I wouldn't be able or willing to do this much under normal circumstances.

epm-84

It's worth remembering it might not be beneficial for them to replace employees with volunteers.  Employees have to pre-book leave, give notice before they leave and work the number of hours specified in their contract.  A volunteer may say they are going to be busy next week so can't do as much or decide at short notice that they don't want to volunteer anymore.

I'm aware Oxfam started having difficulties when some shops started using volunteer assistant managers, instead of paid assistant managers.

jago71

sharpe106 said:

I would not suggest that to them though, as they may decide to replace you with volunteers if there is enough volunteers to do the job anyway.

Can't help thinking that any employer, let alone a charity, worth their salt would already be all over this possibility like a rash to cut costs for themselves.

mobilejo

jago71 said:

sharpe106 said:

I would not suggest that to them though, as they may decide to replace you with volunteers if there is enough volunteers to do the job anyway.

Can't help thinking that any employer, let alone a charity, worth their salt would already be all over this possibility like a rash to cut costs for themselves.

True, but with one glaring problem in the cunning plan - how many people are going to volunteer to work in Tesco/the petrol station/the local newsagent for free?

jago71

mobilejo said:

jago71 said:

sharpe106 said:

I would not suggest that to them though, as they may decide to replace you with volunteers if there is enough volunteers to do the job anyway.

Can't help thinking that any employer, let alone a charity, worth their salt would already be all over this possibility like a rash to cut costs for themselves.

True, but with one glaring problem in the cunning plan - how many people are going to volunteer to work in Tesco/the petrol station/the local newsagent for free?

Good point, but last time I checked neither Tesco nor the local petrol station were a registered charity.
Not all local newsagents are either, but ours is as it is a community shop, and most of the workers there do give their time totally free for the benefit of the community.

I must have missed the bit where the OP said they worked in Tesco/the petrol station/the local newsagent

mobilejo

jago71 said:

mobilejo said:

jago71 said:

sharpe106 said:

I would not suggest that to them though, as they may decide to replace you with volunteers if there is enough volunteers to do the job anyway.

Can't help thinking that any employer, let alone a charity, worth their salt would already be all over this possibility like a rash to cut costs for themselves.

True, but with one glaring problem in the cunning plan - how many people are going to volunteer to work in Tesco/the petrol station/the local newsagent for free?

Good point, but last time I checked neither Tesco nor the local petrol station were a registered charity.
Not all local newsagents are either, but ours is as it is a community shop, and most of the workers there do give their time totally free for the benefit of the community.

I must have missed the bit where the OP said they worked in Tesco/the petrol station/the local newsagent

The OP didn't, but logically you included those employers when you said "any employer, let alone a charity" worth their salt would be trying to use volunteers. 

So is Tesco/the petrol station/the local newsagent not "any employer" now?

As I say, there is a huge hole in your plan...

epm-84

If a business uses 'volunteers' to undertake work for them they may be entitled to the minimum wage even if they sign an agreement saying it's a voluntary position and HMRC could name and shame the business for failing to pay the minimum wage to its staff.  That also applies for unpaid internships which aren't done as part of a university course, especially if it has fixed hours set by the employer.