To Be Or Not To Be Furloughed

There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t get asked the question whether the temporary or permanent members of staff we support can be furloughed, should be furloughed or could come off of furlough. The legislation is still grey in parts with different interpretations causing confusion over the first few weeks, but thankfully, as we work our way through this new unknown it is starting to settle down.

I was hosting a Round Table discussion after a couple of weeks of working from home and an idea was shared that said “we don’t have the right to be negative right now. We are more fortunate than the workers at the frontline. We aren’t putting our physical health at risk, we still have jobs and so should to be grateful for that” and it really stuck with me.

I’ve shared these musings with others and in the main, we all agree. If still working we are lucky to be doing so and, whilst it’s taken some adapting, working from home is becoming ‘the norm’.

However, there are new questions arising, questions almost whispered to avoid sounding ungrateful in any way that’s a very simple one - why couldn’t I be furloughed? Why can’t I be sat in the sun, or spending time with loved ones, or doing all of those things that I’ve been wanting to do for years?

The pressure for people still working in businesses where staff have been furloughed has increased in a way that couldn’t have been predicted, with many now working to keep the businesses running and afloat for those who’ve been furloughed. It may not be true for every industry, but for many the expectation and need to work harder and smarter than ever before is huge and the training courses being released in their hundreds by the daily are testament to this.

In some businesses, staff on furlough are still receiving 100% of wages whilst all are receiving 80%, whilst still accruing holiday pay. And yet the word heard more than any other from those not working is “bored”. Some are working harder than ever to make sure those who’ve been furloughed have a business to come back to and yet there has been a huge reaction to having to take what has been a very necessary endeavour.

Now I know this isn’t the same for everyone and am certainly making a generalisation. Furloughed staff are worried and concerned about what will happen post-June and whether they will have jobs to come back to. But those same pressures and feelings are on those working – if businesses don’t bounce back, as soon as they possibly can, every person in those companies is at risk.

As one of my close friends asked me the other day – if my colleagues are furloughed, earning the same as I am and getting to write, exercise, spend time with family and loved ones at their leisure, sort out homes, explore new hobbies, read to their heart’s content or simply binge watch without feeling guilty for it, why am I working my ass off without any additional benefit?

It’s a really tough one to answer.

I doubt very much that those who have been furloughed are ungrateful in any way to businesses or the Government for providing such amazing support. However, in a currently isolated world, there are people out there wishing they’d been given the option of furlough. Usually though, they are still very much needed by their businesses, showing just how well they’ve done to earn that respect from their company, but those who’ve not been able to be furloughed aren’t going to get three months wages at the end of this for not working.

I can guarantee that there would be a huge uptake, even at 80%, for a three-month work break / sabbatical when everything re-opens to those who’ve been working through this. Instead, the pressure will increase again and there’s a strong chance of burnout.

People returning to work may feel exhausted and, from a few murmurs, may feel a sense of animosity towards those who’ve been taking home the same pay packets without needing to work day in and day out from home.

Our Managers and Senior Leadership Teams need to ensure that a strategy is in place for this.

With up to 10 million workers furloughed our teams need to be stronger than ever on their return, though with many losing huge percentages of their turnover through this extraordinary time, there is small chance of offering financial gratitude to those who’ve worked to keep businesses afloat.

What could businesses do? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

There’s a chance that furlough will end up being 2020’s word of the year if it’s not COVID and it’s one I doubt many of us will forget.

Are you furloughed? Do you wish you were? Are you grateful for not being?

We’ll be discussing the potential for burnout as one of many topics on tomorrow’s Zoom Round Table – Looking After Your Mental Health and Wellbeing. If you’d be interested, let me know and I’ll get you the link sent over!

Cheers!