Unemployed ...again I WON UNEMPLOYMENT!!!

Please read the bottom post of mine! I won! I Won!!

I'm unfortunately back.

I was unemployed for 13 months, finally finding work in June 2011. I held that job for 2 years. Now it is July 2013 and I'm back here but without unemployment benefits.  I did not want to quit my job but it was one of those life or death situations with my life on the line.  I was so overwhelmed, so stressed out, that in 10 months I had lost 40 pounds (now I'm 30 pounds underweight) and I was suicidal.  I decided that no job was worth my life, I wasn't going to let my a-hole boss have that much power.  I went to lunch and didn't go back.  

Yes, I contacted HR in the days beforehand but I totally got the runaround.  They wanted to do a meeting that I simply could not do.  My boss, Scott, was so abusive to me that I could not face him any longer.  Not physically, of course, but in every other way.  He HONESTLY watched a Hitler video on his computer at work.  He was that sick of an individual.  He would put both fists on my desk and lean over me and say things like, "Is that clear!"  Other than that he would not speak to me at all.  Months of the silent treatment but would laugh it up with others in the office.  I was like the whipping boy. (girl)

It all started when my old boss, Sherri, the one below Scott, committed suicide.  She did that about a year after I started working there.  I picked up Sherri's duties along with my own. They were supposedly looking for her replacement but they never did- so I got double work and reported to Scott.  A year later and I wanted to commit suicide.   Now wouldn't that be a fine feather in Scott's cap?!

My husband wanted me to stand and fight!  If I had an ounce of fight left...  
I looked into burial plots.  Yes.  It was that bad.  

Today is day 6 of being unemployed again.  I have applied for a couple of jobs already but I think I really need some down time right now.  Before I get totally serious about this job search thing, I think I might go talk to a counselor.  

(Reason for leaving last position:  Illness which has now passed)  -has it?

I understand how you feel, I did the same thing in Feb 2011. I gave a resignation letter, but since they got mad about it, they fired me that day, so I was able to get unemployment benefits. I now have a great job with no stress and no wicked witch for a boss anymore. I was so very depressed from that job, I hated my life, so i jumped ship, it was the best decision I made. It was very scary to do, but I'am glad I did. Hopefully you will find something better.

Videos of Hitler on his computer??? I wonder what else he has on his computer.

That sociopath is totally out of control. If you feel you've severed your ties with this "orginanization", I would send a letter to HR reporting that nut's behavior. At best he needs to be fired, at worst, put in jail or an instituation.

If you haven't burned the bridge, then you need to let it go. Maybe keep in touch with some of your co-workers and wait for the day they tell you he got canned and/or dragged by security.

Hi There,

I am so sorry for what you have been through. Twenty two years ago, I went through the same sh*t with an abusive b*tch, who I eventually told off when I quit....my health wasn't worth it & my husband was totally supportive of my decision.
I then went on to work for a company for almost 20 years as an admin. assistant, but when things became financially unstable & there was no work, after a 3-1/2 year battle with my life being screwed up with empty promises, I finally landed a job last year, which I love.
Hang in there....there is a better plan for you, I promise!!
Keep us posted.
DD

Do not ever feel guilty for doing something like this. My husband never understood leaving a job because of horrible bosses, but I also do not believe that he ever encountered one. I was very upset that he did not support my feelings in any of those situations and I will never allow him to force me to work ever again.

If you quit recently, you still have a chance of getting unemployment benefits. Trust me on this, I won a case a few months ago where I quit a job due to stress. I had no idea I could- I was actually forced to apply for benefits over a year later which tipped off the state and they wanted to know why I left the other job.

It was worse for me because I went into another job a few months later with an even more abusive boss. And he WAS abusive, everyone knew it. His sales manager was building a case against him regarding his commissions. Unfortunately he owned the company so nothing could be done. He ended up accusing me of stealing company records, which he had no proof of or reasoning for (I honestly believe he has psychological issues) and fired me the day before my Birthday. Literally didn't even tell me, just locked me out of the building and told me to never come back. Yeah.

I had very little evidence of anything in these cases, which you have some evidence of. You have compelling testimony and also a record of you trying to go to the HR department. Even better would be if you went to a doctor and got your weight and medical issues recorded to support your case.

The point is, I know how hard this is. This is the world we live in these days. You are not alone- the stories of abusive bosses I have heard has been growing over the last few years is a direct result of the economic situation. The worst people are being promoted, not trained, and they're cutting out middle managers who can better deal with people.

And you should also apply for benefits right away! They only make you appear in person if your claim is appealed. Don't let them win! Make them pay up!

It will get better from here!

Jade Blue-

You are so right, it seems that horrible abusive bosses are on the rise more than ever. It is because of the current economic situation, everybody is scared of losing their jobs, so somehow this is making bosses be horrid to their employees. It is such a bad situation all around right now. I keep hearing of people that are either unemployed or employed with terrible, uncompassionate bosses, what a terrible state of affairs!

Hi gang,
 Thanks for your comments and support.  I did go ahead and file for Unemployment at my husband's urging.  He said, "what do you have to lose", and he is right.

 There is a box on there that asks, "Did you quit your job".  I check it.  A whole bunch of other boxes popped up: Where you intending to quit that day?  What actions did you take to try to resolve the issues you were having?  Who did you speak with?

 All of those boxes actually gave me the warm fuzzies!  I did NOT intend to quit.  I did TRY to speak to my boss AND I have that in writing, PLUS I did go through HR.  

 BUT, I'm still scared sh*tless.  I'm sure this will go through one of those unemployment hearings.  Will my old boss be there?  Will they lie about me?  Will they just call me a flake?  Deny, deny, deny... isn't that what the big bosses are trained to do?  How many big bosses EVER take responsibility for anything?  So, yeah, I'm freaking out a little bit.

 I got a medical release form in the mail that I have to have signed by my doctor to even qualify for Unemployment. She won't sign it until she sees me again.  First available appointment is 27 days away.  

Am I screwed?

marrer wrote:Hi gang,
 Thanks for your comments and support.  I did go ahead and file for Unemployment at my husband's urging.  He said, "what do you have to lose", and he is right.

 There is a box on there that asks, "Did you quit your job".  I check it.  A whole bunch of other boxes popped up: Where you intending to quit that day?  What actions did you take to try to resolve the issues you were having?  Who did you speak with?

 All of those boxes actually gave me the warm fuzzies!  I did NOT intend to quit.  I did TRY to speak to my boss AND I have that in writing, PLUS I did go through HR.  

 BUT, I'm still scared sh*tless.  I'm sure this will go through one of those unemployment hearings.  Will my old boss be there?  Will they lie about me?  Will they just call me a flake?  Deny, deny, deny... isn't that what the big bosses are trained to do?  How many big bosses EVER take responsibility for anything?  So, yeah, I'm freaking out a little bit.

 I got a medical release form in the mail that I have to have signed by my doctor to even qualify for Unemployment. She won't sign it until she sees me again.  First available appointment is 27 days away.  

Am I screwed?

I'm so glad to hear this! See, this happens way more than you think it does. Most states favor employers, but they also protect employees when there are loopholes.

No, you're not screwed. Unemployment hearings also take a while. You can talk to someone and explain you are waiting for the medical documents and they will reschedule the hearing, usually, or wait to make a determination after all documents have been submitted.

I will tell you a bit about my experience. I try not to be catty, even on the "anonymous" internet because I am partly responsible for the way things unfold, but I think my story also helps people and more of us need to share so the bullying stops.

My employer, in so many words, also called me a flake on record (WHICH I AM NOT - ANYONE WHO WORKS WITH ME WILL TELL YOU I AM A TIGRESS) and it did not help her win her case. I even cried listening to her right before we finished the hearing because she makes very personal statements against her employees that cut to the bone, but I still won my case. I really didn't have to prove myself much, I was pretty quiet, I just had to make it clear that I left because I clearly was not making my employer happy and it would have been a bad career move for me to allow myself to be fired. And she did the rest for me by admitting that I was improving and I was very professional otherwise. There are safety nets in place for employees, but they don't advertise them for obvious reasons.

If you don't feel strong enough to face your former employers, get a legal representative to help you out. They may not even bring your boss in, they may show up themselves and have him submit a statement. Or they may not bother showing up at all and you may win. But it is worth trying. If your family's financial well-being is at stake, it is always worth putting yourself out there.

I filed for unemployment and checked the box that said I quit and I WON!  I told my side of the story to an unemployment investigator, didn't have to go through a hearing with my employer and was awarded unemployment benefits!!  

Did I mention I Won?!  Oh my gosh!  I can't believe it!  That never happens.  

I so tried to keep that job.  I tried really hard.  I did not want to quit at all.  The unemployment lady I spoke with on Monday at 7am sharp (with no advance notice) was all business.  She gave absolutely no indication on which way she was going to rule.  I simply gave facts. I listed all the people I had gone through to try to resolve issues and how it got escalated to HR. She didn't even say I needed anything from the doctor.  She asked twice if my employer ever asked for medical documentation, I said no, they never did.

I tried not to get emotional and didn't until the very end.  I said that Scott would take everyone in the office out to lunch -except me- on a regular basis and they would be gone for an hour and a half but when I brought my lunch to my desk he would tell me Lunchtime is over! and make me throw it away.  -that's when my voice cracked.

I didn't give it any more thought after that.  I mean, she was all business.  She said I would receive a letter in the mail with her decision later in the week.  I had no idea which way she would rule. I checked my bank account today and there is a deposit in my account from the Colorado Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment!  Can you believe that?!  I won.

I'm amazed.  Someone believed me.  They believed me.  wow

Good for you, darling! Good for you...

Congratulations! I was pretty sure you were going to be approved. UI tends to take the side of the former employee. They know how badly employees have been being mistreated by their bosses, especially after the collapse of the economy back in 2007, when those useful idiots helped cause millions of people to lose their jobs.

It's too bad UI is a government entity, because they are probably in the best position to tell the nation about the plight of the unemployed, what with all of the stories they hear on a daily basis.

Congrats to you! Now hit the pavement and good luck on finding something much better! It will happen!

Hi all - I just joined, and this happened to be the first topic I opened when I got on the venting forum. I got laid off one year ago, but was almost relieved because my supervisor had made my life hell for the 2 years I was employed at the company. For the past 4 or 5 years I have heard many horror stories from quite a few people about abusive bosses.  Is this a recent trend? I don't recall that this happened very often prior to the recession, or maybe I was just oblivious. In most of these cases, despite complaints to HR, the abusers kept their jobs while those who were abused either moved on or were let go. It's twisted.

Welcome to the forum.

I think it has been a well-established practice since the economic collapse back in 2007, but nothing is done about and little is reported about it in the mainstream media. With the unemployment rate so high, I supposed they just know they can get away with it. But rest assured that kind of behavior trickles down from above and hits every level of an organization.

One recent thing I heard in the media related to this though, is a survey that says the number one reason why people hate their jobs (and most people hate their jobs) is their boss!