Reduce reliance on Furlough

My business can operate safely through this time but reduced demand will invariably result in it not being viable operating a 5day week. I would rather only claim 40% furlough assistance and operate 3 days per week for example but this all or nothing approach seems strange. I understood at the beginning that we really needed to ALL stay home but I would have thought some relaxation of this would have started. To get people back to work we need a gradual flexibility in the furlough scheme or I fear I’m simply delaying the inevitable where staff can never return to work as the business activity will never realistically justify full time hours for a long time to come. The system is leaving me to ask staff to work 3days a week knowing they’d get 60% of pay to work a reduced week or 80% if I keep them on furlough. If I don’t ask them however then there’s a strong chance there will be no business for them to return to work in.

Why the contribution is important

Need to support businesses to restart economic output and asking us to take people out of furlough whilst carrying the risk of salaries with a backdrop of unknown business levels is unrealistic.

by AB on May 05, 2020 at 11:20PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.7
Based on: 12 votes

Comments

  • Posted by Cinnamon May 06, 2020 at 21:03

    This is a sensible idea - it can make furlough more viable because it would be less costly for the government and so could run for longer, and at the same time it could help employees feel more connected with their employer/jobs. The extension of furlough could work in this flexible way.

  • Posted by Scotland_is_flatlining May 11, 2020 at 18:13

    It seems that Hollyrood is abusing the treasury funded furlough scheme: seeking to maximise Scotland's uptake at the expense of the rest of the UK and essentially sponge off the furlough scheme. Examples of this include:
     
    1) Different tests to close businesses such as constructuion
    2) Less aggressive plans to return to work

    This is risking jobs and will mean the cliff-edge at the end of furlough will hurt Scottish jobs more.
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