help, I just got fired!

[JMLBrats]

Well, I was told I could resign or get terminated and I am not sure what to do as this is the first time I have been in this position.

I was told that I could still file for unemployment if I resign but I don't know if that would have bearing on whether I receive benefits or not. Also, if you look at my 4 quarters (or how ever they do it) I was only making a few hundred a week so I don't know if it would be worth it to have that on my "record" so to speak but then again, money is money and with the holidays coming..

If I was to let them terminate me, how does that reflect for future reference in a job search?

any info is really appreciated! I was stunned and shocked by this news and they are giving me until the end of the day today to decide how I want to proceed.

Also, has anyone ever been in this situation and asked for a letter of reference?

Thanks!

 

[snapppyd]

Are they "downsizing"?

 

[TAX GUY]

Well, I was told I could resign or get terminated and I am not sure what to do as this is the first time I have been in this position.

I was told that I could still file for unemployment if I resign but I don't know if that would have bearing on whether I receive benefits or not. Also, if you look at my 4 quarters (or how ever they do it) I was only making a few hundred a week so I don't know if it would be worth it to have that on my "record" so to speak but then again, money is money and with the holidays coming..

If I was to let them terminate me, how does that reflect for future reference in a job search?

any info is really appreciated! I was stunned and shocked by this news and they are giving me until the end of the day today to decide how I want to proceed.

Also, has anyone ever been in this situation and asked for a letter of reference?

Thanks!

Short of the reason of why, I would say resign. If they say you can still collect, then collect. If you are fired then you can't (at least according to the MA labor rules).

 

[JMLBrats]

Short of the reason of why, I would say resign. If they say you can still collect, then collect. If you are fired then you can't (at least according to the MA labor rules).

Interesting and I always thought it was the other way around....

thanks for the info. I am right next to you in NH BTW

 

[JMLBrats]

Are they "downsizing"?

No, I am just within a 90 day period where they can fire me for any reason or without any reason actually and they have decided to do so before the 90 day period is up.

 

[richmo]

First of all, sorry you have to go through this.

I guess a question that only you can answer is whether you were terminated because of job performance. That is certainly none of my business, but if you were terminated for a reason that is not true, you may have some legal recourse. If that's the case, I would contact a lawyer before you leave the building and get their advise as to what to sign or not sign. That kind of advice is best left to the professionals, not those of us on a Disney board.

However, in general, its a much better perception to have "resigned" or "laid off", as opposed to "fired". It can also, as you pointed out, make a difference in receiving unemployment benefits. Those benefits vary by state, but there are a lot of cases where resigning excludes you from unemployment benefits. Perhaps you can get them to label it as some kind of layoff, resource reduction, or whatever...that will sound better to the unemployment office than "resigned", which sounds voluntary.

I'm not sure about the letter of reference part. If they're outright firing you or telling you to resign, I'm not sure how good a letter you would get. If such a letter is important to you, obviously its best to leave as quietly and professionally as possible.

Again, sorry you're going thru this...hang in there and good luck!

 

[TAX GUY]

Interesting and I always thought it was the other way around....

thanks for the info. I am right next to you in NH BTW

In MA, the employer gets notice of a person applying for unemployment benefits. They have several questions to answer and one of them is if they want to dispute the claim. The employer has already paid into the system for its employees (its based off of previous earnings). Their rate is based off of the industry and how many claims they've had against them. If they said they will allow you to collect, try to get it in writing.

As far as "record", I would rather see someone resign vs being terminated.

 

[PinballFamily]

Sorry to hear your news!

Not sure of the NH labor laws, but with the employees our company terminated (for cause or not), all could "file" for unemployment, but then our company had to decide whether to fight the claim or just go along (kind of silently supporting it). From what I recall, I think most, if not all, received the unemployment, no matter what the company did.

I guess what you need to know - would your company dispute/fight your claim or not? I think you'd just have to ask that question outright today to help with your decision and get it documented.

Also - without knowing the reason(s) for their action, it's tough to know how good of a reference they'd provide. Again, I think you'd have to ask your manager/HR person directly and REALLY listen and watch body language during the answer.

Good luck!

 

[JMLBrats]

First of all, sorry you have to go through this.

I guess a question that only you can answer is whether you were terminated because of job performance. That is certainly none of my business, but if you were terminated for a reason that is not true, you may have some legal recourse. If that's the case, I would contact a lawyer before you leave the building and get their advise as to what to sign or not sign. That kind of advice is best left to the professionals, not those of us on a Disney board.

However, in general, its a much better perception to have "resigned" or "laid off", as opposed to "fired". It can also, as you pointed out, make a difference in receiving unemployment benefits. Those benefits vary by state, but there are a lot of cases where resigning excludes you from unemployment benefits. Perhaps you can get them to label it as some kind of layoff, resource reduction, or whatever...that will sound better to the unemployment office than "resigned", which sounds voluntary.

I'm not sure about the letter of reference part. If they're outright firing you or telling you to resign, I'm not sure how good a letter you would get. If such a letter is important to you, obviously its best to leave as quietly and professionally as possible.

Again, sorry you're going thru this...hang in there and good luck!

Thank you! fortunately, I did not blow up or say anything stupid when they told me. I just kept my cool and walked out. There are so many things I am tempted to say but I've been around long enough to know that probably nothing would come of it and it might hurt me more in the long run.

 

[JMLBrats]

Sorry to hear your news!

Not sure of the NH labor laws, but with the employees our company terminated (for cause or not), all could "file" for unemployment, but then our company had to decide whether to fight the claim or just go along (kind of silently supporting it). From what I recall, I think most, if not all, received the unemployment, no matter what the company did.

I guess what you need to know - would your company dispute/fight your claim or not? I think you'd just have to ask that question outright today to help with your decision and get it documented.

Also - without knowing the reason(s) for their action, it's tough to know how good of a reference they'd provide. Again, I think you'd have to ask your manager/HR person directly and REALLY listen and watch body language during the answer.

Good luck!

Good advise. Thanks very much

 

[JMLBrats]

In MA, the employer gets notice of a person applying for unemployment benefits. They have several questions to answer and one of them is if they want to dispute the claim. The employer has already paid into the system for its employees (its based off of previous earnings). Their rate is based off of the industry and how many claims they've had against them. If they said they will allow you to collect, try to get it in writing.

As far as "record", I would rather see someone resign vs being terminated.

Thank you

 

[MakiraMarlena]

guess a question that only you can answer is whether you were terminated because of job performance. That is certainly none of my business, but if you were terminated for a reason that is not true, you may have some legal recourse.

Maybe, but it sounds like a probationary period and they might still be able to terminate for any reason within the probationary period. Depends on state law. and unless you know why they are firing you, asking for a reference might not be the best thing to do. it sounds as though you have not been there very long.

 

[JMLBrats]

First of all, sorry you have to go through this.

I guess a question that only you can answer is whether you were terminated because of job performance. That is certainly none of my business, but if you were terminated for a reason that is not true, you may have some legal recourse. If that's the case, I would contact a lawyer before you leave the building and get their advise as to what to sign or not sign. That kind of advice is best left to the professionals, not those of us on a Disney board.

However, in general, its a much better perception to have "resigned" or "laid off", as opposed to "fired". It can also, as you pointed out, make a difference in receiving unemployment benefits. Those benefits vary by state, but there are a lot of cases where resigning excludes you from unemployment benefits. Perhaps you can get them to label it as some kind of layoff, resource reduction, or whatever...that will sound better to the unemployment office than "resigned", which sounds voluntary.

I'm not sure about the letter of reference part. If they're outright firing you or telling you to resign, I'm not sure how good a letter you would get. If such a letter is important to you, obviously its best to leave as quietly and professionally as possible.

Again, sorry you're going thru this...hang in there and good luck!

My "immediate" supervisor, would say that it was job performance I am sure although that is not true. The problem is this is a big company but I only work with this person day to day and it would be my word against theirs. This person has had more than one person leave on them before so it's my guess that he is trying to avoid that happening, sensing that I am unhappy and therefore just trying to get rid of me before I take it upon myself to leave, which would reflect negatively on him again.

 

[xlxo]

Sorry to hear your news!

Not sure of the NH labor laws, but with the employees our company terminated (for cause or not), all could "file" for unemployment, but then our company had to decide whether to fight the claim or just go along (kind of silently supporting it). From what I recall, I think most, if not all, received the unemployment, no matter what the company did.

I guess what you need to know - would your company dispute/fight your claim or not? I think you'd just have to ask that question outright today to help with your decision and get it documented.

Also - without knowing the reason(s) for their action, it's tough to know how good of a reference they'd provide. Again, I think you'd have to ask your manager/HR person directly and REALLY listen and watch body language during the answer.

Good luck!

If not downsizing.... it would be your benefit to know "why". This can help you job search and retain employment better. If you have a good relationship with co-workers... perhaps you can get an assessment from them.

 

[lizabu]

If you're in a probationary period you can be fired for any reason at all. I would choose the resign option. When you apply for another job they will ask if you've ever been fired before and then you have to mention it. Lying on a job application can be grounds for termination. I just wouldn't want this job following me for the rest of my life. It can take weeks to get unemployment. It's probably easier just to get a new job.

 

[JMLBrats]

If not downsizing.... it would be your benefit to know "why". This can help you job search and retain employment better. If you have a good relationship with co-workers... perhaps you can get an assessment from them.

Apparently because it's within those 90 days, they do not have to give a reason "why" but of course I asked and they said that they simply didn't have to tell me why and that's it.

 

[wvjules]

Apparently because it's within those 90 days, they do not have to give a reason "why" but of course I asked and they said that they simply didn't have to tell me why and that's it.

I don't think they have to give you a reason even outside of the 90 days. I assume you work in an at-will state.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I don't know if this helps but as far as the reference letter goes, it might not be worth asking for. DH has done two job searches in the last three years and with both new jobs they didn't ask for letters but contact information. They were emailed a questionnaire which went directly to the hiring company.

 

[njmom47]

This happened to me (in 1999, and in NJ but still). The company was owned by family who kept splitting up the company and getting back together. The final time was the part of the family that owned the company I worked for was actually getting out of the business altogether. I was doing office work for them (I was in a cast and could not do my regular job for them which involved being on my feet 40 hrs, but could sit in an office and do other work) and was told the "new" owners would not have a job in their office for me.

So I could go back to my regular job (which I hated) or collect unemployment. Come to think of it, I don't know what reason they gave why I left the company. However, they did follow through on me being able to collect, and at that time, NJ helped you go to school to gain skills to make you more marketable (which I also did).

I would say resign as well.
I would really hope that you are able to collect...any money is better than no money.

 

[sam_gordon]

Well, I was told I could resign or get terminated and I am not sure what to do as this is the first time I have been in this position.

I was told that I could still file for unemployment if I resign but I don't know if that would have bearing on whether I receive benefits or not. Also, if you look at my 4 quarters (or how ever they do it) I was only making a few hundred a week so I don't know if it would be worth it to have that on my "record" so to speak but then again, money is money and with the holidays coming..

If I was to let them terminate me, how does that reflect for future reference in a job search?

any info is really appreciated! I was stunned and shocked by this news and they are giving me until the end of the day today to decide how I want to proceed.

Also, has anyone ever been in this situation and asked for a letter of reference?

Thanks!

Would unemployment even be worth it? Unemployment doesn't match your pay, correct? How much would even collect if you could get it? Why not call you local unemployment office and find out what the "rules" are regarding when you can/can't file?

I wouldn't trust a company that's firing me to have my best interest at heart, and (no offense to any other posters), I wouldn't trust an anonymous message board where someone may/may not know the laws in my community.