Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on the global economy, with airlines, food and drink companies, and small businesses struggling to stay afloat as more people self-isolate or are ordered to stay indoors.
On a more heartbreaking scale, this means that some people are losing their jobs, and with it, their livelihood.
Farren*, 29, tells us that the pandemic is devastating the company she works for, which runs several bars and restaurants across the UK.
The lack of revenue has seen over two dozen people lose their jobs in the past week.
On a normal bad trading day, one of the venues will make at least £7,000 but because people aren’t up for partying, this figure has dwindled to below £1,000 per day (that’s about 200 pints).
‘It’s been a really shit week,’ she says.
‘The company has laid off 25 people in just a few days, including some who only just started with us. I work as an in-house recruiter and because we’re not hiring, I’m worried that I’ll be next to lose my job.
‘On the upside, at least I have enough pasta at home to last me for a month.’
Freelancers in creative industries have also been hit hard by the pandemic, as businesses tighten purse strings and cancel projects at the last minute.
Damian*, a journalist, isn’t concerned about his own job – as he is a full-time employee – but several of his friends are distraught as work disappears because of travel restrictions.
‘I’m not at risk of getting laid off or fired, but I have friends who are losing work,’ he says.
‘One of them was headed abroad to do a digital project for a magazine, but when flight cancellations started happening, was told his contract wouldn’t be renewed.’
Others are taking to social media to share their stories, with one man going viral after telling others that he was recently fired and had to break the news to his pregnant wife.
‘My company just laid me and most of my team off, tweeted Tim, a coder.
‘My wife is seven months pregnant. During a pandemic.’
The tweet has since gone viral, with more than 5,700 shares and 43,300 likes – and rising, as people rush to offer help, share job listings and words of encouragement.
Even the more secure people I know are worrying about the mortgage
‘I want to say I appreciate all the support here [on Twitter], Tim wrote in a follow-up tweet.
‘We are working out what we are going to do and we have a small retirement fund that we can fall back on for the next month or so (so much for retirement).
‘I imagine that others without that will need more help than us.’
From St Patrick’s Day celebrations to music festivals, sporting events and Formula 1, events are being cancelled every day.
For many, like Hazel Southwell, this means cancelled work.
The journalist and content creator is ‘probably less than a week away’ from serious financial struggles.
‘I work in motorsport and like a lot of people, am freelance,’ she tells us.
‘Photographers and journalists and even PRs and mechanics and engineers work across multiple paddocks to make it work and we only get paid when events run – either as a day rate or in commissions for being on site.
‘A lot of us beef up income with adjacent side hustles like social media for teams but again, it’s only when there’s racing.
‘It’s genuinely terrifying, especially as even stuff like the automotive sector is in slow down.
‘I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do and neither do any of my friends – I’m probably less than a week away from very, very big problems as I’d taken two weeks off for (unrelated) illness before and obviously there’s no freelance sick pay.
This has f***ed everything
‘Even the more secure people I know are worrying about the mortgage. I guess I’ll just keep making stuff and let the bankruptcy happen and worry about it if anything ever gets back to normal.’
Meanwhile, Ben*, who runs his own personal training studio, says the COVID0-19 pandemic is a ‘nightmare’ to his budding business, which only opened last year.
‘This has f***ed everything,’ he adds.
Another business owner, Hayley Smith, who runs Boxed Out PR (another industry that is being forced to quickly adjust to coronavirus) has lost a client this week and is feeling ‘anxious’ about whether others will follow suit, in order to save money.
‘I’ve lost a client this week and a few other clients are on edge,’ she tells us.
‘The concern is mainly financial rather than health and people are starting to look at, and adjusting their outgoings.
‘I am fortunate as I can run my company from home, but I’ve cancelled all face-to-face meetings and event attendance until further notice, and the situation is making me anxious.
‘If I get sick, I’m not going to be good for anyone so I’m prioritising myself and my health.’
No one should have to worry about money whilst this type of challenge faces all of us
Currently, according to the recent Budget 2020 announcement, statutory sick pay will be offered to people who are asked to self-isolate (not including the self-employed), even if they have no symptoms.
But this payment is only £94.25 per week, which for anyone who is supporting a family or pays a lot in rent (like Londoners) won’t be enough to scrape by on without dipping into savings or pension bonds.
That is, for people who have savings or pension bonds.
But there is some light in the darkness.
Some companies are stepping up and going the extra mile for employees by giving them full sick pay if they get ill.
‘We’re only a small team, but we have basically scrapped sick pay,’ Mark from Editors Keys, an editing and recording equipment company, tells us.
‘Staff will get full wages for 12 months and get as much time off as they need to recover.
‘No one should have to worry about money whilst this type of challenge faces all of us. It will be extremely tough on business of course, but we will pull through.’
Meanwhile, Lee, who runs Essentialise has also made an exception for one of his workers.
‘We have an associate in every European country, and they get paid when the logistics are completed,’ he says.
‘Stefano is our Italian associate and he has been unable to get the stock from Italy to Poland, so we have paid him the €570 [£515] he would have received because he has a wife, two children and an elderly mother he supports.’
How lovely.
Not all businesses will be able to offer the same reassurances, and it’s easy to panic during uncertain times (on top of the general coronavirus anxiety).
If you feel able to help, do.
Even if it’s sharing job listings or contacts on social media, dropping off food supplies to a friend who might soon not be able to afford buying their own or simply sharing some kind words of comfort.
It could make a world of difference in a world currently struggling.
Do you have a story you want to share?
Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk. Share your views in the comments below.
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/14/people-tell-us-coronavirus-affecting-jobs-12397670/?ITO=squid
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