Winston

Full credit to you for making sure your staff continue to get 100% of their wages, irrespective of whether they are furloughed or are able to continue to work. That is a great thing to do, and hopefully all your staff appreciate that. Total respect.

I can see why the two members may feel a little disgruntled, but they should see this as how valuable they are to your business, and how fairly you have treated everyone.

I’m self employed, and thankfully...

1) have managed to retain around 70% of my students by offering online lessons, which have worked really well, and if anything, had provided me with a potential Avenue in which I could expand my work. I work one-on-one and so I have always been limited to location, but because online lessons have worked so welll, I could theoretically offer my services this way irrespective of location.

Of course, only so many hours in the week, so it won’t ever be incredibly lucrative.

I’m also eligible for Seiss. Which is a godsend and has made up for my loss in income.

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 6 seconds ago
Not missed a days work this year. Cant wait for the tax rises to pay for all the money spent on this scheme.
Worst of both worlds
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This is why we need to base our accounts in the Caymans

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 6 seconds ago
Not missed a days work this year. Cant wait for the tax rises to pay for all the money spent on this scheme.
Worst of both worlds
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Don’t worry, neither have I. At least we can console ourselves, that if anyone deserves a tax raise-its you

Joking aside, what do you think they’ll do? Didn’t they spend more bailing out the banks? Can’t say I’ve looked.

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 29 seconds ago
Winston

Full credit to you for making sure your staff continue to get 100% of their wages, irrespective of whether they are furloughed or are able to continue to work. That is a great thing to do, and hopefully all your staff appreciate that. Total respect.

I can see why the two members may feel a little disgruntled, but they should see this as how valuable they are to your business, and how fairly you have treated everyone.

I’m self employed, and thankfully...

1) have managed to retain around 70% of my students by offering online lessons, which have worked really well, and if anything, had provided me with a potential Avenue in which I could expand my work. I work one-on-one and so I have always been limited to location, but because online lessons have worked so welll, I could theoretically offer my services this way irrespective of location.

Of course, only so many hours in the week, so it won’t ever be incredibly lucrative.

I’m also eligible for Seiss. Which is a godsend and has made up for my loss in income.
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Thanks mate.

Being a responsible employer has always been important to me. Let’s face it, these people work hard and I reap the benefits, so when times are tough it’s my turn to support them.

Fair play to you for adapting and surviving - really impressive.

Presumably, whilst you can’t do more lessons, you could have more people in them? Or do they have to be one on one?

comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 1 minute ago
Not missed a days work this year. Cant wait for the tax rises to pay for all the money spent on this scheme.
Worst of both worlds
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Same here. Worked straight through. Not even taken a days holiday this year. Doesn't seem much point at the minute.

Winston

comment by Ole-Dirty-Baztard (U19119)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 6 seconds ago
Not missed a days work this year. Cant wait for the tax rises to pay for all the money spent on this scheme.
Worst of both worlds
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Don’t worry, neither have I. At least we can console ourselves, that if anyone deserves a tax raise-its you

Joking aside, what do you think they’ll do? Didn’t they spend more bailing out the banks? Can’t say I’ve looked.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The government spent almost a £1trillion in bailing out the banks. The job retention scheme is absolute minuscule in comparison to it.

Perhaps remind your two staff that your ability to be able to furlough other members of staff has been a major reason why you have been able to keep them employed - keep all employed, and this has enabled your business to continue meaning they will all have a job once this is over.

I'm glad that some are making the best of a bad situation, WFH is a pain. Sure it isn't fair but at least we now know who is vital, who is important and who is expendable.

comment by Tamwolf (U17286)
posted 58 seconds ago
comment by D'Jeezus Mackaroni (U1137)
posted 1 minute ago
Not missed a days work this year. Cant wait for the tax rises to pay for all the money spent on this scheme.
Worst of both worlds
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Same here. Worked straight through. Not even taken a days holiday this year. Doesn't seem much point at the minute.
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Yeah, looking forward to when the pubs re-open and football is back so I can take 3 months off!

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 31 seconds ago
Perhaps remind your two staff that your ability to be able to furlough other members of staff has been a major reason why you have been able to keep them employed - keep all employed, and this has enabled your business to continue meaning they will all have a job once this is over.
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Yeh, I’m going to take them for lunch individually when I can and just talk everything through.

I don’t want their gratitude but I equally I need to counter any resentment in the office pretty quickly.

Ah well, there are bigger problems out there than that.

Was going to give people different size Christmas bonuses this year but thinking about it, I might bring a bonus forward instead.

I prefer one-on-one.

I can tailor the lesson to their exact needs, and they don’t get distracted meaning they get more out of it themselves.

Even a small time frame like 15 minutes, they will take more on board when it’s directed solely at them than two students having a 30 minute lesson at the same time.

It’s all private teaching, and that’s ultimately what their parents / older students are paying for.

I also think human nature is such that however much you appreciate something, it soon becomes the norm and your appreciation reduces.

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 1 minute ago
I prefer one-on-one.

I can tailor the lesson to their exact needs, and they don’t get distracted meaning they get more out of it themselves.

Even a small time frame like 15 minutes, they will take more on board when it’s directed solely at them than two students having a 30 minute lesson at the same time.

It’s all private teaching, and that’s ultimately what their parents / older students are paying for.
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Yeh that’s fair enough.

Maybe you could have a spin off involving recorded sessions or even study notes packages.

What is it that you teach?

comment by Winston (U16525)
posted 2 minutes ago
I also think human nature is such that however much you appreciate something, it soon becomes the norm and your appreciation reduces.
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This is true.

Totally.

A friend of mine is an accountant with his own business and he is currently working 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day. He is moaning about having no time off!!

I can see why some are enjoying furlough, as a temporary measure, and equally I can see how some, while grateful for being furloughed, are becoming bored, or worse, worrying about what the future holds.

In truth, I think it’s just an incredibly worrying time for us all, and the uncertainty / unusualness of it all is going to take its toll.

I’m a multi-instrumentalist, so I offer music lessons for quite a few different instruments. Piano is the main one - probably one of the best in terms of it being a gateway instrument - what you learn while taking piano lessons ultimately enables many students to quickly adapt and be able to pick up other instruments.

Absolutely Ripleys.

This thread has made me think about the community on here.

If anyone is really struggling financially right now, maybe admin can find a way for donations from anyone wanting to make one, in order to help.

I’d be happy to pay some money into an account, no questions ask, no repayment required... even if it helps someone eat well for a couple of weeks.

I hope no one has hit that level but who knows.

Some of us have our differences on here but we all have the forum in common.

No idea how something like this could be set up but happy to look into it with admin if it would help.

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 4 minutes ago
I’m a multi-instrumentalist, so I offer music lessons for quite a few different instruments. Piano is the main one - probably one of the best in terms of it being a gateway instrument - what you learn while taking piano lessons ultimately enables many students to quickly adapt and be able to pick up other instruments.
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Amazing, I love the piano.

Unfortunately I have the musical ability of a wooden stick.

Come along for lessons!!!

comment by Winston (U16525)
posted 3 minutes ago
comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 4 minutes ago
I’m a multi-instrumentalist, so I offer music lessons for quite a few different instruments. Piano is the main one - probably one of the best in terms of it being a gateway instrument - what you learn while taking piano lessons ultimately enables many students to quickly adapt and be able to pick up other instruments.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Amazing, I love the piano.

Unfortunately I have the musical ability of a wooden stick.
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The recorder it is then! 😂😂😂

I'm basically getting paid to play golf and gardening...with a bit of cycling and hot tub

What's not to like

comment by RipleysCat (U1862)
posted 2 minutes ago
Come along for lessons!!!


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You’d be wasting your time on me mate!

Easy money but I reckon you’d get frustrated and throw me out for being so crap!

Haha, nah, I’d just encourage you, say you were doing great, and continue to take your money!!!

And if you carry on doing well, you’ll be able to play Three Blind Mice this time next year.