Can I get NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits if I quit due to work stress?
I've been working at this accounting firm for about 8 months and the stress has become completely unbearable. My manager keeps piling on unrealistic deadlines, I'm working 70+ hour weeks regularly, and it's affecting my health - I can barely sleep and I've developed panic attacks. I really need to quit for my mental health but I'm worried about losing unemployment eligibility. Does NYS Department of Labor consider quitting due to work-related stress as good cause? I don't have another job lined up and really need the UI benefits to survive while I look for something else. Has anyone successfully gotten unemployment after quitting due to stress?
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Ryan Young
NYS Department of Labor does recognize 'good cause' for voluntary separations, but stress alone might not be enough. You'd need to document that the working conditions were so unreasonable that any reasonable person would have quit. Start gathering evidence - emails showing unrealistic demands, doctor visits for stress-related symptoms, any communication about the excessive hours. The key is proving the employer created conditions that were harmful to your health and that you tried to resolve it first.
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Samantha Hall
•I do have some emails from my manager about the deadlines and I've been to my doctor twice about the panic attacks. Should I try talking to HR first before quitting?
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Sophia Clark
You definitely want to document everything and try to address it with your employer first if possible. NYS Department of Labor will look at whether you made reasonable efforts to resolve the situation before quitting. If you can show you raised concerns about the workload or hours and nothing changed, that strengthens your case. Also make sure to get medical documentation of any stress-related health issues.
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Samantha Hall
•That makes sense. I haven't formally complained to HR yet, just mentioned it to my direct supervisor who basically ignored it.
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Katherine Harris
honestly i quit my last job because of a toxic boss and got denied for UI benefits... they said i should have tried to work it out first even though the situation was impossible. the adjudication process took forever too
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Madison Allen
I was in a similar situation last year and ended up getting approved for unemployment after quitting due to workplace harassment and unreasonable demands. The key was having documentation and showing I tried to resolve it. But I had trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to check on my claim status during adjudication. A friend told me about this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helps you actually reach a real person at the unemployment office when the phones are busy. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. Might be worth checking out if you end up needing to follow up on your claim.
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Samantha Hall
•Thanks, I'll keep that in mind if I have trouble reaching them. Did you have to appeal the initial decision or were you approved right away?
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Madison Allen
•I got approved after the initial adjudication, but it took about 5 weeks to get a decision. Having the medical records from my doctor about stress symptoms definitely helped my case.
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Joshua Wood
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! I cannot stress this enough. NYS Department of Labor will scrutinize voluntary quits very carefully. Get doctor's notes, save those emails, maybe even consider filing a complaint with your state labor department about the working conditions first. The more paper trail you have showing the employer created an unsafe or unreasonable work environment, the better your chances.
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Justin Evans
same boat here... my job is killing me slowly but i'm terrified to quit without something else lined up. this whole system is so backwards - they expect us to stay in jobs that are literally making us sick
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Ryan Young
•I understand the frustration, but the system does try to balance protecting workers from truly harmful conditions while preventing people from just quitting any job they don't like and collecting benefits. The documentation requirement helps prove legitimate cases.
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