E.On has put 3,000 of its staff on furlough as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, around 1,000 npower staff members have also be placed on the paid leave of absence, bringing the total to c.4,000.
This takes E.On’s staff numbers down from 7,500 and npower, the supplier it recently acquired, down from 5,500.
Staff will receive 80% of their pay up to £2,500 a month from the UK government as part of the job retention scheme.
A spokesperson for E.On said that those furloughed include a range of field and metering technicians, customer operations and support staff for both residential and business operations.
“We are making sure no one loses out if they are off work in a furlough situation by guaranteeing a top-up to 100% of salaries during the current period.
“Our field colleagues are also available and volunteering their time, skills and vehicles to help in their communities through the NHS volunteering scheme.”
The announcement comes after OVO Energy furloughed 3,400 members of staff last week, along with its executive team and senior directors voluntarily taking a 20% reduction in salary for the next three months. The money saved will be donated to those impacted by COVID-19.
E.On has changed its working practices, with as many staff as possible working from home and flexible shift patterns introduced to help accommodate childcare and other family needs.
Emergency, vulnerable and prepayment meter customers are being prioritised, while non-essential field operations such as meter installs, meter reading, energy efficiency etc have been postponed.