Furlough: how much notice to return

sbylouk

phillw said:

f 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.

Yeah, it’s this! I do an incredibly niche job that most people have never heard of so hiring people is difficult for my employer but also finding another job is equally difficult for me. My employer knows that most of the other people who do what I do won’t work for them for fairly obvious reasons! I stay there because there are plus sides believe it or not. I’ve dusted off my CV, joined linked in and plan to approach another company after October but it’s unlikely anyone will be hiring any time soon.

The short deadlines are no problem when we’re in the office or officially working from home.

From the answers people are posting it seems that I’m being reasonable wanting to be able to at least leave the house if I stay local. My employer has a skewed view of what is ‘reasonable’ so I feel confident now to push back.

phillw

sbylouk said:
My employer knows that most of the other people who do what I do won’t work for them for fairly obvious reasons!

They may feel more confident that people will be desperate right now & if they have more people that can do your job than work right now then they might not be bothered with how much of a pain it will be to replace you. But I think there is room between being scared that you'll spend too many seconds away from your computer when they ask you to jump to it & living your best life that both parties can be reasonably happy with. Even if they won't admit it.
Apart from going food shopping once a week and a walk in the evening, I can't think of anywhere I'd actually want to go anyway.

sbylouk

phillw said:

They may feel more confident that people will be desperate right now & if they have more people that can do your job than work right now then they might not be bothered with how much of a pain it will be to replace you. But I think there is room between being scared that you'll spend too many seconds away from your computer when they ask you to jump to it & living your best life that both parties can be reasonably happy with. Even if they won't admit it.

Apart from going food shopping once a week and a walk in the evening, I can't think of anywhere I'd actually want to go anyway.

I’m the only person in my office who can do my job, but you’re right, there are others out there who could. The other person on my team doesn’t have the full skill set. I was furloughed because I’m more expensive. There are jobs that came in he couldn’t handle that I will have to do at some point this month but they aren’t urgent and I will likely get a few days notice for those. However the urgent stuff could come to me if the project manager thinks it will get done quicker. I’m in a relatively safe position as far as my job is concerned compared to a lot of unfortunate people in this country. Funnily I’m less ‘problematic’ than other people they might employ, I’m one of the ones who argues the least! I think they might prefer me!

Agreed there’s not much I will be doing! I do food shopping during the day because it’s quieter and I’m mildly disabled so I can’t handle queuing at the busier times (evenings and weekends). Also my mother is more disabled than me so I do some of her shopping and deliver it to her, again during the day. Apart from going to a park for a bit that’s about my lot! No high street shopping or going to a cafe for me for now.

Thrugelmir

sbylouk said:

phillw said:

f 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.

From the answers people are posting it seems that I’m being reasonable wanting to be able to at least leave the house if I stay local. My employer has a skewed view of what is ‘reasonable’ so I feel confident now to push back.

No one is indispensable. Going to many people looking for work. 

sbylouk

Thrugelmir said:
No one is indispensable. Going to many people looking for work. 

Very true. I appreciate you pointing it out. At the moment everyone who does what I do within a reasonable commute of my city still has their job! It’s a small world; we all know each other and most of them have upset my employer at some point and vice versa so I’m being hopeful! Also the work is mostly military that my employer can’t send elsewhere which helps. But of course there are no guarantees.

I know pushing back back puts me at more risk than if I didn’t but I don’t think I’ll cope with not leaving the house all day every week day for 4 months between 9 and 5 when I have little to no work to occupy me. I’ve weighed it up based on the answers here and I’m willing to take the risk I think. I’m hoping they’ll allow for an hour to get logged on to my PC; if they allow for more it will be amazing but I’m not expecting it.

mattyprice4004

To be honest, I’d be telling them I’m out taking care of a relative on or on a longer walk (both perfectly fine on furlough) and they’ll have to wait. 

Expecting you online immediately is unreasonable, a day’s notice is fair, 

Thrugelmir

sbylouk said:

Thrugelmir said:
No one is indispensable. Going to many people looking for work. 

Very true. I appreciate you pointing it out. At the moment everyone who does what I do within a reasonable commute of my city still has their job! It’s a small world; we all know each other and most of them have upset my employer at some point and vice versa so I’m being hopeful! Also the work is mostly military that my employer can’t send elsewhere which helps. But of course there are no guarantees.

I know pushing back back puts me at more risk than if I didn’t but I don’t think I’ll cope with not leaving the house all day every week day for 4 months between 9 and 5 when I have little to no work to occupy me. I’ve weighed it up based on the answers here and I’m willing to take the risk I think. I’m hoping they’ll allow for an hour to get logged on to my PC; if they allow for more it will be amazing but I’m not expecting it.

If companies don't get back to work quickly then they won't survive. Furlough has made many people insulated from the reality of the outside world. Redundancy isn't a pleasant experience. Going to be a wake call for many. 

sbylouk

Thrugelmir said:

If companies don't get back to work quickly then they won't survive. Furlough has made many people insulated from the reality of the outside world. Redundancy isn't a pleasant experience. Going to be a wake call for many. 

I’m trying to mentally get myself ready for redundancy towards the end of the year. The only way I’m likely to lose my job is if my company stops trading completely. I won’t find the same job elsewhere so I will have to retrain to do something new or try and get a job that doesn’t require a specific skill - there will be a LOT of other people trying to do the same! It’s going to be really rough. But we have a decent emergency fund in the bank and took on a mortgage we knew we could still afford if I ever lost my job so fingers tightly crossed we’ll cope.

unholyangel

It's not wise to draw a direct comparison as it was a judgement with regards to rest breaks, but gallagher v alpha catering shows that time employees are on call/at the employers disposal but not physically working, is considered working time and not a rest break just because, retrospectively, no work came in during that period. 

But I'm sure it would be a convincing argument for why, if it doesn't constitute a rest break during a working day, it would not satisfy the requirement of furlough that you ceased all work. And that, likewise, it is not retrospectively a period of furlough just because no work came in that day. 

adamp87

To be honest to me calling you the day before during normal working hours say I think would be fair.

Calling you at 7am/8 am to come in for 9 am I think wouldn’t be.