Top five tips for furloughed workers

If you’ve visited our social media channels recently you may have seen our video featuring members of Supertemps as they discuss the highs and lows of the lockdown experience.

Sian Shepherd was one of the Superteam to experience lockdown as a furloughed employee; here she shares her top five tips for getting through it.

1. Pick up the phone

If you’re at home, feeling isolated and wondering when the next company update will be, then stop waiting and pick up the phone. Be mindful that those who are still in the workplace and taking on the workload of those colleagues who are off. Help them tick something off their to do list and call them, instead of waiting. They will be just as happy to hear your voice as you will be to speak to them.

2. Stay engaged

While you can’t do any work whilst on furlough, you can keep engaged with what is happening in your market place.  Set up Google Alerts for your industry sector and location to find out what is happening in the news; follow industry related groups on LinkedIn; and if you’re on Twitter use hashtags for your sector to keep you ear to the ground and know what is going on around you.

3. Be prepared

You could be called in to work with very limited notice – what would you need to do to be prepared to start work tomorrow? Start thinking about what you would need to do to be ready, both physically and mentally. Read Supertemps tips for caring for your mental wellbeing during lockdown here. 

4. Keep your tools sharp

If time allows, there are plenty of free online training resources available offered from top companies including Google and Microsoft, as well as hundreds of topics to study from platforms such as Udemy for as little as £10. You will be investing in your future, keeping yourself engaged and returning to the workplace motivated and focussed.

5. Have a Plan B

It could be business levels may not increase and you may be faced with the inevitable – redundancy. It’s much better to have a Plan B and think about what you would do in the worst case scenario and be in control of the situation. So update your CV, think about upskilling and consider what your options are.

We’re here to help

If you have friends, family or loved ones worrying about work and income, please pass on our contact details. We can help them find work now, along with securing work for them once the virus passes. 

This is a challenging time filled with uncertainty and anxiety but we have the capability, procedures, systems and technology to help. 

If you think we can help, 📞 us – 01492 517 602 / 01248 671 477