Holidays taken during furlough

BCH_2

Hi all, bit of a strange one. I've only just realised that employers can take furlough pay from Gov for employees on booked leave.

While on furlough I thought it best to book leave in, rather than just getting off for a week. To be honest no one would have noticed even if I had, and my employer wouldn't have found out. 

Anyway, I thought I'll do it by the book and put leave in. But now I'm thinking I've done myself over with them claiming 70% of my salary from Gov (flex furlough 70% + 30% employer contribution of £30.00 saving my employer £450.00 by requesting leave and losing it to take, roll over or sell back to them.

Here's an example (just for ease)
5 x days hols (work week) @ £100.00 in normal time = £500.00 cost to my employer. (I got paid this for my week off. They will have paid 30% for holiday pay to top up from Gov 70% to make full pay). 

If I had just gone on holiday without telling anyone I would still have got my furlough pay of £400.00.

Therefore for my week off I've only earned myself an extra £100.00 and I lose 5 days holiday.
Here's where I think I've done myself over. As a lot of people have leave not taken it needs to forced leave, bought back (cash in lieu of time off) or rolled over.

Have I done myself over by being honest? Hope all this makes sense!? 

Jeremy535897

Your employer could simply have obliged you to take your holiday during furlough (provided sufficient notice was given). Many employers have done just that. If your employer has not been doing that, you may have "lost out", but as you should be available to be recalled to work at any time while furloughed, perhaps it was safer and better to be honest.

Grumpy_chap

Honesty was definitely the best policy.

epm-84

BCH_2 said:

Here's an example (just for ease)
5 x days hols (work week) @ £100.00 in normal time = £500.00 cost to my employer. (I got paid this for my week off. They will have paid 30% for holiday pay to top up from Gov 70% to make full pay). 

If I had just gone on holiday without telling anyone I would still have got my furlough pay of £400.00.

Therefore for my week off I've only earned myself an extra £100.00 and I lose 5 days holiday.
Here's where I think I've done myself over. As a lot of people have leave not taken it needs to forced leave, bought back (cash in lieu of time off) or rolled over.

Have I done myself over by being honest? Hope all this makes sense!? 

If you had gone on holiday without telling anyone, your employer recalled you then you would not have been available for work and they could have either dismissed you or forced you to take unpaid leave until you returned.

If you were furloughed for months, had no holidays booked in and then returned to work then it's unlikely your employer would have been able to accommodate all your annual leave in part of the year so if you had no holidays booked in during furlough they may have requested that you take some.