Furloughed Or Fired?
WILL YOUR EMPLOYER SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC?
I was chatting with a good friend over WhatsApp yesterday. She lives alone in London, and is locked down with her cat. Actually she had been back home with her parents in Ukraine but came back to be with her cat, since she couldn't take him with her on her trip home.
She knew she wasn't coming back to work, since she'd been furloughed like everyone at her workplace. She said most of her friends are also in the same situation - effectively unemployed. I asked her if she thought she'd be going back to work after the crisis is over. She thought about it for a bit, and said "no, probably not". Not because she didn't want to go back to work, but because she doesn't think the business will survive this pandemic!
Holly crap! That's true. How many business will collapse? Her employer that put her on furlough is a travel agency. She had worked there for nearly two decades and has managed to finally put some money together to buy her own place last year.
It means she has a mortgage to pay, and this job is vital! Vital, not only for her day to day survival, but also to pay the mortgage. She said there's no word from the bank about a mortgage holiday of any kind. Neither is there any forth coming help money from the government. There's supposed to be something for furloughed people that have been paying tax in this country. I'm sure it's just taking time to arrive.
So now she's locked up in her little flat near central London, with her magnificent cat, uncertain about the future. As it is now, she's unemployed and potentially homeless. She is lucky to have parents still alive and well in Ukraine. Hopefully, the will not be affected by the pandemic, being in the risky age bracket. Her plan is to move in with them if she gets desperate enough. They are retired and are self-sufficient. They can at least provide her with free accommodation while she gets back on her own feet.
She's potentially back to being in her 20's, fresh out of University - with no job and back living with her parents.
What are your fall back plans if your employer doesn't survive COVID-19?
Peace * Love,
Adé