Furloughing staff: Prudent common sense or morally bankrupt?

'We are commercial enterprises'

Hannah Godfrey
clock • 6 min read

It could be argued cash-comfortable adviser firms taking advantage of the government’s furlough scheme are merely considering the long-term future of the business and behaving prudently. However, others feel doing so ignores the needs of the taxpayer, and will ultimately damage the reputation of advisers. Here, a few advisers argue the merits and demerits of furloughing staff...

If a company can afford to continue paying staff without the government furlough scheme - known officially as the Job Retention Scheme - then doing so has become something of a contentious topic among the adviser community ever since the government offered to pay 80% of furloughed staff's wages, up to a maximum of £2,500 per month. The furlough scheme, which officially went live on 20 April and can be backdated to 1 March, was put in place by the government to ensure people did not lose their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking on Good Morning Britain on the day the scheme wen...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

What Justin Bieber is telling you about your clients

What Justin Bieber is telling you about your clients

‘In our world, success, true success, is delivering someone to their goal’

Chris Justham
clock 22 April 2026 • 2 min read
Bank return to advice is a rare case of sequel eclipsing original

Bank return to advice is a rare case of sequel eclipsing original

‘Most banks and financial advisers will be serving vastly different customer bases’

Mark Glover
clock 21 April 2026 • 5 min read
FCA urges principal firms to strengthen inactive AR oversight

FCA urges principal firms to strengthen inactive AR oversight

Gaps in governance, reporting, and consumer protection

Isabel Baxter
clock 21 April 2026 • 3 min read