Furlough: how much notice to return

sbylouk

Please can I get some opinions? I am 7 weeks into being furloughed after a period of working from home so I have my work PC at home. I have been told that I can now be asked to do work at short notice under the flexible furlough rules. Upper management seem to think I should be sat by the phone all day ready to jump on work immediately from now until the end of October. I think they should allow me at least an hour to start as I might not be in the same room as my phone or I might be doing food shopping or at an appointment. My boss thinks starting the next day is more reasonable and he plans to try and get upper management to change their minds next week.

What do you think is reasonable? I don’t think my mental health will tolerate being trapped in the house all day for the next 4 months when I am likely to only get around 3 to 6 hours of work a week at most and possibly not every week. I’d like to think that it’s reasonable I can do things during the day as long as I don’t venture more than an hour or so from home. Thanks in advance!

gettingtheresometime

Can I just ask why you think you'll be on furlough until October? Personally that seems a little extreme unless you work in an industry like theatre etc

sharpe106

I would think a day notice is more than reasonable. Or if they want you to work that day inform you first thing. Rather than having to hang around all day just in case. 

prowla

If they want you to be on duty all day then you're not on furlough...

sbylouk

gettingtheresometime said:

Can I just ask why you think you'll be on furlough until October? Personally that seems a little extreme unless you work in an industry like theatre etc

Aviation. They’ve told me the arrangement is likely to be in place until the end of October.

I should have added to my original post that I’m very grateful to still have a job in this difficult time! I know I’m very lucky.

jayzor

I would think a days notice is reasonable for all parties, anything more is unfair on you.

sbylouk

prowla said:

If they want you to be on duty all day then you're not on furlough...

Thanks, this is helpful wording. I will use this if my boss has no joy and suggest my colleagues in the same situation do the same.

Grumpy_chap

There is no reason for them to give you any notice as while you are on furlough, you should still remain "available for work", i.e. it is not a holiday.

It is positive that the company is going to use the flexible furlough as a means to recover the business on a path towards normal working levels.

That said, everyone should be reasonable and it is not reasonable for you to treat the normal working hours as totally restricted if there is no sign of work - even if you were at the office, you take breaks and lunch etc.  So, if you are called up and asked to start 'immediately' then so long as it does not take you that long to get back and logged in, it is just equivalent to being on a smoke / coffee / lunch break, is it not?

There is a danger that, if you or your boss, push-back, then you are seen as trouble makers and risk being in the firing line if there are cut backs further down the line. 

It may also be that the "upper management" when referring to "start immediately" are being mis-interpreted when the message is passed down by your boss.  It is unlikely that anything would happen that is so important that, if it took you an hour to get going it would make any difference or they would even know.  They are probably just trying to prevent people saying they can't work because they have taken the family for a day out at the zoo (or wherever).

If you are local and able to work at short notice, then that should be fine from a practical point of view.  If it is phone calls / e-mail you need to respond to, can you do that from your phone, so you are available 'immediately' even if out at the shops?

The best course may well be to agree to be available 'immediately' and informally agree with your boss what that means in practice.  If you had to return to the office, it would take you an hour to get there, so if you can work within an hour, that is not the end of the world I would not have thought.

You could also try to be at home (but doing stuff, gardening etc) during the normal work hours and go for shopping etc in the time you would normally be commuting.

hb2

OP, FWIW, I think you are being more than reasonable in asking for at least an hour's notice! 

sbylouk

Grumpy_chap said:

It may also be that the "upper management" when referring to "start immediately" are being mis-interpreted when the message is passed down by your boss.  It is unlikely that anything would happen that is so important that, if it took you an hour to get going it would make any difference or they would even know.  They are probably just trying to prevent people saying they can't work because they have taken the family for a day out at the zoo (or wherever).

Thanks, your post is really helpful.

When I am in the office one particular project manager will routinely ask my department at lunchtime to produce brand new work by 3pm. This is because he has an unreasonable customer and can’t say no to them. But he is the MD’s son so nothing can be done about it and it’s him I could fall foul of!

edit: I should clarify that I am in a two person department and the work requests come directly to us - my boss is in a different department but looks after us from a ‘welfare perspective’.

phillw

sbylouk said:
When I am in the office one particular project manager will routinely ask my department at lunchtime to produce brand new work by 3pm. This is because he has an unreasonable customer and can’t say no to them. But he is the MD’s son so nothing can be done about it and it’s him I could fall foul of!

I don't have a problem with flexible working like that as long as it's possible to achieve the work in that short time and it's a two way street. i.e. at 3pm and the work is done, you're told you can go home. If the work is realistically going to take a day then missing a lunch break just so you can say you've started it is pointless. You've already fallen foul of him & he knows it.
There is no minimum notice, but you're allowed to go for toilet breaks, look after children, care for others while on furlough. They would need to show it was a reasonable length of time to win at an employment tribunal. If you're more worried about them making life hard on you for arbitrary reasons, then in my opinion you need to start working on your CV and stop worrying about what they want.
I'd probably phone ACAS and ask for their advice, it seems they are turning you from a salaried employee to zero hours and then making the difference up with furlough but without a clear change of contract agreed. ACAS may have some guidance that you can pass on.