OV9

Furlough finally happening at our place, though I'm excluded to keep the lights on. They're topping up to 100% so not sure how to feel. The mrs is the HR manager and has volunteered for furlough, but still has to manage the process. Not quite sure how that works. TBH I will just continue with my hour or two a day so meh.

mr_jon wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 5:19 pm Furlough finally happening at our place, though I'm excluded to keep the lights on. They're topping up to 100% so not sure how to feel. The mrs is the HR manager and has volunteered for furlough, but still has to manage the process. Not quite sure how that works. TBH I will just continue with my hour or two a day so meh.

You can't work on furlough though can you so how can she do it??

If you're a Director you're still obliged and allowed to carry out essential functions.

Carlos wrote: Wed Apr 15, 2020 6:39 pm If you're a Director you're still obliged and allowed to carry out essential functions.

Ah. Ok

Definitely difficult keeping the kids happy. Wife works three days a week, so I've got them when she's out. Ability to work has been variable, luckily my employer has been incredibly good about it. We're to get on with what we can, rest will have to wait.

I’m not sure what to do here. The other half is in a minority in her local work team and it’s under threat of Covid-19, she’s the only female white person, everyone else is of the same job security threat but different to her ethnic background; the other team members are all of the same ethnic background. For a few months she’s been complaining about comments made to her by her management, things like “it’s a woman’s job to stay at home and look after the kids” or “you can have a hands on job (like my wife, looking after the kids) or a career”. They’ve refused to accept she can do her job, reducing the work she has and replacing those tasks with 2-3 other people who are ironically incompetent. 7 people have replaced her reducing task list. They’re saying she can’t possibly handle that much work and replacing her with only men from the same ethnicity background. But the rest of the business has had said she’s been doing a fantastic job and the replacements they’ve put in are useless whereas there wasn’t a problem in the first place so they are confused as to what’s going on.

This week they’ve rolled out a new wave, her manager has numerous times said he has a problem with her but won’t say what that’s is and he’s also said there’s been a conduct complaint made against her but won’t provide a single detail about what that complaint is, nothing at all. But there is a clear conflict of interest in the fact the overseeing manager has said he too has an issue with her but won’t divulge any detail, yet he’s also the manager deciding the outcome of a serious complaint made against her. In a separate conversation he’s denying any of this has happened and saying the complete opposite I.e. no compliant, no issues, but is happily progressing the case as “gross misconduct” but there’s nothing at all in writing. The company isn’t there yet but the company are clearly working their way to redundancies. Working from home I can hear all of this too.

Despite being rated as a top performer for many consecutive years she’s clearly being edged towards the door as a face that doesn’t fit. I reckon she is being ear marked as a first out the door person.

There’s some dark parts to this virus.

Do they have an HR dept [mention]Orange Cola[/mention]? If so I'd get it all in writing and lodged.
If not, polish the CV/LinkedIn and burn them down later.

unzippy wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:24 am Do they have an HR dept @Orange Cola? If so I'd get it all in writing and lodged.
If not, polish the CV/LinkedIn and burn them down later.

I tend to agree.

I'll be updating my CV soon.

unzippy wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 12:24 am Do they have an HR dept @Orange Cola? If so I'd get it all in writing and lodged.
If not, polish the CV/LinkedIn and burn them down later.

They do. And the response is to sort it out locally at any point in the process, if they can’t sort it out then put it in writing which of course will come as a complaint from the other half who only has the ‘evidence’ as verbal conversations where they are trying to get her to admit gross misconduct and there is nothing in writing.

To me it feels like they need to cut staffing costs and this is an easy win because she’s not personal friends with the direct management, unlike the other staff members. It’s explained because the fact they don’t know her clearly isn’t a good enough excuse to get rid in a culling. The reason for that logic is simple, the complete management team and their associated staff have been moved in from another department where they’ve all worked together for a number of years, they already know each other (word on the street - of course there’s no hard evidence - is they’re friends outside the company and this is extended cousins and family friends with various investments in other family and friends businesses, Joe needs a job/reference/work experience etc. Promotions which have come up in the past six months haven’t been advertised at all and they’ve just been announced as going to someone as part of the clique). In the new department where they currently work there’s been a lot of change through redundancies and restructuring from 12 months ago and people applying to move elsewhere with the other half left in the original team as the only good performer.

Sounds to me like it's a place she's best off leaving.

What's the current best guesses for this being over and done with in the UK? End of year, this time next year maybe getting back to normal?

[mention]Orange Cola[/mention] She needs to be starting a constructive dismissal claim. She needs to be keeping notes and collecting evidence. Get her to speak to an employment solicitor who can advise properly. At the very least, she should be raising a formal grievance with HR, who must investigate properly. Any failure to do so would go very badly for them at a tribunal. In fact, their failure to investigate based on what your wife has already told them will count against them heavily.

Re figures of Deaths in England and Wales I thought I would actually look at total numbers to see what is reality.

In previous Aprils total deaths;
2016 46856
2017 39101
2018 46469
2019 44123

2020 they are publishing them by week for some reason.

6-Mar-20 13-Mar-20 20-Mar-20 27-Mar-20 3-Apr-20

10,895 11,019 10,645 11,141 16,387

So lets say for March 48948

Lets see how April compares.

Data from here if anyone wants to check I've done the sums correctly
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulation ... lresidence

So you’ve compared March to previous Aprils? How about a March comparison? I’d do it myself but I’m working.

NotoriousREV wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:39 am So you’ve compared March to previous Aprils? How about a March comparison? I’d do it myself but I’m working.

'Lets see how April compares' Do read things properly Dave.

The previous years March figures are around 45k on average to save you looking.

KiwiDave wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:18 am What's the current best guesses for this being over and done with in the UK? End of year, this time next year maybe getting back to normal?

Not going to be over and done with until there's a vaccine, realistically. But I'd imagine there'll be a lifting of lockdown by June/July. Even then though, for how long? No one even knows if those that have had it remain immune AFAIK.

In terms of international travel I don't think we'll see much of that until next year.

Broccers wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:34 am
In previous Aprils total deaths;
2016 46856
2017 39101
2018 46469
2019 44123

In previous March total deaths;
2016 48665
2017 48664
2018 51229
2019 43946

Average 48126.

Pandemic is an increase of .... 822 not many

Looking like another three weeks of lockdown.

Broccers wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:41 am

NotoriousREV wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:39 am So you’ve compared March to previous Aprils? How about a March comparison? I’d do it myself but I’m working.

'Lets see how April compares' Do read things properly Dave.

The previous years March figures are around 45k on average to save you looking.

I did read it. You compared this March to previous Aprils which wasn’t a great comparison. Now you’ve done the March comparison, it’s much more useful. Thanks.

Broccers wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:46 am

Broccers wrote: Thu Apr 16, 2020 9:34 am
In previous Aprils total deaths;
2016 46856
2017 39101
2018 46469
2019 44123

In previous March total deaths;
2016 48665
2017 48664
2018 51229
2019 43946

Average 48126.

Pandemic is an increase of .... 822 not many

Interesting. The official number of Coronavirus deaths for March is 5045 (if I’ve added up the numbers right). You’d definitely expect that to show a bigger bump. Do you know if those March numbers for 2020 are finalised, or do they revise them later? (ie is there a disclaimer on the data anywhere?)