My boss is being quite demanding regarding my availability during furlough. Effectively expecting me to be either sat at my PC all day, or watching my phone, for emails from work asking me to do something. I was under the impression that even checking emails was not really meant to be done while on furlough.
All the info on the net I can find, really relates to the employer point of view. Can't find much for employees. Any got any resources they can point me at?
I should add, that the company is chaotic, and I've been hardly told anything and certainly dont have any sort of "furlough contract" in writing etc.
That's not "on furlough," that's "working from home." Which is it?
Sounds like a tax dodge to me. Suggest to them that you're going to clarify details with HMRC, see how fast they backpedal.
I work from home under normal circumstances anyway, which doesn't make the issue any clearer. I've started to force the issue, and asked for a clarification of the situation. They've come back with employees on furlough must be "available for work, for all normal work hours, and work as and when requested."
I was under the impression that even checking emails was not really meant to be done while on furlough.
You could say its not the done thing. More accurately, it's illegal. Your boss really shouldn't be asking and you'd be well within your rights to dob him in. Furlough is more flexible these days so you can switch more easily between working and furlough but if you are on furlough you are not, and shouldn't be, working
So they get the government to pay your salary?
As said above, you shouldn’t even be checking emails.
Also, your boss should have formally consulted you about going on furlough and you should have confirmed it in writing
We are expecting our auditor to ask for evidence that employees did not access email during periods of furlough. We set up a WhatsApp group for whole team social comms and 'please be available for update on...' type conversations.
They’ve come back with employees on furlough must be “available for work, for all normal work hours, and work as and when requested.”
It's been said before, but that's not furlough.
To echo all the above, you shouldn't be checking work emails.
We had to ask our team members if they were willing to provide their personal email addresses so we could check in on with them, and told them to not touch their work accounts.
Ah, I should have mentioned, when I'm requested to work I have to log the hours. So say a support email comes in, it takes me 30mins to sort, I tally that up and do a monthly time sheet for the hours I've actually worked. I have no problem with doing the work, what I don't get is how "available" I should be.
So if checking emails is illegal. How about having to have my work phone with me, and responding to email notifications that come in on it?
There was never any "formal" consultation, and nothing really in writing, except that I'm now on "flexible furlough".
Them's the rules.
Sounds like a pretty terrible employer...
Sounds like a tax dodge to me. Suggest to them that you’re going to clarify details with HMRC, see how fast they backpedal.
A lot of HMRC staff who were pulled over to the Covid payment schemes are now being moved to the compliance teams to look to claw back the overpayments and incorrect claims. Your boss may want to know this
They’ve come back with employees on furlough must be “available for work, for all normal work hours, and work as and when requested.”
That's easy.
You are available for work as described there, as soon as you're off furlough.
Sounds like a pretty terrible employer…
Too true. But suits me in all sorts of respects, so was hoping to stay with them for as long as poss. Not sure that's going to be much longer. I knew it would all kick off once they had to start contributing 10% (or is it 5) to the furlough bill.
does he have keylogging software installed?
If our place is doing it right (which I'm not overly confident of) then we have written confirmation of when we will be on furlough in advance, month by month where possible. We sign it and return it before payroll cutoff date so they can do all the HMRC stuff.
There are exceptions, when I've been called back in, but that had been for a whole day (regardless if actual workload) and I've had a new letter to confirm the change.
Sounds like your boss has you on call paid by HMRC.
As soon as we go home, phone is off and out of office is on.
Surprising brazen attitude to this. Spoke to a bloke who was quite forward about the fact that he had been furloughed since day 1. I know the company and I am certain they have been productive during this period. With no staff? Not fair.
No emails.my friend got furloughed but had to get written permission to log on and block everyone from the servers who where in the same boat as people kept emailing each other much to his employers horror I might add.
He then got re furloughed the next day.
Brazen - Yep, my management just dont like paying people, and jumped at furlough once it was on offer. They even "joked" about it at one point saying how generous the government was being paying my wage.
No keylogging. I'm my one IT support thankfully, otherwise I'm sure they would consider it.
You can work while furloughed but the hours must be recorded, you of course can’t work your normal hours.
Spoke to a bloke who was quite forward about the fact that he had been furloughed since day 1. I know the company and I am certain they have been productive during this period. With no staff? Not fair.
Shop them to HMRC.
No email
No telephone calls
No work that profits the company including maintenance
You can do training.
Thats it.
God help anyone who flouts this as its very very easy to establish evidence.
Our company have been very cute about it, we're on a 30 hour week but still pretty much expected to meet all obligations, and since a lot of our projects require hours over and sbove anyway which don't get time sheeted, it just means hours over and above 30hrs rather than over and above 37.5hrs.
I'd be more pissed off but I'm spending a good few hours a week interviewing or talking to recruiters 😎
No email
No telephone calls
No work that profits the company including maintenance
If that's the case, how do we maintain communication regarding starting/stopping flexible furlough? This is one of my main issues. MD expects me to either be at my desk waiting for alerts, or have a phone on me with alerts enabled. Once I get an alert I'm expected to respond, and come off furlough and return to work for that 'job', log my hours, then return to furlough.
By the way, thanks everyone who has contributed to this thread. Really useful. I went on a long ride to clear my head over the w/e. Ended up deciding that I'm going to leave current employer, but aiming for a time of my choosing. This thread really helped my thinking on the issues. Cheers 🙂
Our company have been very cute about it, we’re on a 30 hour week but still pretty much expected to meet all obligations, and since a lot of our projects require hours over and sbove anyway which don’t get time sheeted, it just means hours over and above 30hrs rather than over and above 37.5hrs.
You're paid overtime, right?
If that’s the case, how do we maintain communication regarding starting/stopping flexible furlough? This is one of my main issues.
Not seeing an issue here at all. They have your postal address.
MD expects me to either be at my desk waiting for alerts, or have a phone on me with alerts enabled.
And this falls under "managing expectations." They can expect what they like, that doesn't impress on you a responsibility.
Sounds to me like you are on "on call" not on furlough.
This is one of my main issues. MD expects me to either be at my desk waiting for alerts, or have a phone on me with alerts enabled. Once I get an alert I’m expected to respond,
You're providing a service to your employer in being available; that counts as work.
You’re paid overtime, right?
Nope, our industry just expects the work to get done basically, don't think over-time exists anywhere.
I'd complain more loudly but here I am posting on STW during working hours, so yeah, I could probably work a bit more efficiently...
I've probably lost perspective as to how badly my particular industry has managed the pandemic, but from my viewpoint it has been a healthy mix of head-in-the-sand 'the show must go on, deadlines must be met' and good old fashioned misogyny - Nurseries closed? Just get your wife to look after your child, her job is probably less important anyway... On no account must you do less work or go off on furlough etc. etc.
Aidy, that's my thoughts. I've been told workers on flexible furlough have to be "available for work", and this in their eyes means on the end of a phone/email.
That'd be like saying you could have supermarket cashiers on furlough for all the time they're sitting at the checkout and not actively serving customers.
I'm just going to put another spin on it from an employer's point of view. Not saying your particular employer might be taking things too far or not ASI do t really know how much they are expecting you to answer calls or emails.
My employer, a small company, less than 50 staff, almost went under during the pandemic with no idea if work would come back and how they would meet their financial obligations. Directors putting money in from their wages to cover costs, redundancies,pay cuts/freezes.
I would say that to have your phone on you for contact if necessary and be able to answer any emails that might be crucial is a pretty small thing to do when the future of the company and therefore your job might be in the balance. I was required to hop on and off furlough for odd days when business came in last minute and I was needed back the following day for a 2 or 3 day job. It was no hassle. I'd rather have a job at the end of all this.
How hard is it to answer a call to come back to work,unless you don't really want to work I guess?
We have a couple of members of staff that refused to come back in last minute if requested as they were busy, or just didn't answer phones when work was available, it was not exactly something that helped an already bad situation
Nope, our industry just expects the work to get done basically, don’t think over-time exists anywhere.
See my previous comment about managing expectations. They can expect what they like.
They've reduced your paid hours but still expect you to put the same amount of time in. So long as you keep working for free then they'll continue to have you for a mug rather than hire sufficient staff to cover the workload.
I was required to hop on and off furlough for odd days when business came in last minute and I was needed back the following day for a 2 or 3 day job.
I think being in the following day would be fine.
Being available all day, and hopping on/off "furlough" on a minute by minute basis is just working, though.