DoofDoof: Furlough and Behold

DoofDoof 04.23.20	Anyone else?
anat 04.23.20	Pay my rent?
Nerdurosis 04.23.20	Not quite, but I was scheduled to start training at my new job....right before all hell broke loose. He called and was like "..Yeahhh we can't do it right now because of the blah blah." Idk when I'm even starting, probably when our state decides to open.
tectactoe 04.23.20	Same boat as you, Doof. Starting at the beginning of April, our company is forcing us to take three weeks off in the months of April and May. One of those weeks can be used as either sick days or vacation if you have any left (meaning, it is still paid in full) but the other two weeks must be unpaid furlough. My first furlough week starts next Monday. Going to be a very strange feeling, but I'm hoping I can get some stuff done around the house during the off time, at the very least. I took my first of the three weeks as sick days, since I never use them anyway, and my wife and I did our spring cleaning that week. Got a lot done, ended up donating over eleven garbage bags-worth of clothes and tossed away a ton of old things we'll never use. Found a dead mouse in the basement while cleaning it out, too, so that was fun. Never thought I'd say this but goddamn I just want to go back to the office....
AsleepInTheBack 04.23.20	Lucky boi. No sign of furlough for me yet, although my fixed term contract comes to an end in September and I'm interviewing for the right to stay on with my firm next week. Je stress.
DoofDoof 04.23.20	tect - legally it has to be for a minimum of three weeks, I have no idea how that arbitrary time period was arrived at but that's what the government settled on I was only spending 30-50% of my time in the office anyway before this as they were reducing the number of desks and promoting home working but it's real strange not going in at all
DoofDoof 04.23.20	'I'm interviewing for the right to stay on with my firm next week. Je stress' that's a lot of stress, a friend of mine at work has already gone off sick with stress and is close to some sort of breakdown over this whole thing - called him last night and he's really struggling and he's the last person I ever thought would struggle at a time like this
Josh D. 04.23.20	I still have to work even though I don't consider my company essential. On the plus side, they're giving anyone that has to be in office everyday a bonus, so I have a custom guitar being built right now. So now I just have not die until July so I can strum it at least once : )
CugnoBrasso 04.23.20	1 list per day newbie
tectactoe 04.23.20	Aren't you in the UK, though? I don't recall seeing a mandate for the US to have companies forcing a three-week lay-off period, so I just assumed it was my company taking initiative to save their own ass. Which, in all honesty, I can't complain about - I'd much rather take a few unpaid weeks if it means still having a goddamn job when all this is (finally, hopefully) said and done. Luckily about 90% of my work can be done from home, it's just very different. Especially with the wife and baby boy around. Love seeing them all day everyday, but I occasionally get distracted, to say the least. That'd be the case with or without them, though. Our company started allowing a one-day-per-week "work from home" initiative a few years back and I never took advantage of it, simply because I knew I wouldn't hold myself accountable to actually put in a full day's worth of work. This situation is a bit different, of course, so I've adapted better than I thought I would. Still very strange, though.
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	I'm a key worker so sadly I still have to do my 40 hours a week even though my work doesn't contribute anything to the national effort
DoofDoof 04.23.20	tect - yeah I'm UK sorry, that's a UK gov mandate
StarlessCore 04.23.20	lol dont compare anyone to how the us is doing it we are embarrassing rn
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	yeah for all the criticism, I think the tory govt are doing a good job.
DoofDoof 04.23.20	I think in the UK about 90% of the decisions regarding this crisis are almost set already in that there's an expected response - not a lot of room for a government or PM to flex too much Trump on the other hand...
tectactoe 04.23.20	In other news, it was snowing and 34°F here (Michigan) yesterday, and as I was driving to Costco to make a diaper and toilet paper run, there were about twenty people waiting outside, in line at a local ice cream shop. And okay they had masks on, but really? Ice cream is that important to you? A bunch of somnambulists waiting for ice cream while they're getting pelted in the face with snow, freezing their asses off, maintaining a distance from one another that's clearly smaller than the recommended six feet, starting awkwardly ahead, afraid to interact with anyone. Looked like a scene from 'Shaun of the Dead'.
DoofDoof 04.23.20	I keep walking past people with ice cream here - but the weather is baking by UK standards, it's like the weather is mocking people for being trapped indoors
Demon of the Fall 04.23.20	Same here Doofy, I work in an industry reliant on public venues, so we got fuloughed almost the instant they shut down the pubs etc. Can’t complain at getting paid to sit on my backside, but some days are definitely better than others as far as the boredom is concerned. Maintaining some sort of a routine, whether some of what that entails is actually healthy is debatable. I’ve never been so grateful for being married, being alone and isolated right now must be tough. Good luck everyone.
Demon of the Fall 04.23.20	Oh yeah and that, very thankful I have a garden! Weather is strangely warm and most importantly, dry.
tectactoe 04.23.20	I'd prefer that to what we have, though. At least if it's nice outside, I could take my son for walks around our neighborhood and whatnot, or even just play out back on the patio. This is straight up miserable shit - not only trapped indoors because of the damn virus, but the weather, too.
zakalwe 04.23.20	If the pubs were open and we didn’t have to queue up for shopping it would be utopia tbh
Pikazilla 04.23.20	Was self-employed so been sitting at home doing sweet f all xD
DoofDoof 04.23.20	Demon, I think I'll be ok with the boredom - really helps living with someone else. I was already doing a load of training and we're expected to continue that as it isn't classed as work and I might look to learn something else for fun too. I'd like to say I'll go on a reviewing binge but I know I just won't, not feeling the call
DoofDoof 04.23.20	'If the pubs were open and we didn’t have to queue up for shopping it would be utopia tbh' lol if they had gigs in the pubs then yes, Utopia
nightbringer 04.23.20	My wife has been furloughed. We were worried about the salary drop for a while but we seem to have rejigged our budget to compensate. She's handling the free time alright for the moment but it's early days, she only started the furlough period this week.
DoofDoof 04.23.20	my wife is probably facing the opposite fate...will be back full time at a packed virus breeding facility, I mean school, very soon
CugnoBrasso 04.23.20	I also work(ed?) in a school. I found a job on March 5th and the WHO declared the pandemic on March 11th. I'm still receiving my full salary until June (I'm working from home) but I received a letter from the Canton yesterday, which was long and articulate but basically said "we don't actually need you lmao". No idea how I will get my money from July onwards, looking for a new job during a global pandemic is going to be fun. But at least I was a Covid-19 early adopter, so I'm probably safe.
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	Yo Doof, what industry are you in? Curious as to which ones have furloughed their staff
zakalwe 04.23.20	This pandemic has put things into perspective and I take heart from seeing the human race at the minute is on a whole generally ‘good’ The vast majority of people are knuckling down and are being good as gold but fuck me there really are some obnoxious, ignorant, selfish cunts knocking about. It’s still early days and no doubt things will change but for the first time in a long long time I have become a bit less cynical.
Relinquished 04.23.20	i remember when zak was like gimme a million deaths before I start taking it seriously
zakalwe 04.23.20	I still don’t take it that seriously tbh and it’s definitely been manipulated for ulterior means but I’ll always care about ‘the people’
DoofDoof 04.23.20	Choccy - I’m in the transport industry, we definitely have key staff where I work but about 50% can still be chopped for now as the number of projects on hold is huge
CugnoBrasso 04.23.20	zak lucky you
Deez 04.23.20	Fuck that 'leech' shit mate About time they gave us something back and no doubt there will be some fking 'covid tax' to pay it all back in the future anyway. Im in the same boat but i only work 8 months of the year so my average is based on that will probably take about 2 and a bit weeks wages a month. Plus point is I live here so theres no people everywhere and its paradise with this weather right now. Feels(is) a million miles away from the chaos https://pin.it/4FXwfjK
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	Fair fair. I work in corporate groceries, so everyone in that company is a key worker. @zak You say that but my neck of North London is equally as busy as it would normally be. The local park was so damn busy last weekend
zakalwe 04.23.20	@wispa Yeah London still has a lot of people milling about but there’s nowhere near as many people as usual on buses, trains, tube etc and they are all relatively respectful of each other thank Christ. The absolute arseholes are the ones who just bowl into stores without queuing or the usual fucking slags sat gathered around park benches smoking weed and being proper degenerate streaks of piss.
Deez 04.23.20	yeah for all the criticism, I think the tory govt are doing a good job.' Not having that they reacted FAR too late and could have saved Thousands. Precedent was there in other countries and our death rate has spiked to one of the worst in Europe a because of their inaction (which some are now admitting to) The semi half arsed lockdown. The letting thousand Madrid fans fly from at that time the biggest hit City for a game of football as well as the TENS of thousands at Cheltenham. Just a lot of mistakes trying to be brushed away under the argument that the situation in 'unprecendented' Imagine Corbyn being up there and saying 'Sorry about the fuck ups lads, never really dealt with this before' Even for his faults JC was telling the to act weeks before they actually did. Also not for a second am I buying BJ having the virus (apart from Aids). They just dont want him babbling on the telly every night so Hancock takes over. America dont have that luxury it seems.
zakalwe 04.23.20	If BJ had been whipped away to some private clinic I’d have been sceptical as fuck as well Deez mate but St Thomas’ is bloody massive and you’d have to have a lot of people complicit in the whole thing signing the official secrets act and all sorts. I genuinely think the government have been alright, they’re dammed if they do, damned if they don’t.
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	That's some next level conspiracy shit that BJ never had Corona lol. He's the kind of bloke who's reckless enough to catch it, so i wasnt surprised For the record, I'm an ardent labour voter especially in the last election so I'm not someone who is blindly following the Tories. And I still think it's decent enough job. Not a great job, could easily have been better but I was still impressed nonetheless
DoofDoof 04.23.20	The Tories acted late I thought too but then people are now up in arms about the economy and how long our more modest lockdown will last :/ The media have been shown up as still very sensationalist and self serving, probably the group who are coming out of this worst in my estimations Not all of them but a lot of them
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	Maybe but I definitely like how it has highlighted the importance of the BBC in our culture as balancing media force. Fuck you Sun with your 'OUTRAGE as FIVE people had a BARBECUE PARTY in this North Wales village!'
DoofDoof 04.23.20	It’s more that the outrage at not being under lockdown as quickly as Spain or France almost instantly turned round to ‘this is destroying the economy, we must come out of lockdown soon’ - about two days into lockdown? Just one hyperventilating panic into another for no reason, doesn’t help people who are easily swayed by such stuff and get worked up. A lot of talk of a mental health crisis but the media flip flopping from one extreme stance to another all the time is a huge part of the problem.
Deez 04.23.20	That's some next level conspiracy shit that BJ never had Corona lol.' Next level?? What like one up from flat earth? Or Lizard queens? That a leader said hes somewhere hes not to avoid the public eye! IMAGINE!?! Show me a pic of BJ in a hostpital bed please. The sympathy for the poor fat fucker off the English gammons would be tremendous. Didnt see one. Not buying it in the slightest. The media told you he had it though so its definitely true. 'Maybe but I definitely like how it has highlighted the importance of the BBC in our culture as balancing media force.' hahahahah fuck me. Fox news with more organic looking wallpaper.
DoofDoof 04.23.20	Choccy you’re right though, the ‘judgement culture’ is a huge seller for the tabloids - “shoot the sunbathers” sort of stuff
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	I think it's easy to say that from my lil ivory employment tower. I really feel for those who have their livelihoods and future at risk from this. I completely understand why that crowd would kick up a fuss. But I cannot stand when Richard Branson demands a govt bailout. that shit infuriates me @deez lol k
Deez 04.23.20	The Tories acted late I thought too but then people are now up in arms about the economy and how long our more modest lockdown will last :/' 2 separate issues though. The government DID act late considering what was already happening in Europe and their own 'Herd immunity' idea. And people in this country are fking idiots so..
Deez 04.23.20	But I cannot stand when Richard Branson demands a govt bailout. that shit infuriates me' I would publicly hang that cheeky bastard. Charge 6 quid Pay-per-view. Send it the NHS.
NorthernSkylark 04.23.20	anyone else? yeah, like all private employees here.
NorthernSkylark 04.23.20	except those who got layed off obv
anarchistfish 04.23.20	what field do you work in that you've only just been furloughed?
anarchistfish 04.23.20	"feel a bit like a leech" a leech on what? the vacuum of the fucked near-future? don't be silly
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	The Herd Immunity stuff made no sense. It was circulated in the media as if to say "BORIS WANTS HERD IMMUNITY SO WE ALL GET SICK" When in reality, it's likely a scientific expert told him the only way the country would return to normal is IF we had herd immunity or else we risk multiple waves on infection. The govt didnt act on it, they closed the country down (which is not the fastest way to gain herd immunity) and began investing heavily in a vaccine. So who's being a media slave now??
anarchistfish 04.23.20	there was some stupid article in the guardian the other day like "herd immunity blow as only 2% of world population has been infected" yeah no shit retard, that was the point of the lockdown
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	Terrible terrible comms strategy and 'herd immunity' should never have been leaked to the public in the first place when most people don't understand what that process actually looks like if your country has none if it.
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	@fish The Guardian has lost all its integrity to me. It's only good for the occasional opinion piece these days
DoofDoof 04.23.20	'what field do you work in that you've only just been furloughed?' I said above, transport, but it's not that everything that's going on is stopping it's just that some projects are being mothballed for the time being. There are four of us on exactly the same pay grade with the same job title - two are furloughed, two aren't. Luck of the draw. I work with a couple of my best buddies and one of them is in that 4 man group with me - so he's not best pleased I got the time off and he didn't. There's a chance they'll furlough him down the line too though - or if we get money from elsewhere everyone might suddenly be recalled. Up in the air.
Deez 04.23.20	The govt didnt act on it, they closed the country down ' They closed down MUCH later after announcing the HI strategy. Weeks later after having to do a u turn and abandon the HI because they got that wrong ! And STILL didnt go into full lockdown like others they were slow out of the blocks when they already had a massive head start. (WHO had warned every country at the start of the year) I don't even know how anyone dispute that tbh. You can make mistakes in situations like this but when theres a clear precedent and you don't act?? Its negligence. Boris even said 'its not what we do (the british) ' at one point ffs in regards to a lockdown as if an english stiff upper lip and a jolly fist would be too much for any virus. They fucked up,you can slate the Guardian all you want I cant really stand them myself but tell what exactly they have wrong here?? https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/18/how-did-britain-get-its-response-to-coronavirus-so-wrong Quotes from WHO Professors and the like don't become meaningless if its in an outlet you/we don't get along with.
anarchistfish 04.23.20	"There are four of us on exactly the same pay grade with the same job title - two are furloughed, two aren't. Luck of the draw." Aye I really feel for retail workers
NorwichScene 04.23.20	I’ve been working at home the past 5 weeks. I miss the office
ChoccyPhilly 04.23.20	Slow in enacting lockdown? yes. But I don't think it was strategic U-turn from HI where they thought herd immunity would magically pop up without any strain on the system. Should have definitely shut down at least 1-2 weeks earlier but I don't think the HI strategy has changed since it first leaked. I'm a little mixed on enforcing the lock down. On one hand, I can completely empathise with not enforcing it and having faith that people would do the right thing. Naive, sure, but the govt have a difficult task of balancing public policy and faith in the govt. If faith in the govt collapses, it doesn't matter enforcement or not, people will run riot and just not care (e.g. those idiots in America that protest because muh freedom). And then as soon as he realised too many people did not listen to the advice, enforcement was swiftly introduced. Now i'm all for leading with science (spent 4 years at uni reading biology after all) but to assume there wasn't any good advice from behavioural experts and economic experts is wrong and that seems to be what BJ did. Sought advice from as many experts as possible, which is why the govt was so unfocused in the end but that advice is still relevant and probably benefited us in ways we haven't noticed. So it's a difficult act balancing all that shit out. Not great, could be better (especially in the NHS' lack of reserve equipment ffs) but all things considered, a measured response imo. I rate it a 5.5/10. Cool no more. Y'all can have your thread back now.
zakalwe 04.23.20	I see they’ve started trialing vaccines at Oxford. Probably concocted by a blithering old hag with a monster hairy biff.
Deez 04.23.20	I actually agree with all that Choc
anarchistfish 04.23.20	unless u have children i can't imagine missing work
wham49 04.24.20	I hear you bro, at least your getting your full salary, dont feel bad, it isnt like your trying to avoid work 4 is awesome, van the man can croon
DoofDoof 04.24.20	4 is indeed awesome, only tried for the first time this week - up there with ‘Astral Weeks’ no doubt
zakalwe 04.24.20	Hold up. 1 is a genuine thing? Quality.
DoofDoof 04.24.20	Some typical ‘Monty Python song’ comedy stuff on it - esp ‘Toilet Rolls Mummy’ “My faeces I’m not playing with, I need toilet roll to clean up my shit” Word
DoofDoof 04.24.20	‘When You Die Alone’ is genuinely a classic weepy by them “this plague means that you will die alone”
botulist 04.24.20	I’m on half my hours, but getting paid in full. And I’ve sold four painting since the lockdown because I’ve been graffitiing on the balcony like crazy from boredom.
unclereich 04.24.20	Ive been on furlough since the 11th. making 1000 dollars USD a week in unemployment currently. so not too upset but miss the normalcy of life badly
Larkinhill 04.24.20	Been furloughed since it hit the US in full force. Getting 1k a week from unemployment. Gonna have to do for now.
unclereich 04.24.20	here in the states my brother gives me an awful time about being a "leech" but my full salary isn't covered under the furlough and what im gettin in unemployment is paying my very very few bills(rent and car payment equate to less that what I normally make in a week). the rational that I would go out and try and find a job that would pay far less than unemployment and put me at risk of getting sick is baffling to me. plus I have a great paying job that I will be going back to eventually. though I realize that some people have massive amounts of unnecessary and necessary expenditures a month and 0 savings so 1000 a week isn't good enough.
JeremiahBullfrog 04.24.20	furloguhed as of next Friday. 100% Salary, no work - with my fellow employees picking up what I am not doing. Crazy times.
Divaman 04.24.20	We've been lucky. My daughter got furloughed last week, but the rest of us in the house who were working before this thing hit (myself, my wife and my daughter's boyfriend) are all still working.