by Thomas
(Chicago il )
I work retail and my store is closing. I was given a severance package but also was told I could receive another store. Can I collect unemployment if I want to take the severance despite them having another location.
Chris’s Answer About Taking Severance vs. Accepting Continuing Suitable Work
Hi Thomas,
I altered the title for your question about taking a severance package .. mostly because the separation may sound sort of like a lack of work .. as in when one store closes, but an offer puts a voluntary quit of suitable work issue, on the table.
Lots of people have ignored this as a problem, before learning of the consequences of accepting a severance and refusing an offer of “continuing” suitable work.
As an action of an employee, that easily invalidates any lack of work, but in the end, should only work if the offer of employment at a new store location working for the same employer is in reality still suitable for an employee .. or the employee accepts the offer, only to later claim the job isn’t workable for them anymore.
When an employer changes the terms and conditions, an employee only has to accept, if the work will still be suitable work for them.
You should review the general criteria for what may turn once suitable jobs, into unsuitable.
It’s just a place for you to begin to answer your questions. Could it of been reasonable given any one of the criteria .. for you to refuse? In fact, I would expect an employer to respond to IDES concisely, explaining what it knows can deny benefits.
Claimant’s position was eliminated, however, a severance package was accepted in lieu of accepting an offer of “continuing suitable work”.
It’s an issue people stumble on when they don’t first consider if when and why employers do this and investigate for themselves to find any counter argument to a voluntary quit without good cause in that criteria.
If you find a concern you had in the general criteria applicable to suitable work, I would suggest following up and digging deeper.
Illinois has a rather extensive free unemployment resource to supplement what you can’t uncover just in unemployment law. It’s called the IL Unemployment Insurance Law Handbook
I personally like exploring any decision digest to get the gist behind both valid and non-workable arguments.
Chris – Unemployment-Tips.com
PS, I’m moving your question to be next to other where “suitable work” became the dominant concern somehow.