Good cause to quit for unemployment benefits - need to know my options
My boss has been making my work environment really hostile lately and I'm thinking about quitting. But I need to know if I'll qualify for unemployment if I leave voluntarily. What counts as good cause to quit for unemployment in New York? I've been dealing with verbal abuse, unreasonable schedule changes, and they cut my hours from 40 to 15 per week without notice. Would any of these qualify me for benefits if I quit? I can't afford to just walk away without knowing I'll have some income coming in.
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Yara Nassar
In NY, you can qualify for unemployment if you quit for good cause. The situations you described could potentially qualify: hostile work environment due to harassment, substantial reduction in hours (from 40 to 15 is significant), and constructive dismissal situations. You'll need to document everything - dates, witnesses, any written communications. NYS Department of Labor will investigate your claim during adjudication to verify the circumstances.
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Connor Murphy
•Thank you! Should I report the harassment to HR first before quitting? And what kind of documentation should I be gathering?
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StarGazer101
Document EVERYTHING. Keep records of the verbal abuse incidents, schedule changes, hour reductions. Save any texts or emails. You should also file complaints with HR if you haven't already - NYS Department of Labor wants to see you tried to resolve the issues first. Good cause includes unsafe working conditions, harassment, significant changes to job duties or hours, and constructive discharge.
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Keisha Jackson
•This is solid advice. I had to quit due to unsafe conditions and got approved for benefits, but only after providing tons of documentation during the adjudication process.
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Paolo Romano
ugh the whole system is rigged against workers anyway... even if you have good cause they'll probably deny you first and make you appeal. happened to my brother when he quit because of harassment
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Connor Murphy
•That's discouraging but I guess I need to be prepared for that possibility.
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Amina Diop
I was in a similar situation last year - toxic boss, hours cut dramatically. I tried calling NYS Department of Labor for weeks to get clarification on good cause before quitting but could never get through. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an actual agent who explained the process. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. The agent told me exactly what documentation I needed and walked me through the good cause requirements.
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Oliver Schmidt
•Interesting, never heard of that service. Did it actually help you get your claim approved?
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Amina Diop
•Yes! Having that conversation beforehand helped me prepare properly. I knew exactly what to include in my separation reason and had all the right documentation ready.
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Natasha Volkov
just quit and apply anyway, worst they can do is say no
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Yara Nassar
•That's not good advice. If you quit without proper documentation or good cause, you could be disqualified and have to wait weeks or months before becoming eligible. Better to prepare properly first.
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Keisha Jackson
The hour reduction alone might qualify you. When they cut you from full-time to part-time like that, it can be considered constructive dismissal. Make sure you have your old schedule in writing and the new one too. NYS Department of Labor takes substantial changes in working conditions seriously during their review process.
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Connor Murphy
•Good point about the schedule documentation. I should screenshot my current schedule and get a copy of my original job offer that showed 40 hours.
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