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During the government shutdown, the media was full of stories about furloughed federal government employees sitting home waiting to be called back to work. They knew there was a 99% chance they would be paid for every hour of missed work once the shutdown ended but they moaned and groaned.
I wonder if deep down they were as miserable as the media narrative made them out to be. I asked some friends this question and all of them told me they would love the opportunity to be furloughed if they knew they would be paid in full for the time missed. They could not understand why so many government workers who were furloughed just sat at home and stared at the TV all day. There is a world out there with so many interesting things to see and do. The time off was a gift. (Though the government shutdown was crazy.)
How many people in the world would love to be paid in full for 35 days but not have to work? A month of leisure at full pay. But maybe you would see it differently.
"I would hate it because of all those who post polls about it's a paid vacation and who will then turn around and complain about something being late because no one was there working."
As long as I knew beforehand the length of the furlough, I would love it. I could plan to do things accordingly.
But if I didn't know, the uncertainty of the length of the furlough would be the worst part. Wondering everyday, "Will I be called back today?" would make me extremely anxious.
During the government shutdown, the media was full of stories about furloughed federal government employees sitting home waiting to be called back to work. They knew there was a 99% chance they would be paid for every hour of missed work once the shutdown ended but they moaned and groaned.
I wonder if deep down they were as miserable as the media narrative made them out to be. I asked some friends this question and all of them told me they would love the opportunity to be furloughed if they knew they would be paid in full for the time missed. They could not understand why so many government workers who were furloughed just sat at home and stared at the TV all day. There is a world out there with so many interesting things to see and do. The time off was a gift. (Though the government shutdown was crazy.)
How many people in the world would love to be paid in full for 35 days but not have to work? A month of leisure at full pay. But maybe you would see it differently.
What do you think?
You forgot "I save and plan carefully, so I have no problems with a shutdown"
You do know that during the government shutdown federal employees had no idea how long this was going to last, right? They did not know it would be 35 days, as if that itself isn't a very long amount of time. This was the longest one ever, how could they know if it was going to go on for 2 months or more? Most people's breaking point was going to be missing that 3rd paycheck, I know because I am a federal employee. And thank God I'm in a household with two people working full time. I was one catastrophe away from draining my savings and then relying on one income.
FYI, the temperature reached 24 below 0 here on Wednesday night, if the government was still shutdown and my furnace died, I would have been in a very serious situation.
You have no idea what it is like to not know when you will be paid again, and even though the government is technically open again we have not received full paychecks, we have received less than half of the money we are owed so far, full backpay will not be completed until February 26, so that's two months of no pay and lower than expected pay.
You do know that during the government shutdown federal employees had no idea how long this was going to last, right? They did not know it would be 35 days, as if that itself isn't a very long amount of time. This was the longest one ever, how could they know if it was going to go on for 2 months or more? Most people's breaking point was going to be missing that 3rd paycheck, I know because I am a federal employee. And thank God I'm in a household with two people working full time. I was one catastrophe away from draining my savings and then relying on one income.
FYI, the temperature reached 24 below 0 here on Wednesday night, if the government was still shutdown and my furnace died, I would have been in a very serious situation.
You have no idea what it is like to not know when you will be paid again, and even though the government is technically open again we have not received full paychecks, we have received less than half of the money we are owed so far, full backpay will not be completed until February 26, so that's two months of no pay and lower than expected pay.
Adding to this, you can't just "take a vacation" even if you happened to have money falling out your ears. You have to be available to be called back to work whenever they decide. And many can't just take another job because of ethics rules.
Adding to this, you can't just "take a vacation" even if you happened to have money falling out your ears. You have to be available to be called back to work whenever they decide. And many can't just take another job because of ethics rules.
For those with good credit (and plenty of credit lines) - plus those with savings, the shutdown is nothing to them.
For those who work paycheck to paycheck, they're screwed royally.
I had both, and yes I came out of the shutdown just fine, didn't have to take out a loan, but that doesn't mean it wasn't a stressful time, and still isn't a stressful time. Many federal workers earn very menial wages, and when they're the only breadwinner and have a family depending on them, things are very different. You really don't have any clue.
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