The rise of the furlough fibbers
More than 11 million qualified for the Government furlough scheme during the pandemic, but as Beth Kirkbride reports, for some people, anxiety about how others would react led to them taking drastic measures to cover up their situation
Wearing a smart shirt, Chris Wood* headed for his home office. He was dressed for work, but he had no work to do.
Indeed Chris, 30, who was living with his parents in Brighton as he saved for a mortgage deposit, had been furloughed from his job in digital marketing in April last year – and was faking his work each day.
He says: “Even though I didn’t know how long furlough would last, I didn’t want my parents to worry about my eligibility for a mortgage. So I decided to keep pretending to be at work each day.”
Each morning he got up, dressed in office attire, logged on from his parents’ house and pretended to deal with existing clients.
“My parents didn’t really understand what digital marketing was before the pandemic and I worked from home most of the week anyway. What’s more, I ‘worked’ in the study behind closed doors rather than in a communal space so they couldn’t see me.”
He made sure to go the extra mile to cover his tracks.
“I dropped titbits of office information into evening conversation with my parents – and they didn’t know my co-workers so there was no risk of me ever getting caught out.”
Chris is a furlough fibber. And he is by no means the only one.
East Sussex-based event and wedding coordinator Heidi Blackford, 24, was furloughed from March to September last year, and then again from November to January. When she confided in friends, she was met with hostile reactions. She says: “I met up with a few friends who had all been working from home once we were allowed, and I remember their reaction. When I said that I was actually enjoying being off I instantly felt like I’d said the wrong thing and offended them.”
Feeling guilty, from then on she felt like she had to hide being furloughed.
“Social media became a place for me to avoid because I felt like I was sponging off the Government, I was embarrassed that I was being paid for doing ‘nothing’, and everyone was ridiculing people on furlough saying how easy it was,” she says.
In total, 11.4 million people have been furloughed through the UK Government’s job-saving scheme.
The furlough scheme covers 80 per cent of the salaries of employees who are unable to work due to the pandemic, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month.
Since the initiative was launched in March 2020, nearly £58billion has been claimed by companies. But for many, furlough has come with a cost.
Indeed, many more share similar experiences to Chris and Heidi, with feelings of shame, embarrassment, stress and anxiety. And these emotions have compelled them to hide their work situations from friends and family.
According to an Office for National Statistics survey, almost one in five adults experienced some form of depression during the coronavirus pandemic, double pre-pandemic rates of one in 10.
Occupational psychologist Suzanne Guest says: “Work is such a big part of our identity, so losing work overnight can be a big shock and massively anxiety-provoking. It can feel easier to hide it rather than admit the truth. We all like to think that our work is valuable, however, being furloughed can wrongly lead someone to believe that their work has no value – when it may just be that it’s a role that can’t be sustained in a pandemic.”
Producer Benjamin Cyrus-Clark, 33, who works in London creating content for the National Basketball Association, agrees. He was furloughed in March 2020 when the US basketball league scaled back operations and initially kept his situation from his parents and sister, who he is usually very close to.
“I held back, feeling this could be it for my career,” he explains. “There was a lot going on in my head that I needed to understand for myself before I could share that with anyone.”
Benjamin eventually told his family once he realised furlough wasn’t as bad as he had feared. And, despite the initial stress, he has been using his furlough to coordinate the Luton-based Bute Street Film & Art Festival.
He wishes he’d come clean sooner. “Relax and trust the process and speak to people that you trust and love earlier because it’s a huge help to share that burden,” he says. “Obviously, you’re in the midst of it so it’s very hard to make sense of it, but people outside of it can give you perspective, and that’s very helpful.” Indeed, a lie of this scale can have a long term effect on your wellbeing, and with the furlough scheme set to continue until September, Suzanne says it’s essential to think of the consequences. Suzanne says: “One of the most difficult things to do is lie consistently. “I suspect this would start initially with a lie of omission, maybe thinking that furlough would only be a short period, then as time goes on it becomes more and more difficult to tell the truth.”
‘‘ Shame, stress and anxiety have compelled people to hide their work situations