Furlough not an option

Barny1979

OP, nothing has been done here, but remember this when/if things improve and get back to normality and the job market is buoyant, a big ask I know, but look elsewhere when opportunities arise.

Savvy_Sue

lincroft1710 said:

Just do your job to the best of your ability and report any concerns about staffing levels logically and unemotionally to your line manager.

This. Also if in a union speak to them. If not in a union, join.

Thrugelmir

CuriousUser said:

 The company I work for has closed 4 out of 5 premises (hotels) in the town where I live and left the one I am based at opened. Now, all the 4 other sites team's are on Job Retention Scheme 

I'd prefer to be working now than be concerned that the hotel I work at will never reopen. Highly possible that a number of your colleagues will be cut loose. There's not going to a light switch moment when the economy restarts. Likely to be a long grind upwards. Remember this is a global not just a UK event. 

TBagpuss

OP, the fact that others are furloughed and you are working may feel unfair, but it is entirely legal, and you are doing what you were originally employed and contracted to do. I do understand, for those f us still working, most of us are doing so in conditions which are harder and more stressful than in normal circumstances, and it can feel as though these on furlough got, or are getting, an extended paid holiday. It feels unfair and it's easy to resent those who got the easier option. That said, it's perfectly legal, and complaining about it being unfair is not likely to go down well. 

If your location is understaffed then that is something to raise with your managers.

They may be able to arrange for other employees to be brought in to bring staffing levels up to the appropriate level, but whether this is possible may depend ion the way the contracts are written - normally, can your managers move you from one hotel to another or is your place of employment always the same hotel?  If you normally have  a fixed location then your employer may not have the option of moving staff from other hotels, even of they want to.

Obviously if the understaffing is actually breaching health and safety requirements (and check if they are legal requirement, or your employers internal policies) then raise that with whoever is responsible for H&S - probably someone in HR, and be as specific as possible - sates, times, what happened and why its an issue. 

It's also worth bearing in mind that the economic damage done by the pandemic isn't going to go away overnight. Travel and tourism are not going to pick up instantly. It's very likely that your employer may be laying people off in the next few months. And while I think that technically, employers will be told that a fair process for selecting for redundancy should exclude consideration of whether people were furloughed or not, having continued to work may well put you in a stronger position if it means your skills are more current, you are more visible to your immediate mangers etc. And one possibility may be that they close one or more of the hotels permanently and make the whole staff at that location redundant  - if you were one of the furloughed staff, you might well be thinking of those issues and feeling it is unfair that you got sent home and others are still able to work and build up their experience and skills. 

In your position, I would focus on any actual breaches of H&S regulations, and steer well clear of any other complaints. 

Barny1979

I wonder how many people stating they are entitled to furlough and are not, or those who have been furloughed will soon be banging the rhetoric of workshy benefit scroungers when Covid has settled down?