They first find a better job and then quit.

Sorry I was being sarcastic. I do realise that most people who quit see the righting on the wall before the cliff. I believe this is further prof that it is easier to get a job when you have one.

they quit for various reasons: a) better job; b) health and/or family issues; c) just tired of working for the company. I hope they have a lot of money saved.

Maybe people are finally telling their bosses to go F- themselves after they are told they need to work 60 hours a week, take a paycut, pay more for health insurance.................. meanwhile, the bosses get 10% payraises and more benefits.

Allison...Yes I learned my lesson the hardway by being laid off for an entire year (benefits ran out) before getting a new job...I'm actually still paying off a credit card bill used to buy groceries back in 2003..Today, I go to work everyday wondering if I will have a job when I walk to the door. It's an ugly reality, especially in my industry (IT). People need to be viligent in observing changes in their organizations or they will suffer the same fate as I did.

My brother just quit his job of 15 years, 2 years after taking a 30% pay cut to "save the company" and also his premiums doubled. The company told them 6 months ago that the cuts are permanent but raises will still come. Two other employees went with him and several multi million dollar accounts. He now has better insurance and makes more money.

However, the employee that disabled the GPS on his truck and convinced his boss it stopped working is still billing companies for work hes never done while sitting at home even after being caught.

My husband spent most of '09, and some of '10 laid off, living on unemployment. He took the first job offered to him. The pay was lower then he wanted but any job is good, even though we had to move 4 hours to take it. He's been looking for something better over the last 2 months and had 5 good posibilities, luckily the one he really wanted offered first. So yes he quit his job to take a better one. His co-worker Paul is doing the same thing.

These companies, that have had the "pick of the litter" for peanuts are going to have to adjust. Employee's are going to be much quicker to jump, whether for better pay, working environment, or stable outlook.

Also I have noticed that it seems much easier to find a job if you already have one....

Worked for one of the big aerospace corporations for eight years. I loved this company and they were good to me, but as time passed things started to change. Starting in 2008 through 2009 there were 4 reductions in force (RIFs). The cuts in overhead costs started. First cutting back on office events, then reducing office supply expenditures, changes in health care benefits. Each time you were left wondering would it be me next. I'd been through this before and recognized the signs, that things were going to get worse before they got better. I hung on as long as I could out of loyalty, but its hard to keep with it, when all the worker bees are getting pink slips and middle mgt. keeps getting raises. You get told that you are going to have to be satisfied with 2% annual raise, while the Execs. get 20x more plus annual bonus. I started looking for a job this spring when it was obvious that R&D contractors were not going to come out ahead with all the govt cuts. God blessed me as I got a better job this past Sept, ironically starting the day after Labor Day.

When I went to my boss to tell her I was resigning, she asked me if I was sure I knew what I was doing, at my age. I am after all going to be 50. I told her apparently I did know what I was doing and more, because the company I was going to work for was giving my a 15% pay increase and promotion in title. Additionally I get another salary review in 6 months. My old company now has two notices out to backfill my position as they have split the job between two part time, lower classified positions.

I know this is not the norm, and I realize how lucky I am. I also know that I am well qualified and skilled in my profession. I work hard, am not averse to working late when needed and will go the extra mile. Finding a job is not impossible, but it is very hard. I must have sent out 200 resumes and went to 40 interviews before I landed my current job. While I hope this is my last stomping ground, I am realistic enough to know that nothing is guaranteed.

To all my fellow job seekers, good luck and God speed.

Stay well and stay blessed.

It's a mix of reasons why - some are leaving for greener pastures, some are quitting out of anger and frustration, some are quitting part time jobs to take full time work, some are just utterly clueless to the world around them.

I have a friend who worked full time, and after buying a house, quit her job (she had a spouse, but they were not in a position to do this) stupidly thinking "i'll just get a better job"...and here she is 6 months later taking a part time job at Michaels (crafts store). It's not that her previous job was so awful, she just didnt "want to work there anymore"...and now she's hoping like heck to land a full time receptionist job, which means add her to the "quit a job" tally because she'll quit her michaels job if she lands this full time one.

And yes, if you are unemployed its 10 times harder to land a quality job - because employers are foolishly thinking "there's a reason your last employer let YOU go"...they are preferring to snatch people willing to leave another job than to help the economy by taking someone that was more than likely a victim of an unforgiving economy.

I know twelve people. I am a number 13.

Many organizations, including the one I work for, have givien very tempting "buy outs" to many workers in which employees have either taken retirement or found another job. With this kind of restructuring, remaining employees sometimes find that they are impacted with extra duties and longer hours but we feel fortunate to have a job even with no pay raises and a few less benefits. Everyone is staying put and riding it out here.

I quit my job in June of this year. I had spend 16 months worrying every single day if I was going to have a job at the end of the day. I was working a MINIMUM of 70 hours a week.......the culprit at the end was the UNION. I decided my life has value and I wanted more from life than to be treated like a piece of crap by the union. I haven't regretted one moment since I left.

I just quit my 70K a year job. YES, THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN!

Jean...With all due respect, that is ridiculous...If you quit your job, you are not eligible for any unemployment benefits...basically you are screwed if you quit without having another job lined up...If you know anyone who has taken this approach, I suggest you get them some psychiatric help.

As far as a stigma, I disagree whole heartedly with your assumption. As someone who's hired and also interviewed for new jobs in various organizations, I can say with a great deal of confidence that hiring managers are not stupid. If you are honest with them, they will not hold this against any potential job candidate..If anything, I would be more careful on what you post on social websites.

I agree with ya ...Been there and don't seem like it's nothing can be done..just sad...

that depends upon which state you are in ---- in many states, there is a two-week penalty for quitting. ----- that being said, as an employer, i wouldn't hire anyone who has a history of quitting and/or filing for unemployment.

ronpal....before assuming this, I suggest checking labor laws in your state...I've worked in CT, NY, NJ...no different...

i don't have to assume anything --- i have been employed and an employer in several states, and have had friends or family who had the need to file for unemployment. ----- however, as i stated previously, quitting is not a good thing to have on your employment record --- i won't hire anyone who has that in his history.

ronpaul, I'm a bit confused by that statement as well...please clarify?

two-week penalty means you don't draw any benefits for the first two weeks after filing. ---- that varies from state to state ---- like you were saying, CT doesn't like quitters, ---- in oregon, if you quit, you need to have your case reviewed.

Allison...One thing people may want to keep in mind is that a lot of employers are refusing to pay unemployment benefits to employees that have been terminated. My understanding that the process is now electronic and easier for these employers to contest than in the past...The job market and types of employers out there is ugly...

You need to be very careful on the organization you join...look at ronpal for instance, he/she is obviously looking for employees who can focus their efforts soley on the job with no room to share it with a family...And that's fine for his organization...But for someone looking for work, who has a life, you need to be VERY careful..

At my previous company we had what was called RILD, resign in lieu of dismissal. These were people who were written up for some kind of corrective action and it led to termination. That person had a choice to either RILD or be terminated. The company would try to influence you to RILD so they could fight your unemployment claim. They stopped that practice after someone complained to the ethics hotline.

That's how it is at my company, they don't lay off or fire, people are forced to quit. I guess there is a choice, but not really since they are on your resume an can alter future job seeking. I'm sure my company is not the only large corporation with these practices.

Ron Paul - just out curiosity, why would you never hire someone who QUIT their job? I take that to mean that you've worked for the same employer all your life, or if you havent...you've either been fired or laid off in order to facilitate your change in employment?

Otherwise, arent you just a hypocrite?

Actually, I do know people for whom their company made conditions so awful that they either quit, or by the time they were laid off were completely psychologically battered. If you have never been in that position, you cannot imagine what it is like to be the subject of that kind of abuse and sometimes quitting seems like a much better option than just waiting it out in hopes of the eventual layoff and unemployment benefits.

I live in Washington State, and in Washington if you quit, you don't get benefits. There is no 2 week penalty. Also, if you get fired, you have to wait 4-6 weeks before you can start collecting benefits because they have to review the case. If it is determined that you were fired for cause, you might not get benefits. The only people who collect benefits right away are the people who are subject to an official "layoff".

it would depend upon their overall job history ---- if the person is in their 50's and quit a couple of jobs when they were in their 20's, i'd probably ignore the past --- it's the most recent trends that are important. ---- and, as i stated before, the only jobs i ever quit were jobs where the physical requirements were not clearly laid out when i was hired, and i quit within the first week.

fuzzybearslippers, you described me. I recently walked on a full time job that I had held for quite a while due to harassment. i just couldn't take i anymore. I was just told how inadequate and useless i was so constantly, i just lost it and decided not to come in for the following shift. This company would rather force a resignation then pay unemployment benefits. Heck, I was even a model employee before my time for a raise came up, then all of a sudden I am useless....

I've collected and read all the rules in Florida. If an employee is discharged without violating the conditions of their employment, there is a two week waiting period, among other eligibility requirements; after which payments are received first for one week of eligibility, then on alternate weeks for two weeks at a time.

If the employee resigns without justification, there is no eligibility.

The employer pays into unemployment insurance based on payroll. Employment history has no effect on the employer's assessment for this cause. No employer is going to waste money fighting to keep someone from collecting but they will report their view of the separation.

ctdad yes, a person can get unemployment if that person quits under certain circumstances. See Legend-In's post ("resigns without justification, there is no eligibility"). I did it. I quit, then went to unemployment - fully expecting to be told no. However, after explaining why I quit, the caseworker said I was eligible for unemployment and that the DOL would look into the circumstances. I not only quit and got unemployment, that company had to pay back overtime it had wrongfully withheld.

ronpal, perfectly good employees have quit jobs - for good reasons. If you feel that a person who has quit is not 'good enough' for your company, well, that keeps you in a job, doesn't it? You have to keep interviewing, etc., and that draws out the hiring process. If you aren't willing to listen to the circumstances under which a prospective employee quit a previous job and/or feel the way you do, I'd be willing to bet a nickel that you've probably done some prospective job applicants a favor when you didn't give them a job. They probably went on to find better employers and jobs.

***

And there are companies which do 'constructive firing' - they treat an employee so badly, change existing job duties so drastically, cut normal hours so much, or create a hostile work environment to such a point that an employee would quit. The thing is, a lot of those situations WILL qualify an employee for unemployment. Some of them would qualify an employee for filing an EEOC lawsuit, too.

If an employee feels s/he falls into one of the categories above, start documenting everyday - time, date, situation/discussion/memos/meetings - and hours.

If an employee is handed some written reprimand that s/he doesn't feel is warranted, that employee has every right to dispute it - in writing (and preferably on the front side of the complaint document), add their own version of what happened, and always request a copy - in writing - of what is actually put in your file. Remember too that if the employer is trying to create a 'reason' to fire you, complying with a bogus write-up and/or 'not making waves' won't help you at all - it just helps the employer. In situations where an employee is written up with cause, write your own version, but make sure you don't give the employer further reason to write you up. Employers do have the right to fire with cause.

And Legend-In, I disagree with your last paragraph. Employers will fight unemployment claims, dispute, delay, and even get others in the company to make, shall we say, inaccurate, statements in order to keep a former employee from getting unemployment.

In CT, if you quit, you are not eligible for benefits....

that may be the case in CT, but that is not the case in any state where i have lived. --- there is, however, usually a two-week penalty.

.

How many people apply to work for you, must not be many if you won't hire someone who was unemployed and applied for unemployment. Your probably one of those douche bags no one would want to work for.

In my state (IN) you are ineligible for unemployment benefits if you quit, if you are fired for cause, or if your work history is too short. When denied, an appeal can be filed and the ex-employee's plea is heard by an administrative judge, where both sides state their case and present documentation. (The employer can also file an appeal if benefits are approved and the employer disagrees with the approval decision.)

Why would state law allow payment of benefits to someone who resigns? That makes no sense - might as well pay benefits to people who were never hired. Unemployment compensation is supposed to temporarily help someone who is laid off, not someone who quits to take a holiday or gap year.

in some states, like oregon, it depends upon the reason you quit. ---- but you can expect your case to be reviewed to see whether you qualify.

I dont know what shady employers you've encountered but this doesnt even make sense. I thought when people are laid off the employer gives them termination papers to file with their unemployment?

Maybe its different for every state, but I recall in 2003 when I was let go...I was given paperwork to take with me down to the Unemployment Agency.

If this is really happening the way you say it is...then this is when people should ban together and file a class action lawsuit against the employer who is doing this to them. Surely 10 people who were laid off is a more compelling case than 1 person who might be stretching the truth.

but on the other hand, you do have the freedom to quit ---- even before i opened my own business, i would never stay long at a place where i felt i was being treated unfairly. ---- i believe where a lot of people make a mistake when they apply for a job at a company, is that they do not research the company first. ---- it's not that difficult to find out what a company's turnover rate is ---- if it's too high, that's maybe not a good place to be.

when i did quit a job, however, i always had another one lined up first, so never collected unemployment. ---- sometimes it meant putting up with an unpleasant situation longer than liked, but my first priority was ensuring i could pay my rent.

ronpal...quick question, on one hand you've quit jobs in the past, while you ensured you had another lined up (smart move) and provide justification. But on the other hand, you would not hire anyone that had quit multiple jobs...Sounds a bit hypocritical...

As an employer, you should be well aware of the job market and the level of volativity...Employers have riffs..people are layed-off...it's common place...to quit before you fall victim is an exercise in survival and should not be frowned upon.

well ---- i made it sound like i had quit a lot of jobs, but the reality is that there were only a few, and those were jobs where the physical requirement of my duties exceeded my personal ability to perform the required tasks. ---- i have been self-employed/owned my own business, for the past 22 years. ---- the reason i wouldn't hire someone with that kind of work history of quitting and filing, is because of encounters with that type of person over the years. ---- i also wouldn't hire anyone who is thinking of getting married or starting a family.

ronpal...you sound like you work for a Hedge Fund...

no ---- i own a small chain of giftshops.

ronpal...interesting...and you would not hire anyone who is planning to marry and start a family? I know retail is tough, but that's a bit over the top.

that's because the retail clerk positions i have are designed for minimum wage --- not for someone trying to raise a family. ---- if you are an older person looking for a supplement to your retirement income, that is another story.

ronpal...Although I see your concern, it only hurts "good" people looking for honest work...For example, back in 2003, I was laid off for an entire year...My benefits actually ran out and had no income coming into my home...I was scared to death...I interviewed anywhere I could to find work...I met a lot of people who looked down on me as if I was inferior simply because I was out of work...It was humiliating....I even got an attitude from a asst manager at a supermarket when I was trying to gain employment...

The point that I'm trying to make is that those unemployed have lost more than their job...they've lost a part of their pride and need to bend it to survive. It's unfortunate you can't see this...With all due respect to your gift shop, I doubt your clerk position is a job anyone would want to keep for a long time as there appears to be no career path...

one of the reasons why small employers such as myself are reluctant to hire anyone with a record of filing for unemployment is because the unemployment portion of my payroll taxes is a percentage based on my history of claims . ---- right now, my percentage is about as low as you can get, because i have never had an employee file a claim, and i'd like to keep it that way. ---- so.... when i hire someone, i am very selective. ----- and you are correct, there is no career path ---- however, my company is hardly unique in that respect --- there are many small retail companies where there is no advancement beyond clerk.

Ron,

Based on your comments, I doubt that you would hire yourself, if you applied your unequitable criteria equally, which you would not. I would not hire you or invest in your business, were your hypocritical values to become known to me, or if you were honest about your history of predatory practices. However, I seriously doubt that you would be honest.

Unemployment exists to help people and society through difficult financial times. You are gaming the system to your financial advantage at the expense of other employers and people out of work. Yes, there are employees who also game the system and they are in the wrong and harm others as a result too.

Your attitude undoubtedly is reflected in your profits. That is, even if you are profitable now, humanely treated employees could increase your business profits well beyond any incremental costs in the long run. People that know of you and your business practices probably tend to avoid your store and you.

There is a book and movie about "Ebeneezer Scrooge" that I think you should read or re-read. It will most likely appear free on TV for Christmas.

However, I think you already realize the similarity and brag on it as evidence of your superiority (in your opinion) and to get attention. Still, while you are alive there is opportunity to reform.

(c) 2010

I think people are confusing (as I did earlier) Ronpal saying he wouldnt hire anyone with a history of QUITTING and TAKING UNEMPLOYMENT.

Perhaps now im misunderstanding again, but I think he's not saying he wouldnt hire someone with a history of quitting jobs (without milking the system in the meantime).

Then it seems im someone he could hire - i've a history of quitting jobs, but only 1 time in my life have I been on unemployment and that was for 4 months (knock on wood). Frankly, unemployment to me is a parachute - not a seatbelt. You rely on it in emergencies, not everyday life.

I know people who milk unemployment, refuse to take lower paying jobs and then complain if congress holds up extending benefits - like CONGRESS is the reason they are struggling.

I dont bemoan ronpal for wanting to avoid people who arent interested in working hard, and are only interested in working for a little while so they can quit and claim unemployment for another 6 months.

Similarly, there's aplace in our economy for jobs like ronpal provides...teenagers saving for college, retiree's looking for supplemental income, ect....however, what worries me is that all of our jobs shipping overseas creates a giant gap in which far too many people are needing jobs, but all they can find are ones like ronpal is offering...and thats no good for our society as a whole.

life ---- i suppose it's a matter of perspective ---- while my employees are only paid minimum wage, i do offer an attractive employee discount, which is why many of my employees applied in the first place, because they have an interest in the items i sell. ---- and while you may believe i am an ogre, over the past two years i have taken no personal pay out of the business, so that i wouldn't need to let anyone go during this recessionary period. ---- and i have maintained an excellent turnover ratio, close to zero, over the 22 years i have been in business. ---- in fact, the only reason they gave for quitting was because they were moving out of the area.

I hope ronpal understands that it's illegal to discriminate based on family situation (eg not hiring someone who is planning to marry or raising a family).

i discriminate more than that ---- i only hire college students or older, retirement-age, folks, so i guess you could say i also discriminate by age.

and fyi, EEO laws do not apply to either family situation or to age, especially in my case, since i have a few employees well over 60. ---- so.... that means i don't have to hire anyone who is planning to get married, or planning to have kids, and i can limit my hiring to whatever age group fits my needs the best.

I worked for a company for almost 10 years and got hurt on the job i had to go on state to have the surgery to repair my knee, they denided knowing about my injury and refused at the time I had it to make a report. I received two raises one when minum wage went up and one when our sister store in the same town posted in the paper that they was hiring and listed a hirer wage then what we was making. I quite when then manager refused to give me a raise when he gave a new employee a raise when they had only worked at the company for two days. and yes I made sure I had a new job to start. The manager thought I was kidding when i walked out the last day of work and I did give them two weeks notice which they did not deserve. He told me he would never hire me back even thou I did everything in the store and more. I walked out telling him I would rather starve then come back and work for him. Funny I went back in the store to buy something and i was offered my job back at cut hours and pay not worth it to be used and abused by a company that is a national chain.

Companies today, at least non-union, are At-Will employers...This means they can terminate employment without any reason...Bottom line, if they want you out, they will find a way within the rule of law to do it....The mistake some people make is to quit before that happens...This approach is Good and Bad..The good being that you feel empowered that you beat them to the punch, the bad being you will get NO benefits and need to find work ASAP.

my ride: You and the rest of the Tea Baggers ought to be out of work through no fault of your own, and call it "vacation." When the company I worked for went under, I stayed to the end, helping wind things up in order to minimize liabilities. I worked for an honest employer who appreciated that I just didn't bail. It didn't work. That's life. Unemployment Insurance is the price a civilized society pays for that fallacy called "free enterprise." Wait until it's your turn.

Sandals...After the first 3, I would have been looking...There's no such thing as loyalty in the job market...It's all AT-WILL....everyone is succeptable and it's up to the individual to make their future...It was not smart to leave without having work but don't know the environment in which you've worked. I've been in a similar situation but in a much larger organization where being a man provides me no protection on the job front...Regardless, you need to keep your eyes and ears open in the company where you work...Unfortunately...

Job security is a myth...Diversity is a term used to justify outsourcing....and Equal Opportunity is nothing more than a bean counter..

Believe me, I was looking! The opportunity I left for started out very good, but dried up after only a few months. As I said though, I don't regret leaving that hell hole. Luckily, my husband and I own another small business that is keeping us afloat and is actually doing surprisingly well. He runs that one, so it leaves me time to pursue job leads, but it really is slim pickings out there.

You are so right about job security. The only job security we have is our own business, but if conditions sour, even that isn't secure.

Wow... sounds familiar. Your boss wasn't a guy named Rob by any chance, was it? In Denver? Our district director sounds like your guy, to a T. Makes Voldemort look like Spongebob Squarepants.

Canis- LOL! Nope, not the same guy. My boss was a female actually. The owner was a guy and he was an absolute pathological liar and had the biggest ego of anyone I've ever met. He also had a constant need to be told how great he was and surrounded himself with three sycophant's that were always willing to do just that.

while i realize this is the exception rather than the rule ---- there are people out there who work only just enough weeks to qualify for unemployment, then they do something to get laid off. ---- and when you have the govt extending the benefit period 3 times the normal, it only serves to create more people who do that.

If you read it it says 1.8 million was laid off and 2 million Quit in late 2010 (so far) in 2009 it was 1.7 million quit 2.2 million quit. I think that is an improvement because the employers will have to raise pay to keep their employees that are not as desperate.

I'm going to stick up for Allison here. It's not like she said everyone is quitting their jobs like lemmings jumping off a cliff. Nor is it she's grown something out of thin air, a la Bill O'Rielly. And your ranting is going off topic...yes, we know that banks had a hand in our current economic mess...that's kind of old news. But shrieking like a banshee and railing at government and media isn't going to fix it. Learn to speak like a grown adult and address the issues calmly, instead of shooting the messenger because you don't like the message.

Wm. Sanders, The problem with the report, like MOST other written pieces regarding the economic state, are slanted toward "good vibrations". Coulda, shoulda, woulda regarding anything written about the government's misguided attempts to save Americans, have become the "feel good stories of the year".

Read past the headlines, (no ...I do not watch TV, don't have one), and see for yourself how everything done has increased the banks well being. QE2...because the banks held onto the cash given them in QE1, and did not loan it out. How much lower can interest rates go? If People are not getting loans at .25%, offering the banks more money at lower rates will save the day?????

Sorry my friend, but the situation is really ugly beneath the "good news".

A Teabagger would say "it's your fault for being so lazy". Then insert a pithy comment about bootstraps and Ayn Rand.

that's funny ---- i have had almost zero turnover in 22 years, and those were people who moved out of the area, not because they didn't like working for me. ---- i have a waiting list of potential employees, because of the very generous employee discounts i offer. ---- most people who apply here want to work here because of the type of items i sell in my stores. ---- that being said, i give priority to college students and older folks, who are close to retirement age like i am. ---- i'd say i'm doing something right, if i haven't had any unemployment claims in 22 years.

Im gonna take a wild guess and say you own a headshop?

Good words Bill. But don't forget that unemployment insurance sure pays a lot more than minimum wage, and there are plenty of people out there who just want the money and have no respect.

ronpal, do you get life insurance for the elderly with you as a beneficiery? 

I'm sure that you can find good workers, especially the elder, but hiring college kids surprises me. You know that they will leave.

Basically, what works for you, is still... unsetteling me. I don't know why!

You must be in very large markets, or upper income neighborhoods. Some of us live in 5-6 thousand resident cities. Just can't pack up and go all the time.

Take care.