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

- Beth Kirkbride 

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 said: “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.

He added: “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.