by Anonymous
(Claiming Unemployment Benefits)
i had a choice, resign or be fired I was told it would be better to resign. Is there any chance to collect unemployment? I was told the place I worked doesn’t like to pay out unemployment, so I resigned instead of being fired.
Answer: Help I was given a choice to quit or be fired and was told it would be better to resign
Hi,
Even though you didn’t tell me what state you’re in .. or why the employer gave you the choice to resign or be fired, and although I’ve answered this question before .. I’ll offer to you, the same explanation .. just in a different way in hopes that repetition gets someone to use the search bar.
I wonder .. who could have told you it’s better to quit than to be fired from a job .. Maybe an HR person who knows that when in doubt .. avoid being assigned the burden of having to prove good cause for being the moving party?
Or, were they just trying to be kind and offer you the ability to put on your resume that you voluntarily separated .. vs. getting fired.
Regardless, they weren’t trying to make getting unemployment benefits any easier for you.
A resignation letter is nothing more than a piece of documentation that can and is frequently used as evidence at an unemployment hearing .. when the claimant all of a sudden changes the circumstances for why they chose to resign from the fond farewell and “thank you for the opportunity” note most are.
Some employers will go as far as to tell you that going peacefully will make you eligible for rehire .. ehem …
So, although there may be occasions when a resignation letter should be used to express sincere gratitude and regret about parting ways with an employer full of integrity, when you’re given the choice to quit or be fired .. it’s not the time to let a slim to none chance of being rehired dictate to the reasoning center of your brain .. which knows better.
At this point, a resignation letter is nothing but a written document where you can write the true circumstances and reasons for the choice being given to you and begin counteracting any employer argument that promotes the idea the choice was benevolent because the real reason for terminating your employment in this way was a final act of work related misconduct.
Chris