furlough
Unpaid work absence
Furlough is a temporary leave from work or military duty.
Employees may be placed on furlough during budget cuts or slow periods—they remain employed but don't work or get paid: Government workers faced furloughs during the shutdown.
In military contexts, soldiers on furlough have authorized time away from their post.
The verb means to grant or impose such leave: The company furloughed two hundred workers.
Sanctioned time away
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- barracksSoldiers' residential building
- serviceAid or maintenance
- dutyRequired moral task
discharge · rotation · homecoming · R&R · pass · liberty · reassignment · reserve
Needless duplication
- downsizingReducing workforce or scale
- severanceTermination pay or disconnection
- terminationAct of ending something
- outplacementJob-search help for terminated employees
dismissal · retrenchment · cutback · restructuring · surplus · cost-cutting · austerity · headcount
State of uncertain waiting
- precariousDangerously insecure
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- insecurityUncertainty about oneself
- unpredictableCannot be anticipated
provisional · indefinite · tentative · unsettled · flux · ambiguity · waiting · suspense
Not yet compensated
- temporaryLimited in duration
- workforceAll available workers
- nonessentialNot required or needed
- standbyReady substitute awaiting use
staffing · suspension · benefits · entitlement · HR · payroll · recall · seniority
To let go
- paroleConditional early release
- probationSupervised trial period
- compassionateShowing concern for sufferers
- supervisedDirected with oversight
reentry · weekend · work-release · custody · incarceration · correction · inmate · sentence
leave
Sanctioned time away
- deploymentOrganized distribution of resources
- barracksSoldiers' residential building
- serviceAid or maintenance
duty · discharge · rotation · homecoming · R&R · pass · liberty · reassignment · reserve · veteran
redundancy
Needless duplication
- downsizingReducing workforce or scale
- severanceTermination pay or disconnection
- terminationAct of ending something
outplacement · dismissal · retrenchment · cutback · restructuring · surplus · cost-cutting · austerity · headcount · separation
limbo
State of uncertain waiting
- precariousDangerously insecure
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- insecurityUncertainty about oneself
unpredictable · provisional · indefinite · tentative · unsettled · flux · ambiguity · waiting · suspense · unclear
unpaid
Not yet compensated
- temporaryLimited in duration
- workforceAll available workers
- nonessentialNot required or needed
standby · staffing · suspension · benefits · entitlement · HR · payroll · recall · seniority · union
release
To let go
- paroleConditional early release
- probationSupervised trial period
- compassionateShowing concern for sufferers
supervised · reentry · weekend · work-release · custody · incarceration · correction · inmate · sentence · rehabilitation
- work problemslayoff, firing, low pay, burnout, deadline pressure
- careersdoctor, lawyer, teacher, engineer, nurse
- time wordsminute, hour, day, now, soon
- unemploymentunemployment, unemployed, jobless, joblessness, unemployment rate
- dismissdismiss, brush off, brush aside, wave away, wave off
- leavingdeparture, quit, walking away, withdrawing, bail
furloughactive duty
Current military employment status
recall · callback · work · employment · full employment
furloughactive duty
Current military employment status
activation · call-up · deployment · mobilization · active service
- furlough dayMandated unpaid absence
- furloughed workersEmployees on mandatory leave
- furlough payCompensation during mandatory leave