Furlough | Sports Direct & House of Fraser 'pressure' staff to work

New statistics have revealed that nearly a quarter of employees in Britain have been furloughed in the past fortnight alone.

The figures shared by HMRC revealed that employers across the UK have chosen to take up the Government grant in order to protect jobs and keep businesses afloat amid the coronavirus pandemic, The Guardian reported.

When an employee has been furloughed, it means they are able to stay on the company’s payroll but cannot work. However, recent reports have alleged that retailers including Sports Direct and House of Fraser have secretly pressured furloughed managers to come into stores once a week.

According to the Daily Mail, the chains, which are owned by Mike Ashley, allegedly asked managers to return to work on a voluntary basis, and were reportedly asked not to clock in. It has been alleged that in at least two cases they were asked to pack up stock to transfer back to the main warehouse that is based in Derbyshire, so that the stock could be sold online.