Do you know furlough’s meaning? This article will provide you with all the information on furlough from its definition to its usage and more!
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Kevin
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January 24, 2022
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Common Questions
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What Does Furlough Mean?
fur·lough | (ˈfɜːləʊ) \
By now, you may have come across the word furlough, but are you sure you fully understand what it means?
Furlough can be used as a noun or as a verb when used with an object. Essentially, furlough is a period of time when an employee is told that they do not need to attend work but will also be unpaid during that time.
The origin of the term furlough (a variant of earlier furlough, furloff) comes from Dutch verlof, from ver- for- + lof leave, which literally means permission, from middle Dutch. In its entirety, a furlough is simply an unpaid leave of absence.
While technically speaking, the employees still retain their job while furloughed (by definition: ceasing to work for your employer), they will have their salary remain unpaid throughout the entirety of the furlough.
The entire idea behind this arrangement is that the employee and employer agree to the temporary arrangement with the full understanding by both parties that the employee shall be able to return to his or her previous job in the near future.
What Does One Retain During a Furlough?
Luckily, during a furlough, most retain their health benefits. That being said, due to a furlough being a cost-cutting measure for companies, employees do not maintain a full salary. An example of an employer maintaining health benefits for furloughed employees during the coronavirus pandemic shutdown includes but is not limited to companies like Gap and Macy’s.
That being said, once an employee is furloughed, they are banned from doing any work on behalf of their employer during the leave. Furloughing a non-exempt employee can involve a mere reduction in hours or the complete cessation of work, however, nonexempt employees must be paid for every hour worked.
On the flip side, if a non-exempt employee’s hours are cut, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), they would continue to receive compensation for the hours worked, and the reduction would save the employer from having to pay the employee their typical salary.
Why Would a Company Choose tT Furlough Its Employees?
As we are currently seeing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies can fall under temporary and even long-term economic pressure. This pressure, often means the employer needs to find a way to reduce payroll.
It often makes more sense for an employer to furlough their employees rather than lay them off, especially if they are able to see better economic conditions on the horizon. A furlough would, in turn, allow for these companies to staff back up quickly by having trained employees return to work rather than ones that would require training from the ground up.
What Are the Differences Between a Furlough and a Layoff?
While we may have ascertained that a furlough is a temporary leave of absence, there is something that is quite the opposite of this, being laid off. To be laid off is to be permanently terminated from one’s employment, including benefits as well as salary.
So you may still see the door open for return when furloughed; if you are laid off, this is, unfortunately, seldom the case.
How Long Can a Furlough Last?
A furlough is widely viewed as a short-term or temporary layoff. Otherwise, it would simply make more sense if employees were just given the opportunity to move forward and find new permanent employment and for companies to lay off their employees. However, there is no one constant answer to this question.
The answer to this lies entirely on the company, be it their own company policies or perhaps the local jurisdiction, or perhaps other factors (to include but not limited to collective bargaining agreements for its unionized employees).
While Furloughed, Can You Collect or Apply for Unemployment Benefits?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, congress has recently passed a coronavirus stimulus package. This has temporarily resolved an ongoing issue on which furloughed employees are allowed to collect unemployment benefits and which are not.
While traditionally, unemployment is predominantly managed at a state level, this will always depend on where you work and also where you live (this varies from state to state).
Due to the coronavirus stimulus package, as long as your unemployment is connected to the outbreak of coronavirus, you are entitled to unemployment insurance while furloughed (even if ineligible previously on a state level).
Please note that the coronavirus stimulus package also includes independent contractors, part-time workers, the self-employed, and freelancers.
What Are the Synonyms and Antonyms of Furlough?
There are a wide variety of different words that you can use in place of furlough; when a word has the same definition as furlough, it is called a synonym. These, like all synonyms, are great ways to improve your English vocabulary as well as provide you with great ways to avoid using the same word in conversations.
The list of synonyms is below:
- Vacation
- Leave
- Holiday
- Sabbatical
- Rest and Recreation
- Fire
- Break
- Laissez-Passer
- Safe Conduct
- Pasteboard
- Chit
- Discharge
- Sack
- Rationalization
- Cutback
- Downsizing
- Respite
- Reduction in Force
- Boot
- Recess
- Redundancy
- Marching Orders
- Bounce
- Conge
- Pink Slip
- Give Someone His or Hers Walking Papers
- Impeach
- Layoff
- Time Off
- Shore Leave
- Pass
- Liberty
Alternatively, an antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of furlough. These are yet another great tool in your arsenal for expanding your English language vocabulary.
- Rehire
- Chores
- Assume
- Recall
- Delegation
- Conscription
- Commissioning
- Staffing
- Retention
- Enlistment
- Work
- Perseverance
- Industriousness
- Employ
- Commencement
- Construction
- Incarceration
- Imprisonment
- Welcome
- Welcoming
- Start
- Continuation
- Call to Return to Work
- Moil
- Retain
- Place
- Recall of an Employee to Work
Conclusion
At the end of the day, if it’s either the transitive verb (used to define a leave of absence) or simply as a noun (defined as a period of time when an employee or military personnel is unpaid and informed not to return to work for a period of time), these are both fine definitions of the word furlough. The term furlough in employment can also refer to annual leave.
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