Flexible furlough; constantly changing hours

blakeybasher

Hi. I'm currently Flexi furloughed. My employer wants me to do either full 10 hours per day or 5 hours and then furlough for the other 5 per day. It started with giving me a few days notice of what I will be working. She requested to tell me the day before which is annoying but fine. Now I have no idea what my working hours are from one day to the next. Sometimes she comes into my office at 3pm and says I should have done 5 hours not a full day but ignored my calls and emails to ask her. Other times she'll come to me on my lunch break and tells me to go home because I'm furloughed the afternoon. Is she supposed to give me any notice? She's suggested I should expect to do 10 and be pleasently surprised if I do less but I have a 1 year old so sometimes if my parents who look after her are going somewhere, I can't join them last minute if they've pre-booked an activity. I need structure and routine so it's driving me crazy not knowing what I'm doing each day! Any advice? I know I'm lucky to have a job before any tells me to be gratefull!

MattMattMattUK

blakeybasher said:

Hi. I'm currently Flexi furloughed. My employer wants me to do either full 10 hours per day or 5 hours and then furlough for the other 5 per day. It started with giving me a few days notice of what I will be working. She requested to tell me the day before which is annoying but fine. Now I have no idea what my working hours are from one day to the next. Sometimes she comes into my office at 3pm and says I should have done 5 hours not a full day but ignored my calls and emails to ask her. Other times she'll come to me on my lunch break and tells me to go home because I'm furloughed the afternoon. Is she supposed to give me any notice? She's suggested I should expect to do 10 and be pleasently surprised if I do less but I have a 1 year old so sometimes if my parents who look after her are going somewhere, I can't join them last minute if they've pre-booked an activity. I need structure and routine so it's driving me crazy not knowing what I'm doing each day! Any advice? I know I'm lucky to have a job before any tells me to be gratefull!

You do not have any rights as such, provided the hours are within your contracted hours and any amends made by the furlough agreement. From a rational perspective do as your boss says, plan to work ten hours and if you do not then treat that as a plus, spend that time doing something for yourself, relax, read a book, whatever it is as if you were working you would not get to spend that time with family anyway. If you approach it pragmatically that will stop you feeling disappointed that you do not get to go somewhere with your parents and child, you would not be going if you were working so you are not missing out regardless.

Probably the main point is just stick it out for the few more months that furlough exists, there are only three more months left of CJRS so three more months of slight and largely beneficial uncertainty is not going to be something you can not manage. 

Thrugelmir

What are your contractual working hours? Is the flexi furlough you are being asked to work within these boundaries. 

mattyprice4004

If your flexi hours are within your contracted hours, then it's fair enough. 
Are they within this? 

sheramber

Your employer doesn't have to furlough you. It is entirely his choice whether he does or not.

You are getting paid for your contracted hours so should be available if needed, not going on days out.

Biscuit49

The idea is with Furlough that you should be 'ready' to work if required. Its the reason even if people are on furlough and have specific needs to be off for a day, week etc for holidays or whatever then they should book annual leave to ensure that they can do that.

That said I would expect some structured communication from your employer just out of common courtesy.

mario20

My wife's on 3 day variable contract which average around 16 plus hours p/w. However during past year her full weekly furlough pay based on average hours from year 2019/20 worked out at 20 hours furlough pay p/w.
When she started back on flexible furlough her weekly income dropped as employer deducted her furlough hours off present worked week which was 17 hours? Therefore her income is less than when she was on full furlough? I thought furlough rules was still based on 2019/20 average hours? Employer says flexible furlough is different than full furlough. Can anyone advise please.

Jeremy535897

The method for calculating furlough is very complex, and it is here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/calculate-how-much-you-can-claim-using-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme