Do you get unemployment if you quit - NYS Department of Labor eligibility question

Generally speaking, if you voluntarily quit your job you won't be eligible for unemployment benefits unless you can prove you had 'good cause' for quitting. NYS Department of Labor defines good cause pretty narrowly - things like unsafe working conditions, harassment, significant changes to your job duties or pay, or compelling personal reasons. Just being unhappy with your manager usually isn't enough unless it rises to the level of harassment or creates an unsafe work environment.

You really need to document everything before you quit if you want to have any chance at getting UI benefits. Keep records of the schedule changes, any inappropriate comments, when you spoke to HR and what they said. NYS Department of Labor will want to see proof that you tried to resolve the issues before quitting. Also, check if your company has a written policy about schedule changes - if they're violating their own policies that could help your case.

I tried to get unemployment after quitting a toxic job last year and got denied. The adjudication process took forever and they basically said I should have tried harder to work things out with my employer first. It was so frustrating because they made it sound like I was just being dramatic about the situation.

Before you quit, have you considered talking to a lawyer about your situation? If your manager is really harassing you based on your appearance or treating you differently, that might be discrimination. A hostile work environment could definitely qualify as good cause for quitting. Also, if you're going to quit anyway, it might be worth filing a complaint with NYS Department of Labor about the working conditions first - that creates a paper trail.

honestly the whole system is rigged against workers. I quit a job where my boss was verbally abusive and they still denied my claim because I 'chose' to leave. Meanwhile people who get fired for attendance issues get benefits no problem. makes no sense

If you're having trouble getting through to NYS Department of Labor to ask about your specific situation, I used a service called Claimyr that helps you actually reach an agent by phone. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI that shows how it works. The site is claimyr.com and it saved me hours of trying to get through the busy phone lines. Might be worth checking out before you make any big decisions about quitting.

My cousin quit her job last month because her employer kept changing her shift times with no notice and she couldn't arrange childcare. She's going through the adjudication process now but her case worker told her that sudden schedule changes without reasonable notice can sometimes qualify as good cause, especially if you have dependent care responsibilities. Every situation is different though so definitely don't quit without talking to someone first.