I don't get why self employed get help if they continue working. Am I missing something? Surely the help should be there for the people that can't work?
The help is there for people who can’t work as government are essentially replacing their income.
Self-employed people who can still work will still be significantly impacted (potentially more so) by this and will require support ... for instance, I am self employed with my own company which employs a number of people. I can still work remotely however my work is normally done by visiting clients workplaces to generate the business which keeps my team busy. I am no longer able to meet clients and naturally people will not seek out my services at a time of financial uncertainty however I have an office, I have staff, I have overheads that still require to be paid whereas my ability to create an income is impacted remarkably. I am still working to ensure my staff are looked after, my business runs, jobs taken on prior to this mess are still being taken to completion and keeping the business in a position that it’s ready to immediately start back up the minute this is over. We’re fortunate enough to have disaster plans in place that give us a buffer but after a few months of generating little to no revenue my business would potentially struggle and that hangs nearly 20 jobs in the balance which would be a greater financial strain on the government in the long term. Businesses continuing to work while receiving financial support is imperative to keeping the country afloat and getting it back on its feet sooner rather than later.
Please don’t judge all self-employed people by Nikki’s standard, as she’s essentially monetised a hobby. Some of us work hard in businesses we’ve poured our heart and soul into for over a decade and this could genuinely be the death of us.