What qualifies as good cause for quitting and still collecting NYS Department of Labor unemployment benefits?
I'm thinking about quitting my retail job because my manager keeps changing my schedule last minute and I have childcare issues. My hours got cut from 35 to 15 per week randomly and now they're asking me to work different shifts every day with only 24 hours notice. I have a 6 year old and can't find babysitters that quick. Would this count as good cause to quit and still get unemployment? I really need the income but this job is impossible to keep with my situation. Has anyone successfully gotten UI benefits after quitting for similar reasons?
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Salim Nasir
NYS Department of Labor does recognize certain situations as good cause for quitting. Schedule changes that make it impossible to continue working can qualify, especially if you have childcare responsibilities. You'll need to document everything - keep records of the schedule changes, any communication with your employer about the issues, and proof of your childcare situation. Make sure you give your employer a chance to fix the problem before quitting though.
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Quinn Herbert
•Thank you! Should I email my manager about the scheduling issues to create a paper trail? And how much notice do I need to give them to try to resolve it?
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Hazel Garcia
I went through something similar last year when my job started requiring mandatory overtime with no advance notice. NYS Department of Labor approved my claim because I could prove the working conditions changed substantially from when I was hired. The key is showing you tried to work with your employer first and that continuing the job would cause undue hardship.
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Laila Fury
•How long did the adjudication process take for your claim? I'm worried about being without income while they review everything.
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Geoff Richards
I had such a hard time getting through to NYS Department of Labor when I needed to explain my good cause situation. Kept getting disconnected after waiting on hold for hours. Finally used this service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that helped me get through to an actual agent. They have a video demo at https://youtu.be/qyftW-mnTNI showing how it works. Really helped me explain my circumstances properly instead of just relying on the online forms.
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Simon White
•How much does something like that cost? I'm already struggling financially and can't afford expensive services right now.
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Hugo Kass
honestly the whole system is rigged against workers anyway... they make it SO hard to prove good cause even when your employer is obviously being unreasonable. i quit my last job because of harassment and they still denied my claim initially. had to appeal and it took months to get resolved. document EVERYTHING because they will try to find any excuse to deny you
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Quinn Herbert
•That's so frustrating! Did you eventually win your appeal? I'm worried they'll just assume I could have made it work somehow.
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Nasira Ibanez
My sister quit her job last month for good cause and got approved pretty quick. Just make sure you don't have any other options before quitting
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Laila Fury
Wait, so you can actually quit and still get unemployment? I thought you had to be fired or laid off. This changes everything for my situation...
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Salim Nasir
•Yes, but it has to meet specific criteria for 'good cause.' It's not just because you don't like your job - there has to be compelling circumstances that make continuing work unreasonable. Things like unsafe working conditions, substantial changes to your job duties or schedule, harassment, or situations that conflict with necessary family responsibilities can qualify.
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Mikayla Brown
I work in HR and see these situations frequently. For childcare-related scheduling conflicts, NYS DOL typically considers it good cause if: 1) The schedule changes were not part of your original job terms, 2) You don't have reasonable alternatives for childcare, and 3) You attempted to work with your employer on a solution first. The 24-hour notice issue is particularly strong evidence since it's unreasonable to expect parents to arrange childcare that quickly. Before quitting, I'd recommend sending your manager an email explaining your childcare constraints and asking for more advance notice on schedule changes. Keep their response as documentation. Also gather any evidence showing your original work schedule vs. the current unpredictable one.
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