Furlough isn’t a free holiday
SPEAKING to friends of mine who run small businesses (a chiropractic clinic, a production company, a dogwalking service), a pattern is emerging. Staff who have been furloughed simply don’t want to return to work. Their rationale is that they can get 80 per cent of their salaries to sit in their gardens, get nice tans, play with their kids, make banana bread, do yoga and generally have a nice summer — and return in autumn when the scheme ends. Don’t get me wrong, I can completely see the appeal of this idea. Trouble is, if everyone behaves that way, there won’t be anything to go back to. The furlough scheme was conceived as a vital lifeline for people during this deadly crisis — not an excuse to have an extended holiday at the expense of the taxpayer.