Part time working and being furloughed

Annesdale

can I can anyone tell me
i work 17.5 hours for the church 
and volunteer in same place for other roles 
would furlough preclude me from still volunteering in the church doing something different to my job description 

thanks

sharpe106

You should not work for them whilst furloughed, they pay your wages so you can't volunteer in a different area. Although granted in your case you did it before so not suggesting you are doing anything underhand. But if they let you do it then it would open the system to abuse. Companies would just get employees to volunteer in different areas. 

Andy_L

You cannot volunteer for the church whist also furloughed by them as its still the same employer.

You'd might be ok volunteering for a different church although it depends on their organisation eg is the physical church its own business or is it a subsidiary of "The Church" and thus they are all part of the same business

Jeremy535897

It's actually quite a difficult and interesting question. On the face of it, if volunteering for your employer was allowed, you would have all sorts of coercing going on, so it would be surprising if it were allowed. The guidance says:

"While you’re on furlough

Once you are on furlough you will not be able to work for your employer. You can undertake training or volunteer subject to public health guidance, as long as you’re not:

• making money for your employer or a company linked or associated to your employer
• providing services to your employer or a company linked or associated to your employer
• furloughed by your employer and volunteering for them in a different role"

The last bullet point seems to preclude what OP wants to do.

The Treasury Direction doesn't mention volunteering. What it says is:
"6.1 An employee is a furloughed employee if-
(a) the employee has been instructed by the employer to cease all work in relation to their employment,
(b) the period for which the employee has ceased (or will have ceased) all work for the employer is 21 calendar days or more, and
(c) the instruction is given by reason of circumstances arising as a result of coronavirus or coronavirus disease.
6.2 An employee has not ceased all work for an employer if the employee works for a person connected with the employer (see paragraph 13.4) or otherwise works indirectly for the employer."

Is volunteering outside your employment role "work in relation to their employment"? Possibly not. Is volunteering "otherwise working indirectly for the employer"? Probably not. Is working for another church (of the same denomination) allowed? Probably not, as churches of the same denomination will probably be connected with each other, or there is just one employer anyway.

There is some hope in this post by a firm of solicitors, which I think takes the correct view, in that it distinguishes continuing volunteer roles you always did unpaid, and new unpaid roles you decide to take on:
https://www.edwardconnor.com/2020/04/28/can-a-furloughed-employee-volunteer/

Grumpy_chap

Have you been furloughed already?  If not, the last date for new furlough has passed.

If you are furloughed from your role at the church (I assume an admin function), then you cannot volunteer for them while furloughed.  The notes that Jeremy provided are very helpful to clarify this.  Is the OP a member of the preaching team / clergy or Parish Administrator?

There was a very long thread early in the lockdown from a vicar who wanted to furlough himself, but then provide support to his flock as a 'lay preacher'  That would definitely fall foul of the furlough rules, though he took some convincing.  It was also hard to see how, in times of difficulty, any member of the clergy team could truthfully say there was no work for them so furlough.

I can see, with a church, that there could be volunteer activities that the Parish Administrator does as a member of the congregation that are quite separate to the paid role.  Serving coffee after Sunday service.  Running the youth group.  These are substantially different to the paid role and I would suggest you could just carry on (except both of my examples will be stopped for the time being).  On the other hand, if counting the donations from a Sunday service is a volunteer activity, because it is quite similar to admin tasks, this could not reasonably be done while on furlough.